Orbiting the Giant Hairball A Corporate Fools Guide to Surviving with Grace

Creativity is crucial to business success. But too often, even the most innovative organization quickly becomes a "giant hairball"--a tangled, impenetrable mass of rules, traditions, and systems, all based on what worked in the past--that exercises an inexorable pull into mediocrity. Gordon McKenzie worked at Hallmark Cards for thirty years, many of which he spent inspiring his colleagues to slip the bonds of Corporate Normalcy and rise to orbit--to a mode of dreaming, daring and doing above and beyond the rubber-stamp confines of the administrative mind-set. In his deeply funny book, exuberantly illustrated in full color, he shares the story of his own professional evolution, together with lessons on awakening and fostering creative genius.

Originally self-published and already a business "cult classic", this personally empowering and entertaining look at the intersection between human creativity and the bottom line is now widely available to bookstores. It will be a must-read for any manager looking for new ways to invigorate employees, and any professional who wants to achieve his or her best, most self-expressive, most creative and fulfilling work.

The act of creating art, in all its forms, offers us a path to our souls. But the path can be confusing, and getting lost along the way is inevitable. However, maybe thatand#8217;s the point.

In The Tricksterand#8217;s Hat, bestselling author of the Griffin and Sabine cycle Nick Bantock invites you to lose yourself in order to become a better creator. Inspired by Nick's popular and mischievous workshops, the book's forty-nine perceptive exercises will encourage you to forget your destination while you meander through the wondrous world that awaits you in the periphery of your mind's eye.

If youand#8217;re willing to be lead hither and thither down unlikely paths by a fellow of dubious reputation, if youand#8217;re prepared to keep a sense of humor and not be phased when he plucks the unexpected out of a mischief-stuffed hat, if youand#8217;re ready to zigzag, detour, and wander in search of a better understanding of your artistic core, then, let the Trickster be your guide.

The act of creating art, in all its forms, offers us a path to our souls. But the path can be confusing, and getting lost along the way is inevitable. However, maybe thatand#8217;s the point.

In The Tricksterand#8217;s Hat, bestselling author of the Griffin and Sabine cycle Nick Bantock invites you to lose yourself in order to become a better creator. Inspired by Nick's popular and mischievous workshops, the book's forty-nine perceptive exercises will encourage you to forget your destination while you meander through the wondrous world that awaits you in the periphery of your mind's eye.

If youand#8217;re willing to be lead hither and thither down unlikely paths by a fellow of dubious reputation, if youand#8217;re prepared to keep a sense of humor and not be phased when he plucks the unexpected out of a mischief-stuffed hat, if youand#8217;re ready to zigzag, detour, and wander in search of a better understanding of your artistic core, then, let the Trickster be your guide.

Nick Bantock is the author/artist of twenty-five books, eleven of which have appeared on the best seller lists, including three books on the New York Times top ten concurrently: GRIFFIN and SABINE, SABINE'S NOTEBOOK, and THE GOLDEN MEAN. The original Griffin book, GRIFFIN and SABINE, stayed on that list for more than two years. Nick's works have been translated into thirteen languages and over five million copies have been sold worldwide.