In “Art Thinking: How to Carve Out Creative Space in a World of Schedules, Budgets, and Bosses’’ (HarperBusiness), Amy Whitaker, who has an MBA and an MFA, offers examples of people who have brought an artist’s approach to business and an entrepreneurial mindset to art projects. Maybe what happened to Harper Lee — friends gave her the equivalent of a year’s salary so she could work on her novel — won’t happen to you, but you might find friends as helpful as Roger Bannister’s. Bannister was the first person in modern recorded history to run a mile in under four minutes. Key to his success were two trainers and pacers who egged him on in more than one way.

JAN GARDNER