Wired To Create Book Summary - Wired To Create Book explained in key points

Listen to the Intro

00:00

Wired To Create summary

Name: Wired To Create
Rating: 4.6 (144 reviews)
Author: Scott Barry Kaufman & Carolyn Gregoire

Scott Barry Kaufman & Carolyn Gregoire

Unraveling the Mysteries of the Creative Mind

4.6 (144 ratings)

26 mins

Topics

Creative Flow

Table of Contents

Wired To Create
Summary of 10 key ideas

Audio & text in the Blinkist app

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.

Want to see all full key ideas from Wired To Create?

Key ideas in Wired To Create

More knowledge in less time

Read or listen

Get the key ideas from nonfiction bestsellers in minutes, not hours.

Find your next read

Get book lists curated by experts and personalized recommendations.

Shortcasts ^New

We’ve teamed up with podcast creators to bring you key insights from podcasts.

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.

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.

Categories with Wired To Create

Creativity

Books like Wired To Create

Messy

Tim Harford

How to Be Creative and Resilient in a Tidy-Minded World

12 min

4.2

Creativity

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

The Psychology of Discovery and Invention

22 min

4.1

Humor, Seriously

Jennifer Aaker & Naomi Bagdonas

Why Humor Is a Superpower at Work and in Life (And How Anyone Can Harness It. Even You.)

How to Nurture the Crazy Ideas That Win Wars, Cure Diseases, and Transform Industries

26 min

4.5

The Eureka Factor

John Kounios & Mark Beeman

Creative Insights and the Brain

A Brief History of Humankind

What We Should Know about the People We Don’t Know

How Your Brain Tricks You Into Expecting the Worst and What You Can Do about It

Quit Your Day Job, Start Your Own Business, and Live Happily Ever After

19 min

3.0

Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!

Richard P. Feynman

Adventures of a Curious Character

The Unknown History of Invention from Cathedrals to Soda Cans

21 min

4.4

Excellent Advice for Living

Kevin Kelly

Wisdom I Wish I'd Known Earlier

Create a Life You Really Love with Less Stress and More Flow

The Power of Knowing What You Don't Know

You Can't Be Seen Until You Learn to See

24 min

4.6

13 Things Mentally Strong People Don't Do

Amy Morin

Take Back Your Power, Embrace Change, Face Your Fears and Train Your Brain for Happiness and Success

40 min

4.6

The Enneagram at Work

Jim McPartlin with Anna Akbari

Unlocking the Power of Type to Lead and Succeed

10 Ways to Stay Creative in Good Times and Bad

What the Brain Does When You’re Not Looking

Train Your Subconscious to Grow Mentally and Materially

How AI is learning to write, paint and think

How We Evolved to Desire Beauty and Enjoy Art

How to Solve Any Problem and Make the Best Decisions by Shifting Creative Mindsets

A New Science of Consciousness

25 min

4.2

The Science of Storytelling

Will Storr

The scientific underpinnings of a good story

Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose

13 min

4.4

How I Invest My Money

Edited by Joshua Brown and Brian Portnoy

Finance Experts Reveal How They Save, Spend, and Invest

The Architecture of Belief

Why We Are More Powerful Than We Believe

Reclaiming Creativity for Its Own Sake

A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity

14 min

4.3

Thus Spoke Zarathustra

Friedrich Nietzsche

The Classic That Will Challenge Everything You Know

17 min

4.4

The Accidental Creative

Todd Henry

How to Be Brilliant at a Moment’s Notice

18 min

4.5

Selling with Noble Purpose

Lisa Earle McLeod

How to Drive Revenue and Do Work That Makes You Proud

19 min

4.2

The Hero with a Thousand Faces

Joseph Campbell

Understanding the Hero’s Journey Through Psychology and Mythology

The Desire to Know and Why Your Future Depends on It

The Science of Creating Heaven on Earth

20 min

2.9

The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs

Carmine Gallo

Master the gold standard for presentations

The Curious Science of Everyday Lives

The Power of Thinking Outside the Brain

35 min

4.8

A Short History of Nearly Everything

Bill Bryson

A journey into the most intriguing and intractable questions that science seeks to answer

38 min

4.5

Discipline Equals Freedom

366 Meditations on Power, Seduction, Mastery, Strategy, and Human Nature

30 min

4.5

A Handbook for New Stoics

Massimo Pigliucci and Gregory Lopez

How to Thrive in a World Out of Your Control

23 min

4.6

The Highly Sensitive Person

Elaine N. Aron

How to Thrive When the World Overwhelms You

An uncommon guide to rapid fat-loss, incredible sex and becoming superhuman

The Science of Self-Healing - A Practical Guide

19 min

4.0

Seven and a Half Lessons about the Brain

Lisa Feldman Barrett

Have Your Understanding of Consciousness, Emotions, and Memory Revolutionized

20 min

4.1

People ❤️ Blinkist

Sven O.

It's highly addictive to get core insights on personally relevant topics without repetition or triviality. Added to that the apps ability to suggest kindred interests opens up a foundation of knowledge.

Thi Viet Quynh N.

Great app. Good selection of book summaries you can read or listen to while commuting. Instead of scrolling through your social media news feed, this is a much better way to spend your spare time in my opinion.

Jonathan A.

Life changing. The concept of being able to grasp a book's main point in such a short time truly opens multiple opportunities to grow every area of your life at a faster rate.

Renee D.

Great app. Addicting. Perfect for wait times, morning coffee, evening before bed. Extremely well written, thorough, easy to use.