Russel Howcroft and Alex Wadelton team up to release new book ‘The Right-brain Workout’

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Today marks the release of the new Penguin Random House book, The Right-brain Workout. A program of seventy questions designed to challenge you to think more creatively, from more than fifty of the best and brightest creative minds from the worlds of comedy, film, literature, art, music and advertising.

 

Alex Wadelton, one of Australia’s most successful advertising writers, teamed up with Russel Howcroft, leading creativity advocate and star of ABC TV’s “Gruen”, to bring The Right-brain Workout to life.

Each page of The Right-brain Workout is a new day with a different question that encourages people to pick up a pencil or a pen and get their creative side working.
Questions such as:
– If clay was discovered to be a new superfood, what would it be renamed for consumers?
– There’s a creature that steals all our socks from the washing. Draw it.
– If the moon wasn’t The Moon, what should it be called and how would you sell it as a tourist attraction?
– Draw your surname as a heavy metal logo.

Russel Howcroft and Alex Wadelton team up to release new book ‘The Right-brain Workout’

Howcroft has previously called for the establishment of a Creativity Commission to address what he calls the ‘Creative Deficit’ – Australia’s lack of emphasis on encouraging lateral thinking and new ideas as a force to fuel economic growth. Just some of the damning statistics about creativity and the economy are:
– Whilst 98% of five-year-olds are considered ‘highly creative’, that number reduces to 30% by age ten, then 12% at age fifteen, and eventually to only 2% among adults.-
– In 2016, the CSIRO predicted 44% of Australian jobs were under threat by the new industrial revolution.
– International predictive data on work released by the UK’s innovation foundation NESTA recently revealed creative jobs are likely to see a growth rate of 87% by 2030, contrasted with a sharp decline across more traditional industries.
– – Employment in the creative sector is growing at almost twice the rate of employment across all sectors.

Says Howcroft: “I have lost count of the number of times people say “your argument for creativity is all well and good, but what can I do now?” Well the answer is here. Do a right- brain workout, of course.”

Says Wadelton: “The Right-brain Workout won’t just help you get back in touch with your creative side. It will encourage you to take a few minutes a day to put something positive into your head, onto the page, and out to the world.”

It’s in bookstores today or can be purchased via rightbrainworkout.com

A portion of profits will be donated to Epilepsy Action Australia to help fund research into understanding what causes epilepsy and how it can best be treated.



“I love this! I basically started forcing the kids to come up with responses toothless tasks straight away and their responses were amazing.” – Waleed Aly (Host of The Project)

“This book is an absolute joy! It will help you with ur imagination and cretivity. It will not help you wuth your speling.” – Tommy Little (Comedian)

“Russel is leading the conversation on harnessing creativity to shape the future of our country.” –
Senator, The Hon Mitch Fifield

“Nothing inspires like the inspired. A book full of creative prompts from some of the most creative people on the planet is so perfectly simple, it could only have come from Alex Wadelton, someone inspiring me and others with his creative genius for years.” – Tom Whitty (EP Australia Talks)

The ad industry will recognise many of the contributors to the book:
David Ponce de Leon (ECD, Ogilvy Melbourne)
Steven Nicholson (Creative Technologist, Airbag)
Emma Robbins (ECD, M&C Saatchi Melbourne)
Ben Couzens (ECD, Thinkerbell)
Kimmie Neidhart (ECD, Burd)
Nigel Dawson (ECD, Three Wise Men)
Karen Ferry (Creative Director and “Gruen” Panellist)
John Akritidis (ECD, Marmalade)
Ali Berg (Founder and CD, Hedgehog Agency, Co-creator of Books on the Rail, author “The Book Ninja”, “While You Were Reading”)
Ed Bechervaise (Creative Director Icon Agency, Artist as “Unwell Bunny”)
Nick Cummins (Creative Partner, The Royals),
Luisa Paine (Creative/Art Director, and Artist)
Paul Taylor (Independent ECD and Social Entrepreneur)
Brendon Guthrie (freelance CD and writer)
Shannon Crowe (freelance CD/writer)
Antony Simmons (CD, Clemenger BBDO)
Luke Thompson (CD, Clemenger BBDO)
Paul Carpenter (Freelance CD and owner of Pompous Pets)
Annie Egan (ACD, R/GA New York)
Ellie Dunn (Writer, Leo Burnett)
Ben Akers (ECD, made with +)
Paul Meates (CD, Droga 5 New York)
Brian Thacker (Freelance Creative)
Angus Loxton (Art Director, JWT)
Fiona McLeod (Senior Graphic Designer, BMF)
Huie Yin Wong (Art Director, Ogilvy)
Frank Trobbiani (Art Director and Drummer “Mammoth Mammoth”)
Kim Hellier (CD, The Shannon Company)
Alongside creative people from a range of other fields:
Waleed Aly (Host of The Project)
Tommy Little (Comedian and The Project Panellist)
Paul Foot (Comedian)
Tom Whitty (EP, Australia Talks)
Stu Morley (Photographer)
Dave Gibson (Co-founder Hawke’s Brewing Co)
Craig Griffin (EP, The Directors Group)
Steve Callen (Director)
Josh Robbins (Artist)
Darby Hudson (Poet)
Michael Farr (UI design, Movember)
Josh Logue (Director)
Hayden Gregory (Director)
Bill Irving (Director)
Christopher Tovo (Photographer and Director)
Tom Franks (Photographer)
Adam White (Director/editor, Future Pictures)
Thom Rigney (Photographer)
Josh Frizzell (Director)
Dmitri Golvoko (Composer DG Music)
Rob Stephens (Audio engineer Bang Bang Studios
Nicholas Bufalo (Director)
Billy Plummer (Photographer)

Video Credits:
Future Pictures (futurepictures.tv)
Adam White, Director/Editor
Mat Govoni, Producer
Jim Cruse, Composer

Website build:
Hardhat (hardhat.com.au)