Get Your Creative Juices Flowing with These Inspiring Audiobooks

In Big Magic, best-selling author Elizabeth Gilbert shares her secrets to living a creative lifestyle. Gilbert narrates the audiobook herself with sincerity and empathy, connecting with listeners as she explains how to live a curious life in order to find inspiration in the world around you. Whether you're wanting to write a book, paint a painting, tackle challenges at work with new ideas, or simply infuse your everyday life with more passion, Big Magic will guide you to uncover the "strange jewels" that are hidden within you.

An international best seller, The Artist's Way is an essential resource on the subject of creativity and its connection to spirituality. Presenting a 12-week program of exercises and explorations, this book is for anyone trying to find their true creative self—whether as a writer, painter, poet, woodworker, or musician. This updated version of the audiobook features a new introduction from author and narrator Julia Cameron, reflecting on the impact of her book and the discoveries she's made about creativity in the years since its initial release.

A musician, bandleader, designer, producer, culinary entrepreneur, professor, and self-described "cultural omnivore," Questlove is a man who wears many creative hats. In Creative Quest, he shares his wisdom and what he's discovered about inspiration and being original. Combining his own experiences with observations and insights from other creatives, Questlove provides a comprehensive guide on how to tap into creativity, find a mentor, deal with critics, and more. This unique audio experience includes original music by Questlove and members of The Roots, plus vocal guest appearances from Fred Armisen, Tariq Trotter, Dion Flynn, Robin Thede, “Suga” Steve Mandel, Norm Macdonald, Ludo Lefebvre, and Molly Kelley.

In Rhett & Link's Book of Mythicality, YouTube superstars Rhett McLaughin and Link Neal offer up their outrageously funny and honest guide to living a "mythical" life. Part autobiography, part trivia, and part advice, this audiobook is filled with outrageous prompts to help you take bold and imaginative risks, ranging from inventing something utterly ridiculous to saying "I love you" like it's never been said before to speaking at your own funeral. While listening, you're sure to pick up quite a few and useful nuggets for your creative journey, while laughing a lot along the way.

From the best-selling author of Flow, comes Creativity: The Psychology of Discovery and Invention. This audiobook is a remarkable exploration into what creativity is, where it comes from, and how creative endeavors are ultimately what make life worth living. Pulling from 30 years of research on the subject, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi examines almost every aspect of creativity you can think of, including why creative individuals are often seen as arrogant, why the "tortured genius" is a myth, and why cultivating creativity is necessary for the future of our country and the world. Prolific narrator Sean Pratt makes it all, to quote one listener, "clear and engaging."

From the creator of the Unmistakable Creative podcast, Audience of One presents a liberating and empowering take on the creative process: focus your creative work on pleasing yourself rather than pleasing others. By creating purely for your own pleasure, you can bring the joy back into your work, and in doing that, your work will naturally appeal to more people. Narrating his own work, Srinivas Rao proves his point by sharing specific examples of real-life creatives who took this path and became successful, while offering actionable advice, tips, and tricks.

If you're a dancer or love dance, then you already know who Misty Copeland is and what she's accomplished. A gifted ballerina, Copeland made history as the first Black soloist with the American Ballet Theatre. In Life in Motion, Copeland shares her inspiring story, from sleeping on the floor of a shabby motel room with her five siblings to discovering ballet as a true prodigy and performing professionally just over a year after taking her first dance lesson. This audiobook, narrated by Lisa Reneé Pitts, also captures the author's artistic desire, drive, and courage. Misty Copeland's remarkable story will spark inspiration for anyone who has struggled to achieve their dream.

Sing for Your Life is the uplifting story of Ryan Speedo Green and his incredible journey into the world of opera. Raised in poverty and violence in Southeastern Virginia, Ryan seemed destined for a life of drugs and crime. At the age of 12, he was locked up in a state juvenile facility. At the age of 24, he won a nationwide competition hosted by New York's Metropolitan Opera; he now performs major roles at the Met and some of Europe's most prestigious opera houses. As author Daniel Bergner reveals, Ryan had two teachers who redirected his rage into music and believed in him, as well as an unexpected champion who inspired him to believe in himself: his long-lost father. Narrated by Ryan Vincent Anderson, Sing for Your Life sheds light on the power of art to overcome adversity.

Have you ever stopped to wonder what the purpose is behind your art? In Art & Fear, author David Bayles and photographer Ted Orland explore the "why" behind art. How does art get made? Why does it so often not get made? And what stands in the way of artists achieving greatness? Whether your art has you sitting at an easel, a piano, a keyboard, or somewhere else in the world, Art & Fear will have you examining what's blocking you and how to push through it.

Best-selling author, artist, and illustrator Lisa Congdon brings her years of visual art expertise to the table in Find Your Artistic Voice, a guide to the process of artistic self-discovery. In this audiobook, narrated by Maggi-Meg Reed, Congdon interweaves her advice with interviews from other established artists, illustrators, and creatives. Through their wise words, you'll learn how to identify and nurture your own visual identity, push through fear and insecurity, and persevere.

If you consider yourself a creative, then this might be difficult to hear: all creative people have a curse. In The Creative's Curse, Todd Brison explains what that curse is and how to live with it. Because no, a curse isn't something you can overcome or outgrow—it’s something you acknowledge as part of your creative process through the phases of self-discovery, discipline, and beyond. All of that likely sounds very dire, but Brison's book is optimistic overall, featuring an animated and encouraging narration from the author himself.

One listener called Beginner's Mind “the most beautiful thing I have ever listened to,” and it’s hard to argue with that assessment. Reflecting on the personal journey and illuminating the creative process of one of the most talented musicians living today, this Words + Music selection is also a tool for understanding how the creative arts unite humanity. Yo-Yo Ma’s heartening reflections on connection and curiosity offer a sense of tranquility and an invitation to envision a kinder, more beautiful future. Exclusive recordings showcase Ma’s extraordinary musical talents, and his gorgeous arrangements could make for a rather inspiring playlist for your next project!

If you express your creativity through cooking, you'll want to listen to Edward Espe Brown's nourishing collection of essays, No Recipe. As the title suggests, this audiobook doesn't offer a recipe for anything. Instead, it's a rich meditation on the emotional and spiritual journey that is possible through the art of cooking, sprinkled with expert culinary advice. In these engaging reflections, read by Matthew Josdal, Brown explains how every moment in the kitchen is both sacred and sensuous, as well as an opportunity to be mindful and find joy.

You might well recognize author Nick Offerman from his role on Parks & Rec, but did you know the actor and comedian is also an avid and talented woodworker? Offerman's Good Clean Fun is his celebration of his woodshop and woodworking. As he waxes on about his passion for woodwork and relates the story of how he got there, he also shares a couple of beginner-level projects you can make at home: a Pop Top bottle opener and a three-legged stool. As you listen to this audiobook, you'll also get to enjoy exclusive original songs by Nick and his friend, Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy: “Music to Sand By," “American White Oak," “Raising the Grain," “The Lazy Carpenter," and of course, “Good Clean Fun."

Have you ever considered giving up your desk job to pursue your creative dreams? The Sharper Your Knife, the Less You Cry is the perfect audiobook. At age 36, Kathleen Finn returned from vacation to find that her corporate job had been eliminated. Instead of following her mother's sensible advice to get another job immediately, she followed her heart, cleared out her savings, and moved to Paris to pursue a diploma from the famed Le Cordon Bleu cooking school. This is Finn's inspiring story of courage, creation, and self-discovery. And it's skillfully performed by Audie Award-winning and Audible Hall of Fame narrator Cassandra Campbell.

Ernest Hemingway, Zadie Smith, Joan Didion, Franz Kafka, David Foster Wallace: as everyone knows, they're all great authors who have produced multiple critically acclaimed books. What's less known: how do they do it? Sarah Stodola delves into how some of the greatest authors write in Process: The Writing Lives of Great Authors. Each chapter in the book focuses on a different author, their work, and their specific writing process. Narrated by Audie Award winner Andi Arndt, this audiobook offers the perfect way for writers of all genres to find inspiration and discover what methods work for them.

Though it's technically a podcast, music producer and performer Brandon Green's groundbreaking Audible Original is more of an uncategorizable sound experience. Take a globe-hopping tour of healing sounds around the world. From Machu Picchu, Japan, and Jamaica to California, Detroit, and Atlanta, each episode of this ambitious podcast offers a profound journey through specific frequencies to discover and connect to a higher sense of well-being. Whether you want inspiration for your next trip or just want to turn your customary dog walk or morning commute into a trip for all the senses, Maejor Frequency is a fascinating deep dive into the surprising benefits of intentional frequency.