Summary
Although this book is not a book about data viz per se, it gets mentioned in data viz contents on the Internet like the ones in the links below:
- https://www.onepager.com/community/blog/comprehensive-list-of-books-on-data-visualization/
- https://markg.blog/2019/04/10/emulating-bubbles-and-shadows/
- https://vizzendata.com/2020/04/22/how-to-create-halos-around-bar-charts/
- https://rativiz.wordpress.com/2018/05/02/steal-like-an-artist-but-ask-for-copyright-iron-viz-entry-2018-litterature/
- https://www.storytellingwithdata.com/blog/2019/2/12/many-paths-to-learning-data-viz
- https://nightingaledvs.com/spotlight-the-process-behind-among-us-and-what-i-learned-from-the-dvs-census-challenge/
- https://www.storytellingwithdata.com/blog/2019/4/26/emulate-recap
- https://policyviz.com/podcast/episode-195-nadieh-bremer-shirley-wu/
Seeing the book being referenced so many times by data viz authors, I have decided to give the book a shot. It gives readers insights into how the author thinks about producing creative content. "Stealing" from others (give credit to them), exploring places, collecting inspiration pieces, writing and drawing on paper, sharing your work, keep doing what you do professionally and outside of it, being disciplined and being kind to others are the ways to keep our creativity up. As the saying goes, "content is king", but I guess we have to see ourselves as the kingmaker.
Things I like
1. Easy read. As a book with big fonts with statements quoted, the book is a breeze to read. This is also coupled with the author having written the book in his voice. The book is nothing technical but commonsensical things that you may already know. Yet this book can serve as a reminder to you to practice what you already know.
Final Verdict: Not a data viz book, but the book is one that I should have read earlier before embarking on my data viz journey as it is a book that helps readers gain the right mindset towards creative work.