Copyright: 2006
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0-19-530445-4

R. Keith Sawyer brings a sense of workmanship to the study of creativity in his book Explaining Creativity: The Science of Human Innovation.  Rather than treat creativity as a mytical quality that only certain humans are embued with, Sawyer points out that creativity is within reach of mere mortals.  He begins by debunking the common myths surrounding creative genius (insane people are more creative, creative geniuses work alone etc) and ends by giving some very practical advice on how to become more creative. 

Sociocultural

Sawyer believes that in order to understand creativity across all fields, art, music, science and business, you have to take a sociocultural approach.  By that he means you have to understand the power of collaboration and the cultural context of those who are creative.  Certainly some creative ideas may come from a sole source but Sawyer argues that most creativity is the result of many "mini-insights" over a period of time.  These mini-insights can come from a long period of working alone but most often they come from collaborative work on a team. 

Notes
  • "Among acknowledged geniuses, it's hard to find one who was not highly productive." 
  • There are generally two types of thinking:
    • Convergent thinking -> Seen as intelligence
    • Divergent thinking -> Seen as creativity
  • Creative people are successful because they always have multiple, overlapping, related projects underway.  They have a "network of enterprises".
  • Motivation and Flow: People who are intrinsically motivated tend to be more creative.  Extrinsic motivation tends to introduce distractions.
  • Some creativity is combining existing concepts; some involves transforming the conceptual space.
  • You almost always have to work with an idea for a bit before you know how good it is... prototyping.
  • One of the most important parts of creativity is "problem finding". 
  • You need to always pay attention to how tools and technology impact creativity.
  • Creative writing takes a lot of hard work:  it is mostly rewriting
  • Many scientists like to take a break in the afternoon after some "concrete work" to let some insights develop.
Collaboration

Groups are more creative than indviduals when:

  1. They have worked together for a while
  2. They share conventions and knowledge
  3. They have complementary expertise
  4. When group collaboration is rewarded

These are true primarily when a group is addressing a known problem.  When problem finding is involved, often individuals are more creative.

Business Creativity
  • Innovation builds on prior innovation
  • Innovation comes from collaborative teams
  • Multiple discover is common
  • Frequent interaction among teams is important
  • A product's success often depends on the context
Conclusion

Explaining Creativity is a great book for understanding what it really means to be creative.  There are plenty of examples of creativity in the book from all different fields.  From jazz music to scientific discovery Sawyer covers a lot of ground.  For me it was enlightening to know that someone who studies creativity from a psychological perspective doesn't believe that it is out of my reach.  I would recommend this book to those who want to dig in and understand the creative mind.