In How Ideas Are Born readers will find a treasure chest of images by 26 outstanding
illustrators from 12 different countries that the author has gathered selected and curated
based on their special qualities and distinctiveness. The types of images and styles vary
ranging from the child-like and naïve to the poignant suggestive and truly masterly. In
addition to the 270 images the book contains 110 drawings and pages from notebooks and
sketchbooks that take the reader deeper into the nature of each artist's work. The visual
elements are complemented by revealing interviews in which the artists discuss what compelled
them to become illustrators their inspirations and the personal philosophies and creatives
processes that enable them to transform an impulse or an emotion into an idea and an idea into
a unique work of art. We are told what drives and inspires them and learn about the origins of
their ideas and creativity from an innocent curiosity about shapes and colors to the desire to
share something fascinating and wonderful with others in a special and original way. We also
learn where creative ideas come from and how they can emerge from such varied places and
activities as the unconscious the work of other visual artists literature daily drawing and
sketching travel going to the cinema and birdwatching. The featured artists also share some
of their secrets to being a good illustrator including drawing constantly trial and error
curiosity exploring the connections between what we see and what we feel education passion
and even failure. As we are told in the introduction readers can approach How Ideas Are Born
as experts taking notes on each artist's reflections about the origins of ideas illustration
and their creative processes or explore it as a child opening the book to a random page and
letting yourself be mesmerized and inspired by the richness and variety of the images.
