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Name: Wired To Create
Rating: 4.6 (161 reviews)
Author: Scott Barry Kaufman & Carolyn Gregoire

Scott Barry Kaufman Carolyn Gregoire

Unraveling the Mysteries of the Creative Mind

4.6 (161 ratings)

26 mins

Brief summary

Wired to Create by Scott Barry Kaufman & Carolyn Gregoire explores the creative mind, offering insights and strategies for embracing and enhancing creativity in all aspects of life.

Topics

Creative Flow

Table of Contents

Wired To Create
Summary of 10 key ideas

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Key idea 1 of 10

What’s in it for me? Learn how to unleash your natural creativity.

Creativity is often thought of as a singular attribute – a gift that’s either bestowed at birth or never bestowed at all. And while it’s true that some people seem to be naturally more creative than others, it’s misleading to think that creativity is something you either have or don’t.

Creativity is a hodgepodge of traits – some innate, some acquirable – and there are many techniques to encourage their development and thus boost your own creativity.

And that’s what these blinks are all about. You’ll not only learn which traits contribute most to creativity, but also the habits and environmental factors that can help make those traits thrive.

You’ll also find out

that Pablo Picasso wasn’t very well organized;
how Carl Jung dealt with emotional difficulties; and
why trauma can help you grow.

The “messy minds” of creative people embrace contradictions.

Boldness is fascinating. Whether it’s an iconoclast like Kurt Cobain or an innovator like Steve Jobs, we’re drawn to people who break, or remake, the rules. But what exactly is it that makes these mavericks so magnetic?

Well, there is no one thing that accounts for a creative mind.

In the 1960s, psychologist Frank X. Barron studied a number of famous creatives and concluded that successful creativity had no single source.

Previously, there was thought to be a causal relationship between IQ and creativity, but Barron’s findings showed that brainpower is but one contributing factor among many.

Furthermore, creative minds are often paradoxical. A group of writers, for instance, measured above average on tests for psychopathology and mental illness; however, their overall mental health was also above average.

This mental collage of paradoxes and contradictions – the “messiness” of the creative mind – is reflected in the unstructured, “messy” work habits of creative people.

When working on Guernica, one of his many masterpieces, the painter Pablo Picasso followed no clear plan. He improvised, revising and rethinking as he went, and “wasting” a great deal of effort along the way. Some of his initial sketches appear in the finished painting; others were reworked over and over, only to be discarded entirely.

Instead of making a schedule and sticking to a plan, creative people seem to follow the plan imposed on them by their work. As psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi notes, creatives aren’t led by a rigid structure, but rather obey the demands of the work in their chosen field, and how they interact with it.

Creative people are highly driven to master the things about which they’re passionate.

The brilliant mathematician, wildly solving some unsolvable equation; the genius novelist, typing away till dawn; the madcap painter, feverishly splashing color upon the canvas. These artistic stereotypes, familiar from film and literature, might seem a little silly and clichéd. But the quality they all share – artistic passion – is quite real.

So where does this passion come from?

By nature, creative people are sensitive and perceptive.

Picture a rock star playing for a packed stadium, or an actor strutting the stage on opening night, or even a poet reading for a crowd at the neighborhood bookstore; artists are unafraid of performance and are self-assured in front of others – or, at least, that’s what most of us think.

But, in reality, artists’ dynamic public personas are usually counterbalanced by a personality that’s certainly sensitive, and sometimes shy.

Creative people are predisposed to welcome new experiences, which results in inspiration.

Have you ever taken a trip to a foreign country, or even a new city, and found yourself full of new thoughts and ideas? It’s strange but true – a change of scenery really can recharge your mind and offer new perspectives.

Research by Scott Barry Kaufman, one of the authors, shows that a drive to learn, explore and engage with the unfamiliar determines creative success more than IQ, “divergent thinking” or any other psychological trait.

Daydreaming and intuitive thinking help creative people connect with their inner selves.

Teachers often scold inattentive schoolchildren: how will they ever learn if they don’t concentrate? Well, conscious, concerted effort isn’t the only way to learn something; letting the mind wander can be just as important, especially if you’re doing creative work.

By providing access to the unconscious mind, daydreaming can help you discover hidden thoughts and feelings. It can even help you work through emotional or psychological difficulties you might be having.

Creative minds embrace solitude, which gives them space to concentrate on their passion.

After a long day at work, there’s sometimes nothing nicer than taking a long, lonely stroll – a few hours during which you can forget the day’s cares and think of nothing at all.

But there’s more to solitary walking than this. In fact, some of history’s greatest thinkers were also committed perambulators, people who used walking as a way both to generate thought and to achieve solitude.

Creative people make use of misfortune, turning tough experiences into opportunities for growth.

Artists are often expected to suffer, fulfilling the image of brooding, depressive individuals, weighed down by some ineffable existential burden. And though the “suffering artist” is a bit of a shopworn cliché, there is some truth to the idea that suffering can lead to personal growth.

The researchers Richard Tedeschi and Lawrence Calhoun even gave it a name: posttraumatic growth. Over 300 studies give evidence of this phenomenon, and about 70 percent of people studied experienced some sort of positive psychological growth in the wake of trauma.

Increase creativity by increasing attentiveness to the present moment.

You’ve doubtless been on the bus or the subway and noticed that everyone is using some sort of device. We live in a distracted world. Average smartphone users look at their device almost ten times per hour, and your average American spends eleven hours out of every day with a digital device.

It may be impossible to disconnect entirely, but you can free yourself from at least some distraction by meditating, which will make you more aware of the present moment – a state known as mindfulness.

Creative people find new possibilities by interrupting their habits of thought and behavior.

Whether it’s a mug of coffee in the morning or a Netflix series after work, we can be very attached to our habits. But it’s healthy to let go of these from time to time, since varying one’s habits has been shown to boost creativity.

Routines can lead to “functional fixedness,” a term psychologists apply to people whose minds have begun to perceive objects in a single, set way. But simple deviations from routine – substituting tea for coffee or shutting your laptop and picking up a book – can break this fixedness.

Creative people make new connections by risking failure and eschewing conventional thought.

In general, people tend to resist creativity in others. Humans are wired to avoid risk and establish routines, and true creativity almost always represents a challenge to the status quo.

Establishing new modes of thought inevitably involves risking failure and being unconventional.

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What is Wired To Create about?

Wired to Create (2015) attempts to make sense of that elusive human trait, creativity. It traces recent discoveries in neuroscience and psychology by exploring the habits and practices of highly creative people. The “messy minds” and contradictory traits of creative achievers reveal the importance of habits such as imaginative play and daydreaming, passion and intuition or openness and sensitivity, all of which have been central to great art and innovation throughout human history.

Wired To Create Review

Wired To Create (2015) explores the fascinating world of creativity and offers insights into the minds of creative individuals. Here's why this book is worth reading:

It delves deep into the psychology of creativity and provides practical exercises to help readers tap into their own creative potential.
With its engaging case studies and interviews with creative experts, the book offers valuable perspectives on the creative process.
Through its exploration of topics like imagination, curiosity, and resilience, Wired To Create challenges conventional notions of creativity, keeping readers captivated throughout.

Best quote from Wired To Create

One must still have chaos in oneself to be able to give birth to a dancing star. – Friedrich Nietzsche

—Scott Barry Kaufman & Carolyn Gregoire

Who should read Wired To Create?

Anyone who wants to increase creative expression in their life and work
People curious about how creative minds function
Artists or innovators seeking inspiration for their own processes

About the Author

Dr. Scott Barry Kaufman, PhD, is a scientist and writer, as well as the director of the Imagination Institute at the University of Pennsylvania. He has written or coauthored seven books on the topics of creativity and intelligence.

Carolyn Gregoire is a writer who specializes in neuroscience, psychology and spirituality. Her work has appeared in numerous publications, including Scientific American, Time magazine and the New Republic.

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