The Path To Smarter Creativity

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Did you know that the most creative companies have centralized bathrooms? That brainstorming meetings are a terrible idea? That the color blue can help you double your creative output? From the New York Times best-selling author of How We Decide comes a sparkling and revelatory look at the new science of creativity. Shattering the myth of muses, higher powers, even creative “types,” Jonah Lehrer demonstrates that creativity is not a single gift possessed by the lucky few. It’s a variety of distinct thought processes that we can all learn to use more effectively. Lehrer reveals the importance of embracing the rut, thinking like a child, daydreaming productively, and adopting an outsider’s perspective (travel helps). He unveils the optimal mix of old and new partners in any creative collaboration, and explains why criticism is essential to the process. Then he zooms out to show how we can make our neighborhoods more vibrant, our companies more productive, and our schools more effective. You’ll learn about Bob Dylan’s writing habits and the drug addictions of poets. You’ll meet a Manhattan bartender who thinks like a chemist, and an autistic surfer who invented an entirely new surfing move. You’ll see why Elizabethan England experienced a creative explosion, and how Pixar’s office space is designed to spark the next big leap in animation. Collapsing the layers separating the neuron from the finished symphony, Imagine reveals the deep inventiveness of the human mind, and its essential role in our increasingly complex world. www.jonahlehrer.com Directed & Edited: Adam McClelland Produced: Rachel Lehrer Music: Michael Maurice

Last week I talked about Jonah Lehrer’s new book Imagine: How Creativity Works and shared some interviews he had done in anticipation of the release of the book. Having finished it I think it is worth revisiting the book and share another interview. If you are interested in learning how the brain works, how creativity happens, and want to learn how to recognize creatively productive behaviors you really should read this book. 

WHERE do good ideas come from? For centuries, all credit for these mysterious gifts went to faith, fortune and some fair muses. But to assume creativity is some lofty trait enjoyed by the few is both foolish and unproductive, argues Jonah Lehrer in “Imagine”, a smart new book about “how creativity works”. Drawing from a wide array of scientific and sociological research - and everything from the poetry of W.H. Auden to the films of Pixar - he makes a convincing case that innovation cannot only be studied and measured, but also nurtured and encouraged. 

The roots of creativity: Throwing muses | The Economist

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Antonio Ortiz

Antonio Ortiz has always been an autodidact with an eclectic array of interests. Fascinated with technology, advertising and culture he has forged a career that combines them all. In 1991 Antonio developed one of the very first websites to market the arts. It was text based, only available to computer scientists, and increased attendance to the Rutgers Arts Center where he had truly begun his professional career. Since then Antonio has been an early adopter and innovator merging technology and marketing with his passion for art, culture and entertainment. For a more in-depth look at those passions, visit SmarterCreativity.com.

Fish: The Best App/Essay/Manifesto I've Seen In Years

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Fish: A Tap Essay

Writer Robin Sloan has created one of my new favorites, one of those things that enter your life and fit like they’ve been there forever. 

He has created something truly marvelous that is in essence, well, here is how he describes it: “a short but heartfelt manifesto about the difference between liking something on the internet and loving something on the internet.”

I won’t say much more, no spoilers here, just go download it, it’s free, and take in what he has to say and how he has expressed it. 

I’ve already read it more than once. 

 

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Antonio Ortiz

Antonio Ortiz has always been an autodidact with an eclectic array of interests. Fascinated with technology, advertising and culture he has forged a career that combines them all. In 1991 Antonio developed one of the very first websites to market the arts. It was text based, only available to computer scientists, and increased attendance to the Rutgers Arts Center where he had truly begun his professional career. Since then Antonio has been an early adopter and innovator merging technology and marketing with his passion for art, culture and entertainment. For a more in-depth look at those passions, visit SmarterCreativity.com.

The Week's Links (3/25/12)

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All the links posted to Twitter, Facebook and Google+ this week: 

  • Why Do We Get Bored? owl.li/9OzSQ
  • Seth Godin: The April Linchpin Sessionowl.li/9hYKS
  • Taking South Sudan to the Globe: Shakespeare from the newest nation owl.li/9OyL0
  • A Flash of Green Enhances Creativityowl.li/9MHUb
  • How simple ideas lead to scientific discoveriesowl.li/1igwgr
  • ‘Damn Good Advice’ From One Of The Real ‘Mad Men’ owl.li/9M43r
  • The latest Radiolab: The Turing Problem is a must-listen for anyone interested in the origins of comp sci owl.li/9Ml32
  • Paola Antonelli on why design mattersowl.li/9hYJS
  • Do You Have to Be Rude to Manage Like Steve Jobs? owl.li/9MaIJ
  • Adobe launches Photoshop CS6 as a free public beta owl.li/9OQaw
  • Frida Kahlo’s Private Stash Of Picturesowl.li/9Mape
  • The PBS Renaissance, Mario Bros. and Surrealist Art owl.li/1iePpG
  • Chase Jarvis Complete Photography Workflowowl.li/9MajI
  • When Does Learning Begin? owl.li/9M5Fw
  • What they don’t teach you about identity design in design school by Paula Scher owl.li/9hYIm
  • Really enjoying Dan Lewis’ (of Now I Know) new blog with one Fact and a Photo daily.owl.li/9M4ZJ
  • Free apps eat up your phone battery just sending ads owl.li/9M5mw
  • How Creativity Works: Jonah Lehrer Says It’s All In Your Imagination owl.li/1id6xO
  • Bob Gill on how to have a good ideaowl.li/9M4tP
  • Albert Einstein Archive Now Online, Bringing 80,000+ Documents to the Web owl.li/9Mbgy
  • Creativity Top 5: Week of March 19owl.li/1ibP0U
  • There is a New Behance today. A beautiful and effective way to display creative work.owl.li/9LvWS
  • Nature by Numbers Beautifully Visualizedowl.li/9hYFS
  • Lego love again. Imagine with Lego ads feature minimal interpretations of cartoon charactersowl.li/9LuyC
  • Your Brain On Fiction owl.li/1ibuEf
  • StyleDocco generates documentation and style guide documents from your stylesheets.owl.li/9LuaE
  • Love this: regu.la blog network, serving a daily pinch of info beautifully. owl.li/9LtAp
  • Is Piracy the New Advertising? owl.li/9J8uN
  • When does a job become meaningful?owl.li/9hYEE
  • Broadway.com iPad App Case Studyowl.li/9J8nT
  • Genius. Scientists to answer the question “what is a flame?” with answers to be judged by a panel of 11 year olds. owl.li/9J7DC
  • Why Bilinguals Are Smarter owl.li/1i9Kvk
  • Retraction | This American Life owl.li/9J8IoThis is an amazing hour of radio, if you haven’t listened to it already, you should…
  • Children whose minds wander ‘have sharper brains’ owl.li/9J6Uz
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Antonio Ortiz

Antonio Ortiz has always been an autodidact with an eclectic array of interests. Fascinated with technology, advertising and culture he has forged a career that combines them all. In 1991 Antonio developed one of the very first websites to market the arts. It was text based, only available to computer scientists, and increased attendance to the Rutgers Arts Center where he had truly begun his professional career. Since then Antonio has been an early adopter and innovator merging technology and marketing with his passion for art, culture and entertainment. For a more in-depth look at those passions, visit SmarterCreativity.com.

How simple ideas lead to scientific discoveries

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From the newly launched TED ED channel, Adam Savage walks through two spectacular examples of profound scientific discoveries that came from simple, creative methods anyone could have followed — Eratosthenes’ calculation of the Earth’s circumference around 200 BC and Hippolyte Fizeau’s measurement of the speed of light in 1849. 

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Antonio Ortiz

Antonio Ortiz has always been an autodidact with an eclectic array of interests. Fascinated with technology, advertising and culture he has forged a career that combines them all. In 1991 Antonio developed one of the very first websites to market the arts. It was text based, only available to computer scientists, and increased attendance to the Rutgers Arts Center where he had truly begun his professional career. Since then Antonio has been an early adopter and innovator merging technology and marketing with his passion for art, culture and entertainment. For a more in-depth look at those passions, visit SmarterCreativity.com.

The PBS Renaissance, Mario Bros. and Surrealist Art

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It would be easy to think that when I say PBS is having a renaissance that I mean the recent success of tv shows like Downton Abbey and Sherlock. Yes, Downton Abbey had better ratings than many cable darlings, including Mad Men and the truly clever modernization of Sherlock Holmes has led to CBS launching their own version of the Holmes stories, with Lucy Lui cast in the role of Watson for a twist. 

But the renaissance I am talking about is how PBS has embraced the internet. For more than a year PBS.org has been the home to some fantastically produced online-only programming that enhances the vision and mission of the tv channel exploring relevant cultural and technological themes and ideas in ways that would not necessarily make sense on the tv channel. 

Until the end of the month they are hosting the PBS Online Film Festival. They have already produced a season of Off Book, an original series that expands on the definition of art, and have released the first episode of the second season. Recently they launched the Idea Channel, a new show that examines the connections between pop culture, technology and art. Watch the premiere episode below: 

We all know who the Mario Brothers are but have you ever stepped back and tried looking at those games from a fresh perspective? Like you've never seen or heard of them before? They're bananas! There are armored turtles who stand on their hind legs and steal princesses!

We all know who the Mario Brothers are but have you ever stepped back and tried looking at those games from a fresh perspective? Like you’ve never seen or heard of them before? Pause for a second and don’t think about the gameplay you remember fondly. Think about it. There are armored turtles who stand on their hind legs and steal princesses. There are bullets with faces. Mario Bros is not just a game or nostalgic memories of playing with friends, Mario Bros is surreal art at its best. Surreal art you can play. 

Hosted by Mike Rugnetta
Made by Kornhaber Brown 

(Thank you Lisa Romagnoli for the introduction to the series.)

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Antonio Ortiz

Antonio Ortiz has always been an autodidact with an eclectic array of interests. Fascinated with technology, advertising and culture he has forged a career that combines them all. In 1991 Antonio developed one of the very first websites to market the arts. It was text based, only available to computer scientists, and increased attendance to the Rutgers Arts Center where he had truly begun his professional career. Since then Antonio has been an early adopter and innovator merging technology and marketing with his passion for art, culture and entertainment. For a more in-depth look at those passions, visit SmarterCreativity.com.