Creativity: Flow and the Psychology of Discovery and Invention Paperback – August 6, 2013

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!

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.

I enjoyed reading this book. I identify as being creative so the main chapters on identifying creative people and what makes them tick was interesting and enlightening to see patterns and also differences.The last chapter about how to apply personal creativity to life is great advice and techniques for anyone.My only minor drawback from a full five stars was the material was very scientific in the earlier chapters at times and a little dense to get through. For me, it was interesting to see the depth of thought though and how even the meaning of common words and ideas are broken down to fully understand the context in this book. It is definitely a great resource book on creativity. I love that artists were interviewed and held in equal standing with scientists! If you want a thorough analysis of creativity in our culture and how to be more creative daily pick this book up!

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!