Making Things Beautiful / Making Beautiful Things

Making Things Beautiful / Making Beautiful Things is an interactive book that investigates the difficulties and delights associated with the human drive to create.


This is an exercise in "writing to learn" as I attempt to codify a lifetime of lessons into a working philosophy for myself, for readers dealing with similar issues and for anyone else interested in the creative process. It would be impossible to write a comprehensive book on the subject, so I focus on aspects of creative work that I have found either particularly difficult or particularly rewarding. These ideas—such as perfectionism, inspiration and resonance—are supplemented by interactive illustrations, work by other creative people and quotes and concepts from artists, philosophers and authors.


This book was created for my master's thesis at NYU's ITP. You can watch a video trailer and learn more at www.makingthingsbeautiful.net. You can view more of my work at scott.j38.net or follow me on Twitter (@scottgarner).