Print View

Erin Dixon
UCDA Book Club Coordinator
Art Director, University of Tampa

I manage the University's visual identity and brand, art direct and design the alumni magazine, and oversee the design of admissions, advancement, and presidential marketing materials. 

The Creative Habit:
Learn It and Use It for Life

by Twyla Tharp

One of the world’s leading creative artists, choreographers, and creator of the smash-hit Broadway show, Movin’ Out, shares her secrets for developing and honing your creative talents—at once prescriptive and inspirational. All it takes to make creativity a part of your life is the willingness to make it a habit. It is the product of preparation and effort and is within reach of everyone.

Whether you are a painter, musician, businessperson, or simply an individual yearning to put your creativity to use, The Creative Habit provides you with thirty-two practical exercises based on the lessons Twyla Tharp has learned in her remarkable thirty-five-year career. (Description via Amazon)

In Progress: See Inside a Renowned Lettering Artist's Creative Process

by Jessica Hische

This revised edition of design-world darling Jessica Hische's career-spanning art book offers a fascinating inside look at her work in progress, featuring highlights from her most exciting recent projects and new tips for lettering with digital tools.

"In Progress" is an inspiring and informative book that showcases the creative prowess and technical expertise behind artist, author, and type designer Jessica Hische's distinctive lettering and typography styles. In explanatory captions throughout these pages, Hische guides readers through the phases of each hand-lettered project—for major clients such as Wes Anderson, NPR, Nike, and more—from gathering inspiration and sketching out rough ideas to revising and refining final designs. (Description via Amazon)

Baseline Shift: Untold Stories of Women in Graphic Design

by Briar Levit

Baseline Shift centers diverse women across backgrounds whose work has shaped, shifted, and formed graphic design as we know it today. From an interdisciplinary book designer and calligrapher starting out in Harlem's Renaissance, to the invisible drafters of Monotype's drawing office, the women represented here include auteurs, advocates for social justice, and creators ahead of their time. The fifteen essays in this illustrated collection come from contributors with a variety of backgrounds and perspectives. Baseline Shift is essential reading for students and practitioners of graphic design, as well as anyone with an interest in women's history. (Description via Amazon)

Steal Like An Artist

by Austin Kleon

Dates: March 26, April 9, and April 23
Time: 11 AM-12 PM (CST) / 12 PM-1 PM (EST)
UCDA Members only. 

Amazon Description: An inspiring guide to creativity in the digital age, Steal Like an Artist presents ten transformative principles that will help readers discover their artistic side and build a more creative life. Nothing is original, so embrace influence, school yourself through the work of others, remix and reimagine to discover your own path. Follow interests wherever they take you—what feels like a hobby may turn into you life’s work. Forget the old cliché about writing what you know: Instead, write the book you want to read, make the movie you want to watch. And finally, stay Smart, stay out of debt, and risk being boring in the everyday world so that you have the space to be wild and daring in your imagination and your work.