At the Right Time - The Creative Curve - How to Develop the Right Idea

Allen makes the case, with great success, that even the most left-brain thinker can generate creative breakthroughs on a regular basis. Deeply thoughtful and sometimes provocative, The Creative Curve is a powerful tour-de-force that challenges the notion of being 'born' with creativity. Can't wait for the next book!

A feel good book on finding your inner creative genius through actionable strategies. He interviews some of the most creative minds and tells a story that is an eye opener and boost of hope that we can all achieve creativity. I would highly recommend this book!

Who wouldn't benefit from learning how to get unstuck and stir up the creativity inside of oneself? This is the book to do just that. With tales and tactics blended together, you will find yourself charged up to go after a dream or leap to your next level. Thanks Allen!

Read this book! Seriously though, Allen breaks it down from the first page to the last on how creativity is a skill flipping our traditional understanding of “creative genius” on its head. Very insightful and helpful read. Will definitely share with friends, colleagues, and clients!

Excellent observation on the scientific process of finding your creativity. The book was easy to read with many examples cited that weren’t typical “aha” moments, but rather looking into the factors that help us delve into that creative outlet.

Allen has taken something (creative genius) traditionally very qualitative and made it not only quantitative, but demystified it and made it approachable for the common person. It's all very intuitive but great to see it conceptualized.

This book is an incredibly easy yet impactful read. Allen does a great job debunking some of the myths around creativity and offers us all a clear method, if we choose to put in the work, to discovering and sharing our creative work with the world.

This is a great book. Allen crushes the genius lightbulb myth of creativity and explains how many famous creators actually engaged in a deliberate process that can be replicated. Lots of great anecdotes. An easy, enjoyable, and useful book.

I devoured this book in a day, really enjoying all of the examples Gannett included.
Having read a lot of books on creativity, I appreciated the approach he took in developing his four laws. A must read.

If you every wondered that creativity isn't something that comes to you as a gift or a magical moment, well this is right book to bolster your thought. It is wonderfully written and has clear examples for every point that the Author makes.

Such an interesting book... While tapping into creativity may not be without its challenges, it's possible for anyone! Allen brilliantly demonstrates with concrete examples and evidence, all the while entertaining the reader.

This is a must read! People think that business is all about being straightforward and logic + numbers only. WRONG. You need so much creative problem solving and this is really the only useful guide I've seen on this, way to go Allen!!

The Creative Curve is a great read, filled with amazing, inspiring tales that get your creative juices flowing. Allen has done a tremendous job incorporating stories that break down the myths around creativity. It's a must read!

Compelling, fast-paced, charming, and real. Allen clearly and cleverly demonstrates that creativity is a process, not deus ex machina, with plenty of high-profile case studies / through-lines as proof. Definitely worth a read!

Allen Gannett’s new book The Creative Curve: How to Develop the Right Idea at the Right Time is often an entertaining book to read. Allen tells us right at the beginning that “This is not a marketing book. It is not a self-help book. It is simply a guide to understanding the patterns of creativity that result in breakthrough success.” In his book he gives us his laws of the creative curve. They are: 1. The law of consumption. 2. The law of Imitation. 3. The law of creative communities. 4. The law of iterations. Allen gives us the science that underlies these laws and then gives us practical examples of how to use the laws.

Allen has interviewed dozens of highly creative people and has done intensive research on the subject of creativity. Perhaps half of his book recounts stories of creative people. For example, we all know that Mozart was one of the greatest creative geniuses in history. If we have seen the Academy Award winning film Amadeus, we might get the wrong idea altogether about Mozart; that is, that his music was effortless and simply came from his genius. Allen tells us that Mozart “worked long hours in a highly iterative, backbreaking process.” Mozart, like all the creative people Allen cites in his book, needed to apply intense and diligent effort to create his masterpieces.

Everyone reading this review has a spark of creativity that only needs to be encouraged and supported. In fact, Allen points out that developing our creative talents is good for our health and well-being. Studies demonstrate that our brains respond positively when we learn new things, creating over “1,400 new brain cells a day … learning causes our brains to retain new brain cells.” As Allen points out, what we need is encouragement, creative communities that support, encourage, and help us. Conversely, we need to avoid the wet blankets that smother our creative urges with criticism and pessimism.

In part 2 of his book, Allen takes a close look at each law of the creative curve. In the law of consumption he counsels us to spend at least 20% of our time learning more about our special interests. He places in bold letters this line which he says is worth repeating: “You can’t have insights about things you don’t know anything about.” As we identify outstanding examples of work we admire, Allan suggests we now take time to imitate this good work, much as Ben Franklin admired first then imitated the writing a famous English publication called the Spectator. The more he imitated the writing he admired, the better his own writing became until he got to the point that he thought his own work was better than his model. Allen says, “What I call the Franklin method involves the careful observation and re-creation of the structure underlying the successful creative work.” Allen tells us that we build on what is known and add our own unique “novelty while maintaining the necessary familiarity” needed for people to be comfortable with our work.

Previously, we have mentioned the law of community and Allen tells us that “ignoring the social aspect of community has dire consequences. Studies show that building a community of people around us is essential to achieving world-class success.” I thought for a moment and wondered what author Ayn Rand would have to say about this concept of community and creativity. Her character architect Howard Roark in her famous book The Fountainhead is put on trial for dynamiting a building he designed because changes were made that were not part of his original plan. At his trial Roark defends the value of selfishness and being true to oneself. He is found not guilty of the charges against him. Some readers of this review may well identify with the lonely individual standing against the crowd and perhaps think about what is lost and what is found when we immerse ourselves in creative communities.

I must confess a special liking for Cherry Garcia ice cream made by Ben and Jerry’s. As it happens, Allen is also a fan of Ben and Jerry and uses them to illustrate his last law of the creative curve, iterations, that is tinkering until we finally get just the result that pleases us. Allen devotes his chapter to Ben and Jerry’s, but I thought I would do a little research myself and went to the Internet to find out just how my favorite flavor Cherry Garcia came about. I discovered that Allan was correct, only by a slow process of iterations did Cherry Garcia find itself in my supermarket for me to buy. This quote may amuse my readers almost as much as it did me. “The original idea was to duplicate the flavor of cherry-covered cordials. It tasted good, but we wanted great. After more tinkering and toying and trial by freezer, the team decided to go with whole bing cherries and smaller ­than ­usual chocolate chunks in vanilla ice cream – just a pinch different from today’s Cherry Garcia, which features cherry ice cream instead of vanilla.” It is just as Allen tells us, a slow building process of iterations until the folks at Ben and Jerry’s got it right – and they did get it right, for this is one of the most popular of all the ice creams that are sold by this company.

In his epilogue for his book Allen Gannett tells us that “if you choose to dedicate your life to creativity, there is a path, and a set of key considerations you need to bear in mind, and need to do, to make success happen. The laws of the creative curve provide a blueprint for how every one of us can unlock our creative potential. The patterns of creative success can be learned and, with time, mastered.” Yes, reading The Creative Curve was a learning experience, but it was also good fun. Allen Gannett is an entertaining story teller and, for the most part, his stories do illustrate valuable points he is making about his laws for the creative curve. We don’t have to agree with every point he makes; what is more important is that he gets us to think for ourselves about what is right for us as we attempt to build creativity and surprise into our lives.

The main idea behind the creative curve is that people tend to like a mix of the familiar and the novel. I have previously read about this idea in a different book, but was curious about how the author would go about analyzing this. This book is certainly very well researched--with study after study after study, and plenty of illustrations to prove a point, as well as individual stories (anyone from the content manager at Netflix--a former video store employee--to Charles Darwin's colleague Alfred Wallace (who came up with the theory of natural selection at roughly the same time Darwin was composing his book on the subject, though it is Darwin who ultimately earned a place in history for the achievement), to J. K. Rowling (whose success is more fully analyzed during the last chapter of the book), etc.

The author uses a mix of studies as well as in-person interviews to prove his point, arguing that consumerism (which makes the creator knowledgeable about his field), imitation (being able to find patterns and utilize them in one's own work, while sticking to the widely accepted constrains), creative community (including mentors, collaborators, muses), and iterations are the keys to success.

There's a rather detailed bibliography at the end of the book, and the message of the book (creativity is not derived from genius, and waiting for an a-ha moment is not going to make one successful) is a powerful one. However, the volume of all the various studies and examples featuring individuals who I haven't heard about sometimes bogged the reading down for me. I would have appreciated more of the J.K. Rowling-like examples, where the person used as an example is well-known, and less of all the various studies (which sometimes resembled academic reading), but that's just personal preference. Overall, this is a very well researched book about a rather intriguing topic. If you think some people are just better at creative things than others, then this point is disproved by this book, which claims that every person has the same potential for creativity.

According to author Allen Gannett, you can learn how the creative process works and through diligent application of his four principles, you can develop your own creative talents.

Based on numerous interviews conducted by the author, he offers a persuasive argument.

This is one of those books where it doesn’t really matter what the outcome is, because you will undoubtedly benefit from reading it and benefit even more from applying the stated principles in your daily life.

You might not turn out to be capable of true genius, but absorbing the lessons of this book and working hard at implementing them will almost certainly result in rendering you a more creative person.

Jerry

Allen Gannett’s new book The Creative Curve: How to Develop the Right Idea at the Right Time is often an entertaining book to read. Allen tells us right at the beginning that “This is not a marketing book. It is not a self-help book. It is simply a guide to understanding the patterns of creativity that result in breakthrough success.” In his book he gives us his laws of the creative curve. They are: 1. The law of consumption. 2. The law of Imitation. 3. The law of creative communities. 4. The law of iterations. Allen gives us the science that underlies these laws and then gives us practical examples of how to use the laws.

Allen has interviewed dozens of highly creative people and has done intensive research on the subject of creativity. Perhaps half of his book recounts stories of creative people. For example, we all know that Mozart was one of the greatest creative geniuses in history. If we have seen the Academy Award winning film Amadeus, we might get the wrong idea altogether about Mozart; that is, that his music was effortless and simply came from his genius. Allen tells us that Mozart “worked long hours in a highly iterative, backbreaking process.” Mozart, like all the creative people Allen cites in his book, needed to apply intense and diligent effort to create his masterpieces.

Everyone reading this review has a spark of creativity that only needs to be encouraged and supported. In fact, Allen points out that developing our creative talents is good for our health and well-being. Studies demonstrate that our brains respond positively when we learn new things, creating over “1,400 new brain cells a day … learning causes our brains to retain new brain cells.” As Allen points out, what we need is encouragement, creative communities that support, encourage, and help us. Conversely, we need to avoid the wet blankets that smother our creative urges with criticism and pessimism.

In part 2 of his book, Allen takes a close look at each law of the creative curve. In the law of consumption he counsels us to spend at least 20% of our time learning more about our special interests. He places in bold letters this line which he says is worth repeating: “You can’t have insights about things you don’t know anything about.” As we identify outstanding examples of work we admire, Allan suggests we now take time to imitate this good work, much as Ben Franklin admired first then imitated the writing a famous English publication called the Spectator. The more he imitated the writing he admired, the better his own writing became until he got to the point that he thought his own work was better than his model. Allen says, “What I call the Franklin method involves the careful observation and re-creation of the structure underlying the successful creative work.” Allen tells us that we build on what is known and add our own unique “novelty while maintaining the necessary familiarity” needed for people to be comfortable with our work.

Previously, we have mentioned the law of community and Allen tells us that “ignoring the social aspect of community has dire consequences. Studies show that building a community of people around us is essential to achieving world-class success.” I thought for a moment and wondered what author Ayn Rand would have to say about this concept of community and creativity. Her character architect Howard Roark in her famous book The Fountainhead is put on trial for dynamiting a building he designed because changes were made that were not part of his original plan. At his trial Roark defends the value of selfishness and being true to oneself. He is found not guilty of the charges against him. Some readers of this review may well identify with the lonely individual standing against the crowd and perhaps think about what is lost and what is found when we immerse ourselves in creative communities.

I must confess a special liking for Cherry Garcia ice cream made by Ben and Jerry’s. As it happens, Allen is also a fan of Ben and Jerry and uses them to illustrate his last law of the creative curve, iterations, that is tinkering until we finally get just the result that pleases us. Allen devotes his chapter to Ben and Jerry’s, but I thought I would do a little research myself and went to the Internet to find out just how my favorite flavor Cherry Garcia came about. I discovered that Allan was correct, only by a slow process of iterations did Cherry Garcia find itself in my supermarket for me to buy. This quote may amuse my readers almost as much as it did me. “The original idea was to duplicate the flavor of cherry-covered cordials. It tasted good, but we wanted great. After more tinkering and toying and trial by freezer, the team decided to go with whole bing cherries and smaller ­than ­usual chocolate chunks in vanilla ice cream – just a pinch different from today’s Cherry Garcia, which features cherry ice cream instead of vanilla.” It is just as Allen tells us, a slow building process of iterations until the folks at Ben and Jerry’s got it right – and they did get it right, for this is one of the most popular of all the ice creams that are sold by this company.

In his epilogue for his book Allen Gannett tells us that “if you choose to dedicate your life to creativity, there is a path, and a set of key considerations you need to bear in mind, and need to do, to make success happen. The laws of the creative curve provide a blueprint for how every one of us can unlock our creative potential. The patterns of creative success can be learned and, with time, mastered.” Yes, reading The Creative Curve was a learning experience, but it was also good fun. Allen Gannett is an entertaining story teller and, for the most part, his stories do illustrate valuable points he is making about his laws for the creative curve. We don’t have to agree with every point he makes; what is more important is that he gets us to think for ourselves about what is right for us as we attempt to build creativity and surprise into our lives.

The main idea behind the creative curve is that people tend to like a mix of the familiar and the novel. I have previously read about this idea in a different book, but was curious about how the author would go about analyzing this. This book is certainly very well researched--with study after study after study, and plenty of illustrations to prove a point, as well as individual stories (anyone from the content manager at Netflix--a former video store employee--to Charles Darwin's colleague Alfred Wallace (who came up with the theory of natural selection at roughly the same time Darwin was composing his book on the subject, though it is Darwin who ultimately earned a place in history for the achievement), to J. K. Rowling (whose success is more fully analyzed during the last chapter of the book), etc.

The author uses a mix of studies as well as in-person interviews to prove his point, arguing that consumerism (which makes the creator knowledgeable about his field), imitation (being able to find patterns and utilize them in one's own work, while sticking to the widely accepted constrains), creative community (including mentors, collaborators, muses), and iterations are the keys to success.

There's a rather detailed bibliography at the end of the book, and the message of the book (creativity is not derived from genius, and waiting for an a-ha moment is not going to make one successful) is a powerful one. However, the volume of all the various studies and examples featuring individuals who I haven't heard about sometimes bogged the reading down for me. I would have appreciated more of the J.K. Rowling-like examples, where the person used as an example is well-known, and less of all the various studies (which sometimes resembled academic reading), but that's just personal preference. Overall, this is a very well researched book about a rather intriguing topic. If you think some people are just better at creative things than others, then this point is disproved by this book, which claims that every person has the same potential for creativity.

According to author Allen Gannett, you can learn how the creative process works and through diligent application of his four principles, you can develop your own creative talents.

Based on numerous interviews conducted by the author, he offers a persuasive argument.

This is one of those books where it doesn’t really matter what the outcome is, because you will undoubtedly benefit from reading it and benefit even more from applying the stated principles in your daily life.

You might not turn out to be capable of true genius, but absorbing the lessons of this book and working hard at implementing them will almost certainly result in rendering you a more creative person.

Jerry

"The Creative Curve" is a good read for anyone who wants to develop good ideas at the right time. The author uses many examples of studies that show that creativity is more predictable than people may think and who assume creativity comes in "unpredictable flashes" that are reserved for only the brilliant.

The title covers four laws of creative success and patterns people may use to improve creativity:

- Consumption
- Imitation
- Creative Communities
- Iterations

While most of the book addresses these 4 areas, other topics are addressed, including:

- Myths of creativity (the solo genius vs. collaborating with others).
- Ways our minds perceive situations.
- Myth of the "10,000 Rule" (praciting a skill for 10,000 hours will make you an expert). Rather, how you invest those 10,000 hours is more important.
- Many other topics are addressed.

The title is readable and smoothly transitions from chapter to chapter. Look forward to reading this title again and will be a helpful future reference.

Allen Gannett has by virtue of observation, pattern study/analysis, interviews, insight and thoughtful insight debunked much of the typical and traditional beliefs on creativity in his book. Ergo that the “Inspirational theory of creativity simply isn’t true” I found the book an easy read and refreshingly encouraging that the majority of us are born with same creative potential as those that produce remarkable art, music hits and have attained great success.

Gannett’s book is not a how to but an well written compilation of pattern analysis and observations, trends and interviews of those who exhibit creativity often repeating those insights and hits over and over.
He explains his theory around the concept of the creative curve. He speaks to the science behind the creative curve and provides a thought provoking insights that crosses any industry or service.
I found it less like a guide to creativity but personally insightful in recognizing that breakthrough opportunities abound for anyone once you get past the stereotypical restrictive beliefs on creativity.
I thoroughly enjoyed his approach to writing this book,,,the interviews and observations are written in a captivating non-academic style....
I am a service industry executive and will look to provide copies of this myth busting book about creativity upon its full release,,,I have no doubt his book will make the best selling ranks in many industry circles and was my pleasure to review,,, if I had one negative I found the book cover not representative of the true value of what lies within the pages.

I received an advance copy of The Creative Curve from Penguin Random House. This book is well written, thoughtful, and well supported in research and first-hand interviews. I appreciate the depth the book offers while maintaining a simplicity in its delivery. The text itself explores the irrational and incorrect presumptions that fill our current zeitgeist around who can be "creative" and provides a framework for how anyone can position themselves to not only get creative but deliver that creativity successfully in any environment. It's perfect for teams trying to innovate, or individuals who are tired of smashing their head against the wall coming up with new ideas. It's definitely in the top 5 of books I've read this year.

I'd been following Allen Gannett on Facebook for a few years and always enjoyed his nice, short, crisp interviews. He had developed a very large following...while running a successful marketing technology company. Nice combination.

When he announced his book I was very interested. As a long time corporate marketing leader, I'd always been intrigued and committed to employing creativity in our go to market processes at companies such as Apple, Compaq, and Microsoft.

The book didn't disappoint. It's a fun and easy read with lots of ideas. I usually keep a pad of paper nearby when I read "business self help" books such as this and filled up a few pages of ideas I could possibly act on right away.

I'm glad Allen wrote this book and look forward to his sequel.

I grabbed a copy of "The Creative Curve" after having the pleasure of hearing the author speak at an event at my job. Allen is a dynamic personality in front of an audience, so I was hoping it carried over to his writing - plus the topic piqued my interest.

I actually started reading the book on a coast-to-coast flight, and didn't put it down until about 2 days into my trip. What I can say that I LOVE about this book is that it offers actual methods to build or enhance creativity without getting preachy. Everything is summed up nicely with engaging stories and examples. The end of the book offers up notes on everything mentioned in the text as well so that you don't just have to take the writer at his word.

I was admittedly a little worried he would oversimplify the subject, but as a reader of a number of books on the topic of Creativity - I can say that he doesn't. This is a book worth reading, and it humanizes something that many people may typically mystify. I have nothing but praise for Allen Gannett and this well-written addition to the collective writings on the subject matter.

As a natural born artist (painting, drawing, and writing), I was a bit skeptical about this book at first. My whole life I felt that creativity only came naturally at birth. However, I was pleasantly surprised when I read this book. Artists also need help, regardless of their talent.

In this book, Gannett does a great job breaking the myth that one must be born creative to create. This topic has been a debate with friends and family for years.

It made me realize that one doesn't have to be born a natural artist to create and inspire.

For those who don't believe they can be creative, Gannett walks you through a system that can help you tap into your creative genius.

You may think creativity doesn't exist in you--but it does.

Regardless of your niche, Gannett provides a unique template that anyone can use to develop and enhance their creative skills.

The book is an enjoyable read, with references and stories for every field. I like the fact that he also pulled in some scientific research on the brain.

If you are a natural born creative, I suggest opening your mind up a bit and let this book in to help you, too. The book gave me some new ideas exactly when I needed them.

Light and enjoyable read. I highly recommend it.

A fairly quick listen (or read). Very digestible and well referenced as it challenged the notion that creativity comes from single sparks of genius, or eureka moments as opposed to coming from extended periods of study, work, and being surrounded by the right people at the right time. From Paul McCartney coming up with Yesterday, to JK Rowling finding inspiration for Harry Potter, Allen provides multiple examples of individuals oft considered to be creative genius and explores the processes that tie them all together.

3 particular ideas that resonated with me:

1) The power of consumption: Allen calls it the principle of consumption - 20% to understand where something sits on the creative curve (it’s not about the skills) it’s about the understanding and subsequent pattern recognition that comes from actively knowing, and being immersed in a topic.

2) Creative Community - The people you surround yourselves with that lead to Creative genius:
1. Master Teacher - someone to show you the ropes. someone to learn from. Gain familiarity and get feedback on how things have been done. I think there's an element that 20% consumption, that goes into having a relationship with a Master Teacher. You're watching and consuming their behavior and their actions.
2. Conflicting Collaborator - this is someone who helps "compensate for your flaws”. Matches your weaknesses with their strengths and vice versa and can also push back on your ideas.
3. Modern Muse - This is often an actual community of other creators people you surround yourself with and provide inspiration, motivation, and even healthy competition.
4. Prominent Promoter - The person or platform that's going to help you take your creativity and boost it to the public.In Hip Hop it's called the cosign. The idea of the Prominent Promoter and the need of the cosign is very important because it also goes to the idea that being creative on your own is not enough. To have true creative genius you have to master distribution and putting your creativity into the world.

3) The creative curve itself and the time from when things go from the fringe to the mainstream and
then become cliche. That the best place for someone who's really trying to tap into creativity, is to sit right in between those two so to have the pattern recognition and the understanding based on your learning and your consumption in your surroundings. to be able to look at
the underground or the fringe, and see what it is that might potentially be successful. what your version of that is and how you
broker that, or guide that concept or translate that concept to the mainstream
in a way that is familiar enough that they won't be put off to it, but novel enough that they'll be excited by. A large part of the book and a ride on the creative curve, is around the fine balance between familiarity and novelty.

All in all I found it to be an enjoyable book. It was thoughtful. Allen's an entertaining guy. This book tapped into ideas and concepts that I've internalized and have been familiar with but Allen articulated them in new ways that allow me to verbalize them and share them with others using new language

A recommendation for anyone thinking about their own creative process or understanding other people's creative process.

If you have not read any books on creativity Allen Gannett's Book The Creative Curve: How to Develop The Right Idea at the RIght Time is the perfect book to start your studies. I've pursued this field of knowledge and interest for decades on my own before innovation and creativity were a "buzzword". He reinforces the experts that have come before such as Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi to Howard Gardner and especially backing the similar concepts of Tom Kelley of Ideo. It is good to see these aspects reinforced.

This book is Allen's take on an in depth literature review he performed in the field of creativity bolstered by interviews with achievers in various other domains. His assertion that anyone can be creative is on point, but people have to make time to immerse themselves into their preferred domain of creative choice and "mull things over" for a long time.

There are so many factors between personality, intellect and intuition, and the unconscious that it is hard to pin down how and what is best for an individual. The only thing that you can do besides consuming information is digging deeper. The deep dive is inevitable to get to a place of originality and fill up your well of information to use and experiment with.

A key take away are his insights as applied to the creative side of business in marketing, product design, brand messaging and art direction, as well as strategy. The psychology of creativity has strong underpinnings in business as "creativity" makes the world go round. It enabled the human species to survive! Apply that notion to business in that the money follows great invention or creation. Simple as THAT! This is why innovation relies on creativity as its foundation of success. There is no innovation without creativity and imagination. When you come to think of it (or mull it over for a long time like I have in my studies), is there anything you see around you that was not designed or invented or imagined? You will not be creative unless you pursue it?

All in all a great book for anyone interested in the subject of applied creativity. If this is his first book, I give him kudos for narrating his own work (always a daring endeavor... just my preference. I usually like it when authors read their own work as this allows you get some extra nuance on the individual's personality. Thus the 4 Allen... 5 for effort and bravery!) If nothing else, follow his "Creative Curve" if you are a marketer, creative, or just curious on making your message better as you chase the sweet spot in business ...and life! It has great merit.

This is an applied book on creativity. The text is divided into two sections: The first criticizes the idea that creativity is an innate quality, as opposed to a learned skill; The second enumerates 4 general principles of being creative. Writing is relatively easy and there is are sections "Notes" and "A Note on Sourcing and Methods" sections, as well as an Index.

I think this book largely delivers on its promise, and those in creative fields, whether artistic or technical would benefit from what the author has to share.

Gannett’s book delivers on its promises to debunk the myth of the creative genius and provide guidance on enhancing one’s own creativity. The mix of science and individual anecdotes provides awesome context for understanding how artists are able to create consistent works appreciated by mainstream culture. His inclusion of the data and physiology behind a creative breakthrough were also enlightening and instill a confidence in the reader to search for their own sources of inspiration.

As I read the book, I did wonder if there was an opportunity to explore the nature of creativity and the value in art. Within the context of the book, popular culture is seen as the stamp of approval on a creative piece. I think this framework begs questions about whether the most popular art pieces in our contemporary society will have transcendent cultural value. Many of the most seminal artists in their fields didn’t receive any fame in during their lifetimes but did propel concepts of what is popular and novel for generations to come. A meditation on or acknowledgment of the power of fringe art would have been an idea worth exploring.

That being said, the book’s thesis and promise are to explore creativity and provide the science behind it. In that, it very much succeeds and deserves a read, especially if one is in a mainstream creative field or has ambitions to create popular art.

There are a lot of books about creativity out there. Tons of them. They all either say the same things, rehashing old myths about inspiration and perspiration, or they are just memoirs by creative people. Fine. But this book is different. Dare I say, better than all of them?

Part of it is the author uses modern science to zero in on what matters and to explain away myths about the creative process. Part of it is because I finished the book (in 1 sitting on a plane ride yesterday!) feeling like I can actually do something about what I've just read. Maybe part of it is it feels like the author isn't trying to PROVE that he's so clever or creative, and meantime actually has a great book with personality and fascinating takeaways.

I will read this one again.

From start to finish The Creative Curve was relatable, easy to read and informative on the subject of tapping into your own version of creative success. Allen argues that creatives find the most success when they create ideas that are a blend of the familiar and the novel. And that's exactly what his book did as you're presented with familiar ideas, examples and myths about creativity, but then given a new and impactful perspective on how to approach creative work for the future. It's a definite must-read for all creatives, content creators and business folks.

This book is a series of well-researched examples of creative geniuses being human. The great part about this book is not the treasure trove of amazing and inspiring stories, but actually the thread of actionable advice throughout it, so that you, too, can replicate the conditions necessary to become a creative giant.

I loved reading it the first time and will keep it on my shelf this month to reference quickly as I work on other projects.

A MUST READ!