5.0 out of 5 stars 5 Stars – A Must-Read for Anyone Interested in Creativity!

J.S. · September 10, 2024

Creativity: The Psychology of Discovery and Invention* by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi is a brilliant exploration of the inner workings of creativity and the human mind. Whether you’re an artist, entrepreneur, or simply someone interested in understanding how creative breakthroughs happen, this book provides a fascinating blend of psychology, real-world examples, and deep insights.What sets this book apart is its comprehensive approach to creativity, going beyond the idea of it being a mysterious or innate trait. Csikszentmihalyi breaks down the creative process into digestible parts, showing how environment, discipline, curiosity, and flow all play a crucial role in fostering creative discovery. The interviews with a wide variety of highly creative people—including scientists, artists, and business leaders—add incredible depth and context to his theories.One of my favorite takeaways is how Csikszentmihalyi emphasizes the balance between freedom and structure in creative work, and how finding the "flow" state can lead to moments of true innovation. The book not only helped me better understand my own creative process but also offered practical advice for cultivating creativity in everyday life.This is an insightful, inspiring read for anyone who wants to dive deeper into the psychology behind creative genius. Highly recommend!

5.0 out of 5 stars I absolutely loved this book.

B.J.|.H. · May 10, 2016

The media could not be loaded. “This book is about creativity, based on histories of contemporary people who know about it firsthand. It starts with a description of what creativity is, it reviews the way creative people work and live, and it ends with ideas about how to make your life more like that of the creative exemplars I have studied. There are no simple solutions in these pages and a few unfamiliar ideas. The real story of creativity is more difficult and strange than many overly optimistic accounts have claimed. For one thing, as I will try to show, an idea or product that deserves the label ‘creative’ arises from the synergy of many sources and not only from the mind of a single person. It is easier to enhance creativity by changing conditions in the environment than by trying to make people think more creatively. And a genuinely creative accomplishment is almost never the result of a sudden insight, a lightbulb flashing on in the dark, but comes after years of hard work.”~ Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi from CreativityCreativity with a capital C—the type of Creativity that changes the world.How can we go about cultivating it in our lives? That’s what this book is all about.Our guide is Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi—one of the founders of the positive psychology movement. Csikszentmihalyi (pronounced “cheeks sent me high”) is a professor at Claremont Graduate University and the former Chair of the Department of Psychology at the University of Chicago who wrote the classic book Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience .This book features the wisdom gained from over three decades of research along with over one hundred interviews with extraordinary people—from scientists and business leaders to artists and poets.Warning: Although deeply insightful, it’s not an easy read. If you’re looking to understand creativity at a deeper level via one of the world’s leading (and legendary) psychologists then I think you’ll enjoy it as much as I did.Here are some of my favorite Big Ideas:1. What is Creativity - Domain + field + person.2. Attention - + Being kind weird3. Complexity - + Resolving dischotomies.4. Rhythms - Your ideal days?5. Creativity + Flow - The 9 elementsWell, there we go. That’s a super quick look at this great book. Time to get our flow on as we tap into our Creativity and optimize + actualize!More goodness— including PhilosophersNotes on 300+ books in our ​*OPTIMIZE*​ membership program. Find out more at brianjohnson . me.

4.0 out of 5 stars Creativity which has the power to change the world

C.A.F. · January 29, 2003

A few caveats to those who are generally interested in creativity studies: Csikszentmihalyi's analysis and discussion of creativity does not directly relate to those who are personally creative. People who enjoy engaging in creative activities are not demoted, in his terms, but are simply not a part of the study. It is unfortunate that his language makes it seem this way; he distinguishes between the two by saying that Creativity has the power to shape a domain or the world, while creativity applies to those who enjoy coming up with new recipes, who are engaged in research that may not change a domain, but may "tweak" it, etc.What he is trying to discover are the underlying principles and traits of creativity in those whose work has made a significant change. Think Albert Einstein, Eleanor Roosevelt, Mark Strand: people who are either widely known for their influence, or who have been influential within their area or domain.This book provides an interesting view into the minds and work habits of Creative individuals, and concludes by offering general advice to those who wish to make their own lives and work more creative. It is a useful book, but one which requires a great deal of supplemental reading, in order to truly engage in creativity studies.

5.0 out of 5 stars Very enlightening for those who truly appreciate creativity more than cleverness!

C.H.H.J. · July 4, 2023

I love how the author almost redefines creativity .and sheds new light (for me, at least!)on what what real-for-true creativity is and how it benefits individuals and society. It's far more than simply brightening up a room with new wallpaper and curtains -- it describes how genuine creativity requires a thorough working knowledge of the fundamentals of any given field before one can truly create something new or better, and it reveals how those of us who aren't capable of creating something ourselves can yet be part of the process by demonstrating appreciation and support for those who create, whether as sponsors, patrons, or even just ardent fans!

loved it so much tha underlied 50% of the book

p. · August 22, 2017

loved it so much tha underlied 50% of the book! though this is in continuation to the book flow, or better say majority of the points are a repeatation to what he has already written in flow.

A thorough exposition on creativity

C.P. · October 30, 2009

Having just finished reading Creativity by Csikszentmihalyi I have become fascinated by the topic. His book is detailed and highly analytical. This is not a fantastical book of spurious claims nor a self-help book. Having said that, he sets out concisely at the end how one might apply certain principles and approaches to life based on those of successful creative people (such as those he refers to in previous chapters). The most contentious argument put forward is that one is only creative if that creativity is recognised by others of sufficient standing in a field and/or domain. However, in the 'Notes' section at the end he goes on to explain the importance of adopting this position in order to apply the scientific metheod to the study of creativity. Clearly if everyone could self-validate their creativity in terms of quantity and quality the subject would be completely subjective. I appreciate this difficulty but it is nonetheless hard to divorce oneself from the conviction that one has, on occasion, been genuinely creative even if it has not been validated by anyone else.I was unsure as to whether to rate this book as four stars or five on the basis that, although Csikszentmihalyi has approached the matter rigourously and makes few assumptions about the nature of creativity, it would have been valuable, i think, to evaluate the experiences and lives of those who are supposedly not creative. In a similar vein the question of how intelligence should be defined is often studied and disputed, although it seems equally challenging to precisely define its opposite, whatever that is - perhaps 'stupidity'?However, Csikszentmihalyi has published widely and thoroughly on the matter and as such I would not expect any book, brilliant as it may be, to address every aspect of such a complex notion as 'creativity', with all its far reaching implications for mankind. As such I rate this book five stars as it is a well-written and stimulating foray into this area of psychology. I would reccommend this book to people of all levels of knowledge of the field of psychology, although it is not a 'quick-flick' read by any means. I have already started reading another of his books.

Um clássico que não perde o impacto. Recomendo.

R.A.P. · March 6, 2023

Um clássico que não perde o impacto. Recomendo.

Excelente libro

M.I. · December 29, 2012

Es una aproximación empírica sobre el tema de la creatividad. El autor nos ofrece las repuestas de un amplio grupo de personas reconocidas como creativas sobre el tema. Me ha resultado interesante de fácil lectura y útil para mis intereses.

Happy

P. · August 9, 2019

Good read.