This is a book review of Ignore Everybody by Hugh MacLeod.
How I got the book:
I received a review copy from the publisher.
Background:
Hugh MacLeod has a background in copywriting and marketing but he is also an entrepreneur, a writer, and an artist. He is most famous for his signature cartoons that are often featured on his popular GapingVoid blog and in many other places around the world. This is his first book, although he has evil plans for even more books…
Ignore Everybody builds upon MacLeod’s famous essay “How To Be Creative”, which has been downloaded or viewed more than one million times. This book expands upon the original essay and adds new material to illustrate Hugh’s thoughts on work, creativity, and life. The book is composed of 40 bite-sized chunks for easy reading and reference.
The strengths:
This book is a powerful read and had a huge impact on me personally when I read the original essay. The original material is intact and beefed up with further details while several new sections have been added.
There’s power and passion in Hugh’s writing. He’s lived through all of this with his own creative work and come to terms with it. He paints a difficult yet rewarding picture for people who want to use their creative skills to use great things. At the same time, he’s pessimistic (or realistic?) about big breaks and becoming well known – the odds are against most of us, after all, in a sea of millions of creators. His advice is similar to that of Seth Godin: don’t compete within the crowd; find your own edge, niche, or corner to dominate and don’t worry about approval.
The areas for improvement:
As good as the book is, a little more detail and a little more helpful advice would have made it even better.
Other points of interest:
Hugh describes how he was acquainted with director Tim Burton in the book and talks about chimney pieces. And his Sex and Cash analogy is a must read.
Verdict (out of 10): 9 (a recommended buy for anyone who is serious about doing creative work)
My methodology for book reviews and affiliate links: I’ll provide an Amazon.com affiliate link (or other related affiliate link) for content if I think it’s worth buying and reading. If I don’t, I won’t provide an affiliate link. The affiliate link helps fund my content creation activities.
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