By Jennifer Williams (Centre for Creative Communities. 2006 ISBN 095147636X 12)
At the core of this book are powerful stories of public policy in action in diverse cultures real social change brought about by visionaries involving, valuing and connecting people through creative activity. The author explores, through a series of ten interviews with individuals who have had a profound impact on her thinking and development, exactly what it is that motivates and stimulates them: choreographers, artists, writers, journalists, actresses, educators all finding ways of extending their creativity to improve the lives of others.
On a purely human interest level, the stories are compelling, revealing the key influences that shaped the values for each individual and motivated them to form their own approaches and processes to become agents for change. These uncommon people carry a set of beliefs the common threads: a collective view of creativity as a basic human need. What makes these visionaries so effective is that they have developed ways of working that is based on encouraging all kinds of people to find meaning in their own lives.
Jennifer Williams informed commentary draws out the key issues for community visioning and celebrates the leadership qualities of uncommon people and their role in enabling and empowering people. This book is a personal expression of the authors own motivations and values carried through into the illustrations and presentation. It will be of interest to arts students, practitioners, managers and policy-makers in fact, anyone who wants to understand more about the connections between creativity, learning and the human condition.
Review by Linda Ball, Training Manager, Empowering the Artist.
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