Upon the release of a new book, we like to ask our authors to share their thoughts on the how and why of their work. Steve Brouwers wrote Boost Your Creativity, a playful workbook that stimulates your imagination and helps you realise your creative potential. His daughter Stella Brouwers designed the colourful layout for the book.
Steve, what is the book about?
The book is about sparking creativity in a playful, accessible, and liberating way. It is not a manual for perfect art, but an invitation to discover, fail, laugh, and let your imagination flow freely.
How did you come up with the idea for this book?
Steve: I am constantly working on finding ideas and solutions for new challenges. I also teach young people who have to come up with creative concepts, and I notice that they are increasingly turning to digital tools such as AI. Although I don't think that's wrong, I want to teach young people to use their own brains to the fullest first.
That's why I wanted to provide tools that help people spark their creativity. I want to be the spark that ignites something. This book was meant to be a playground where everyone can have fun and realise that creativity isn't just something for the 'happy few', but simply a matter of doing it.
It is scattered with quotes from people who inspire me, supplemented with personal insights. Always with one goal: to activate by doing. Drawing, writing, cutting, messing around, asking questions, breaking rules, rewriting stories – and yes, also using AI.
You created this book together as father and daughter, with Steve writing the text and Stella designing the layout. How did that collaboration go?
Stella: This wasn't my first time working with my dad; I had already collaborated with him on my master's project at the academy. It quickly became clear that our creative minds were a perfect match. He always encourages me to take that extra step out of my comfort zone and keep going. When he suggested the idea for this book, I was immediately super excited! This is my first experience in the professional graphic design world, and I couldn't have imagined a better start. We get along very well and are both always open to feedback, which means we learn a lot from each other. He listens to me and I listen to him. With a great deal of mutual admiration for each other's strengths, we ended up with this book, which we are both extremely proud of!
Steve: When I knew I was going to make this book, I didn't hesitate for a second about who I would do it with: Stella, my daughter. Having just graduated as a graphic designer from the Academy of Antwerp, I wanted to give her the opportunity to help shape this project. Of course, I already knew her work from her studies, but this was something completely different.
What I find important in collaboration is to let people go their own way at the beginning. You want to see their vision, not impose your own idea. Otherwise, they just become executors. And Stella's first designs were actually spot on right away. We still looked for some colour use and coherency, but at a certain point, I felt: this is right. I can let it go.
What was challenging, though, was how to give feedback to your own daughter. I'm known for being pretty straightforward, so I wrote down my comments in a document. But when I reread it, I thought it came across as pretty harsh at times. Text without tone or facial expression often comes across as harsher than you intend. That's why I chose to discuss everything together first, and only then share the document. Stella took it wonderfully, and from that moment on, everything went very smoothly. I am incredibly proud of the result and am already looking forward to our next collaboration.
What does creativity mean in your lives?
Stella: As a graphic designer, I really enjoy working with people. What I like to do is take someone else's idea and give it the right look and feel. Processing a large amount of content, so that someone else's creativity can be translated into something that is accessible to a wider audience. That way, I also come into contact with many different types of people, each with their own types of creativity. Someone else's drive is what sparks my creativity and inspires me to go off into my own creative world.
Steve: For me, creativity is not a talent reserved only for artists or so-called 'creative minds'. It is a fundamental human capacity – a way of approaching the world with curiosity, courage, and imagination. It is a way of being, an attitude toward the world. Creativity doesn't start with the perfect idea, but with the courage to just get started. Don't wait until you feel ready, just do it. Try things out, draw, write, mess around, ask questions, make mistakes, and start over. It's the willingness to step into the unknown, to fail, and not to run away from it, but to keep looking at it with curiosity.
I strongly believe that creativity is not about confidence, but about courage. It does not require perfect execution, but rather the bravery to create something genuine –something that may be imperfect, but is uniquely yours. For me, creativity is also about seeing things differently. Learning to see the world anew, from unexpected angles or in small details that others might miss. It is playful and personal, sometimes rebellious, sometimes sensitive, but always honest.
And above all: creativity is something that must be shared. I want to inspire others to let their imagination run wild. Because you don't have to be perfect. You just have to start.
Steve created 64 exercises and guidelines for the book. Which one is your personal favourite and why?
Stella: “Hidden in plain sight” is one of my favourites. In everyday life, I often take photos of things I encounter that appeal to me or remind me of something else. When I start a project, I often go through my own camera roll first to see if I can make a connection somewhere. This always makes me look at my own curated world or ‘history’ in a different way, which has already produced many beautiful things. A change of perspective, which this exercise really plays on, is a very good lesson to take away from this book!
Steve: The MESS IT UP pages are actually my favourite. They encourage you to do something you would never normally do: dirty the book you are reading, poke holes in it, kiss it, crumple it up. At first it feels a bit strange, but once you do it, it's surprisingly liberating. It forces you to look at things differently – it puts things into perspective and makes everything just that little bit more exciting.
Who is this book for?
Steve: This book is for everyone. Anyone who feels that there is something creative inside them, whether it is deeply hidden or just screaming to be released. For anyone who sometimes feels stuck, the what-if dreamers, the overthinkers, the procrastinators. It's for anyone who has ever hesitated to start and then got stuck in that hesitation. It's for that part of you that is wild, curious, imperfect but also a little brave. You don't have to be a professional artist. You don't need a five-year plan. Just a few minutes, a pencil, and a willingness to play.
Because playing is important. That's why not all exercises are very serious. Sometimes you just have to put on some lipstick and kiss the pages.
Because being silly is just fun, and when we dare to do more, we will also achieve more. Step by step, page by page.
