Hugh MacLeod has been blogging about marketing, the Internet, and various other topics since 2001 on his blog called Gapingvoid. He is also famous for his cartoons on business cards. He sells limited-edition prints of the drawings. He is also the CEO of Stormhoek USA, which markets South African wine in the States.

In 2004, Hugh published a series of blog posts which was developed into an e-book titled “How to Be Creative.” That e-book has been downloaded more than a million times and is one of the popular books on creativity.

Ignore Everybody and 39 Other Keys to Creativity is the updated, revised and enlarged version of “How to Be Creative” in print form. It contains many of the famous business card cartoons that appeared in his blog. This small book contains Hugh’s opinions and ideas on creativity and success interspersed with apt cartoons.

Some of the main ideas—there are 40 of them—include ignoring everybody, doing the hard work (Put the hours in.), being passionate about your work (Merit can be bought. Passion can’t.), making the effort, working hard and waiting patiently to succeed (If your plan depends on suddenly ‘discovered’ by some big shot, your plan will possibly fail.), importance of doing it yourself (Nobody cares. Do it for yourself.), setting your own standards (Never compare your inside with somebody else’s outside.), doing something different and original (Don’t try to stand out from the crowd; avoid crowds altogether.), and many more.

The book is full of practical, sensible, and powerful ideas that have the potential to make you more productive and creative. Written in Hugh’s natural writing style, the book makes reading a pleasure while the cartoons make you laugh and think.

According to Hugh, if he were to condense the book into a few sentences, that would be: “Work hard. Keep at it. Live simply and quietly. Remain humble. Stay positive. Create your own luck. Be wise. Be polite.”

A must read for all who want to succeed and be creative. An inspiration to try harder, aim higher and stay focused. Grab the book and start reading. Your life will change, change for the better. Good luck.

Book Details:

• Author: Hugh MacLeod
• Publisher: Portfolio
• Year: 2009
• ISBN: 9781591842590
• Cover & Page Count: Hardcover, 176 pages