5: Cultivating Creativity

I thought the variations on a theme idea was helpful. Not only can you produce a series but it also allows you to play with ideas. The example of Katsushika Hokusai's work demonstrates how one subject can be viewed from many angles. I also like how the chapter explains that researching precedents is appropriate - you're not cheating. I always felt that looking at other people's work was somewhat unethical, but as my professor always said, muscians first study other people's music before they produce their own.