Patterson/Bach Communications, Inc.

I love to read. From biographies to science fiction to classic novels, I have spent my free time over the years reading and reading and reading. I like the feeling of being drawn into a story – walking alongside main characters and giving villains a piece of my mind. How has my pastime changed in the past few years? I bought a Nook.

At first I felt like I was betraying centuries of literary geniuses, the spines of written masterpieces crumbling under my electronic page-turner. Slowly, as I finished my first eBook, I realized reading from an electronic reader was not that different than reading a “real book.”

There has been a bit of a social argument – which is better, eBooks or paper books? Dedicated readers and literary fanatics may lean towards their tried-and-true, bound novels, but technologically savvy individuals swear by their e-readers. I’ve discovered there is beauty in both sides.

E-readers, in particular my Nook, have made reading in public, at nighttime, and while traveling much easier for me. Slim, light, and backlit, the e-reader is much less complicated than a hardcover book. Instead of purchasing physical books, which I read only once and then end up cluttering my living room, quick reads stay stored away in digital files. Many local libraries offer e-reader borrowing. The option allows you to rent a book for a set amount of time, and not have to worry about physically bringing it back to the library – no more late fees.

But, then of course, there is the timeless aesthetic appeal of a hardback novel that outweighs the slick appearance of an e-reader. I like the way the classics look on my bookshelf. There is no denying the tactile experience of reading a print book is important to many readers. I believe there is certain literature that simply must be read from a bound book.

I’ve come to the conclusion there is time, place, and reason for both e-readers and books. Both are wonderful, and both encourage reading. Everyone can benefit from picking up a good book – whether it requires turning pages or pressing next.

In advertising, we bat around the word creative like Forrest Gump swatted ping pong balls. We use the word to describe our profession, our work and ourselves, but rarely do we pause to consider just what creativity is and what it means to be creative. So let’s take a moment to reflect on the nature of creativity as it is and has been perceived by some of history’s most—well, creative—minds:

BUCKMINSTER FULLER:

There is nothing in a caterpillar that tells you it’s going to be a butterfly.

PABLO PICASSO:

All children are artists. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.

ALBERT CAMUS:

All great deeds and all great thoughts have a ridiculous beginning.

JOHN CAGE:

I can’t understand why people are frightened of new ideas. I’m frightened of the old ones.

NIELS BOHR:

Your theory is crazy, but it’s not crazy enough to be true.

MICHELANGELO:

I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free.

DR. SEUSS:

Think left and think right and think low and think high. Oh, the thinks you can think up if only you try!

MARK TWAIN:

You can’t depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus.

G.K. CHESTERTON:

There are no rules of architecture for a castle in the clouds.

LEWIS CARROLL:

Sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.

MILES DAVIS:

Don’t play what’s there, play what’s not there.

VINCENT VAN GOUGH:

If you hear a voice within you say “You cannot paint,” then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced.

ISAAC BASHEVIS SINGER:

The wastebasket is a writer’s best friend.

MARCEL PROUST:

The voyage of discovery is not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes.

JOHN UPDIKE:

Creativity is merely a plus name for regular activity. Any activity becomes creative when the doer cares about doing it right, or better.

And finally …

VICTOR HUGO:

An invasion of armies can be resisted, but not an idea whose time has come.

Ahh, so that’s why I can’t get “oo-la-oo-ga-ga” out of my head.