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Extracts

Extract: A Creative Compass by Emma Gannon

Letting go of having it all

The Success Myth

"Highly comforting" Alain de Botton, Founder of The School of Life 
 
"This book changed how I think" Annie Macmanus, author of The Mess We're In 
 
"You will not be able to put this book down" The Independent 
 
 
 
OUR OBSESSION WITH ACHIEVEMENT IS A TRAP. THIS IS HOW TO BREAK FREE. 
 
Emma Gannon was thriving in her portfolio career, enjoying a happy personal life and to anyone looking in, she was undoubtedly a success... She was also burned out and confused at why she felt unhappy, yet was still striving for more. 
 
After taking a deep look at her own journey, and interviewing many other successful people on her podcast Ctrl, Alt, Delete, she realised that our overly celebrated and traditional version of success is making us lonely, unfulfilled and dispirited. Now she has worked out a way to do things differently, and here Emma shares her hard-won lessons, including: 
 
• how to set goals that are ambitious but not overwhelming 
• why the 'tick-box' moments in life often feel anticlimactic 
• and how to break free from comparison and the endless pursuit of more 
 
A manifesto to craft work (and life) on your own terms, The Success Myth will give you the belief and tools to walk away from 'having it all', uncovering your individual path to fulfilment.

A highly comforting book which - while not minimizing the pressures that we're all under to achieve - nevertheless gently reminds us that it is what we are, not what we do, that will always ultimately count.

Alain de Botton, founder of The School of Life

The paradox of success is real. The things that the system tells us will make us happy often don't. Perhaps it's time to stop trying to win and start working to contribute instead.

Seth Godin, author of The Song of Significance

Annie Macmanus, author of The Mess We're In

A smart and insightful clarion call to everyone - my book of 2023

Farrah Storr, author of The Discomfort Zone

A brilliant book, and so necessary. We have to get away from the idea that happiness is just over the next hill, and that everything will be better when we've achieved the next big thing. This is a crucial and joyful part of that conversation.

Rebecca Seal, author of Solo: How to Work Alone (and Not Lose Your Mind)

Such a powerful and thought-provoking read

Clover Stroud, author of The Red of My Blood

The book that got me through a hard time ... soothing and helpful

Emma Gannon is a "success veteran," who has climbed the ladder of achievement, and experienced the vast difference between our cultural definition of "success" and genuine happiness. In this book, speaking from her own experience and the wisdom of many others, she shows us just how misguided our collective ideas of success can be. Then she offers a fresh perspective from which readers can begin to see their own paths to joyful, fulfilling lives. A wise and immensely helpful book for anyone disillusioned by the struggle to "get ahead".

Martha Beck, author of The Way of Integrity

Emma is wise beyond her years and has a way of putting into words beautifully what we're all thinking. The Success Myth is inspiring, candid and intelligent - I encourage everyone to read it.

Elizabeth Uviebinené, author of The Reset: Ideas to Change How We Work and Live

A deeply personal, authentic and relatable read. It made me breathe countless, heavy sighs of relief.

I don't think I have ever needed a book more than I needed this book.

Dr Soph, Sunday Times bestselling author of A Manual for Being Human

You will not be able to put this book down.

I inhaled it in one sitting. It made my shoulders drop three inches by the time I'd read the first chapter. Why? It is a permission slip to escape 'the achievement trap'.

Emma Gannon is the Sunday Times bestselling author of nine books, including A Year of Nothing and OLIVE, which was nominated for the Dublin Literary Award. Her second novel, Table for One (2025), was selected as People magazine’s 'Fiction of the Week.' 
 
Emma also writes one of the UK’s most popular Substack newsletters, The Hyphen, which has thousands of paid subscribers. In addition to her writing, she hosts creativity retreats around the world and served as a judge for the 2025 Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction.

Emma Gannon

There is nothing Emma Gannon does not know about unlocking your creativity. And she’s poured every ounce of that knowledge into this book. A future classic.

Farrah Storr, Head of Substack International

Another dose of genius from Emma Gannon. It's a proper reset for creativity. Motivating, inspiring and it takes the stress out of being creative. Reminding us to be calmer in the process, that the little things really make a big difference and that overwhelm is useless. It's a bible for all of us trying to come up with words to say.

Dawn O'Porter, million-copy bestselling author

[Gannon] is a writer who is both prolific and thoughtful, someone who thinks a lot about creativity and whose advice is incredibly helpful about how to create a life in creative fields. [..] A Creative Compass [is] a great one to check out for gorgeous, loving thoughts on how to bring more creativity into your life and brilliant exercises including reconnecting with joy, solitude and the strange power of asking what I’d call ‘your subconscious or whatever’ for guidance.

Now more than ever this book is required reading for anyone who wants to live a creative life. A Creative Compass provides a much needed reminder of importance of creativity, with some thoughtful corresponding guidance. I have clung to its words during recent world events and felt held, soothed, and at the same time galvanised into creative action.

Jennie Godfrey, bestselling author of The List of Suspicious Things

Emma has been a professional inspiration of mine for over a decade, both for her creative output and her ability to translate her talent across mediums. Her first creativity guide – packed full of suggestions, yet non-prescriptive – is a gentle invitation to trust one’s own curiosity and intuition; while her personal reflections and anecdotes, shared throughout, are a reminder of the power of doing so.

A cosy, permission-giving guide on how to return to your creative practice.

Emma Gannon's honesty, open-mindedness and willingness to be vulnerable lay out a path for her readers to follow.

Julia Cameron, author of The Artist's Way

A Creative Compass is in the tradition of The Artist’s Way or Writing Down the Bones, less of a “how to write a novel” manual and more a guide to connect us to our inner creativity. It is such a beautiful read, it is honest and also SO joyful. I felt like many people in my life would gain a lot from reading it, not just artists.

Louise O'Neill, author of Whatever Happened to Madeline Stone

So inspiring, I read it in one sitting and now going back to do the exercises and think about it slowly. Came at the perfect time for me.

A bright light and a shining star, and in many ways the voice of a generation.

Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love

Gannon offers a fresh perspective from which readers can begin to see their own paths to joyful, fulfilling lives.

Martha Beck, author of Finding Your Own North Star

Emma Gannon’s new book is a reorientation for the creatively lost. It’s less of a guide and more of a series of nudges towards reconnecting with a state of mind that facilitates creative thinking.

[Emma] shares ideas and practices that helped her come back from burnout, “rekindle the spark” (good for anyone feeling low at work, too) and advises how to deal with others’ criticism

Finding Your Way to a Creative Life

An empowering guide for artists, makers, writers and anyone seeking to live more creatively, with confidence, calm and joy. 
 
We all possess creativity, whether it's in the clothes we wear, the way we arrange flowers, or the patterns we choose for our bedroom walls. However, in today's fast-paced, AI-driven world, many of us have lost touch with our innate creative abilities. By chasing trends, productivity hacks and protocols, we forget to trust ourselves, instead relying on algorithms to dictate what we like, what we make, and crucially, how we feel. 
 
Award-winning author Emma Gannon understands just how essential creativity is for survival. Through necessity, she has forged her own creative compass to rekindle her spark when it’s running low. Now, she invites us to set our own inner compass, with mindsets, rituals and actions to help us:<ul><li>overcome burnout and mental blocks by blocking external noise</li><li>reignite our creative inspiration and flow through making 'bad' art, and</li><li>reconnect with intuition and self-trust by finding the values that guide us.</li></ul>Break free from the need for outside approval and create a vibrant, fulfilling life from the inside-out.

Emma Gannon

Praise for A Creative Compass

There is nothing Emma Gannon does not know about unlocking your creativity. And she’s poured every ounce of that knowledge into this book. A future classic.

Another dose of genius from Emma Gannon. It's a proper reset for creativity. Motivating, inspiring and it takes the stress out of being creative. Reminding us to be calmer in the process, that the litt ...

[Gannon] is a writer who is both prolific and thoughtful, someone who thinks a lot about creativity and whose advice is incredibly helpful about how to create a life in creative fields. [..] A Creative Compass

There is nothing Emma Gannon does not know about unlocking your creativity. And she’s poured every ounce of that knowledge into this book. A future classic.

Another dose of genius from Emma Gannon. It's a proper reset for creativity. Motivating, inspiring and it takes the stress out of being creative. Reminding us to be calmer in the process, that the litt ...

[Gannon] is a writer who is both prolific and thoughtful, someone who thinks a lot about creativity and whose advice is incredibly helpful about how to create a life in creative fields. [..] A Creative Compass

There is nothing Emma Gannon does not know about unlocking your creativity. And she’s poured every ounce of that knowledge into this book. A future classic.

Another dose of genius from Emma Gannon. It's a proper reset for creativity. Motivating, inspiring and it takes the stress out of being creative. Reminding us to be calmer in the process, that the litt ...

[Gannon] is a writer who is both prolific and thoughtful, someone who thinks a lot about creativity and whose advice is incredibly helpful about how to create a life in creative fields. [..] A Creative Compass

Books by Emma Gannon

Articles featuring Emma Gannon

Extract: A Creative Compass by Emma Gannon

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