6 Books to Inspire Creativity in Programmers

I mentioned in a previous post that the secret to success as a programmer is original and creative thinking.

So what if you are not creative? Don’t worry, you’re not alone. In fact, most programmers you meet lack creativity. The reason being is that creativity requires a different type of thought compared to the objective, logical thought of programming.

Luckily, creative thinking is something that can be learned. I have chosen a list of books to inspire your creativity.

Note: This list has no particular order.

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Pragmatic Thinking and Learning: Refactor Your Wetware

Andy Hunt

This is a creativity book specifically made for programmers, by a programmer (one of the authors of The Pragmatic Programmer: From Journeyman to Master).

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Thinkertoys: A Handbook of Creative-Thinking Techniques

Michael Michalko

Michael Michalko takes you through several visual puzzles to force you to change your way of thinking. This can often be difficult task for those with little creativity.

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Thinkpak: A Brainstorming Card Deck

Michael Michalko

Ok, so this one isn’t really a book. Building upon the skills learned in Thinkertoys, Michael Michalko created a deck of cards that you can use to inspire creative thinking and transform your ideas into solutions.

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Cracking Creativity: The Secrets of Creative Genius

Michael Michalko

The last of three books (resources) by Michael Michalko. This time around, Michael focuses on how to think like the creative geniuses of history, including Leonardo da Vinci and Walt Disney.

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How to Get Ideas

Jack Foster, Larry Corby

Part of being creative is having an original idea, but where does this idea come from? This book will tell you how to inspire new ideas so you can take them to the next level.

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The Innovator’s Toolkit: 50+ Techniques for Predictable and Sustainable Organic Growth

David Silverstein, Philip Samuel, Neil DeCarlo

Innovation goes hand-in-hand with technology. Just look at companies like Apple or Google – who are constantly innovating computer hardware and software. This book by Silverstein, et al. is an excellent reference book for those who are innovators. To be a successful innovator, you also need to be a creative thinker.

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Programming is the easy part, if you are reading this blog you are probably self-sufficient in at least one programming language. Now you know how to get to the next level: be creative!

If there are any other books that have inspired you to become a creative innovator, please share below in the comments.

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