The co-op bookstore for avid readers
Book Cover for: Inspired: Understanding Creativity: A Journey Through Art, Science, and the Soul, Matt Richtel

Inspired: Understanding Creativity: A Journey Through Art, Science, and the Soul

Matt Richtel

Critic Reviews

Great

Based on 4 reviews on

BookMarks logo

The New York Times's Pulitzer Prize-winning science reporter "unpacks the myths and mysteries of the creative process" (Salon).

How does creativity work? Where does inspiration come from? What are the secrets of our most revered creators? How can we maximize our creative potential?

Creativity defines the human experience. It sparks achievement and innovation in art, science, technology, business, sports, and virtually every activity. It has fueled human progress on a global level, but it equally is the source of profound personal satisfaction for individual creators. And yet the origins of creative inspiration and the methods by which great creators tap into it have long been a source of mystery, spoken of in esoteric terms, our rational understanding shrouded in complex jargon. Until now.

Inspired is a book about the science of creativity, distilling an explosion of exciting new research from across the world. Through narrative storytelling, Richtel marries these findings with timeless insight from some of the world's great creators as he deconstructs the authentic nature of creativity, its biological and evolutionary origins, its deep connection to religion and spirituality, the way it bubbles in each of us, urgent and essential, waiting to be tapped.

Many of the questions Richtel addresses are practical: What are the traits of successful creators? Under which conditions does creativity thrive? How can we move past creative blocks? The ultimate message of Inspired is that creativity is more accessible than many might imagine, as necessary, beautiful, and fulfilling as any essential part of human nature.

Porchlight Business Book Award Winner (Innovation & Creativity)

Book Details

  • Publisher: Mariner Books
  • Publish Date: Apr 16th, 2024
  • Pages: 336
  • Language: English
  • Edition: undefined - undefined
  • Dimensions: 8.00in - 5.31in - 0.84in - 1.00lb
  • EAN: 9780063025547
  • Categories: • Creative Ability• Creativity• Personal Success

More books to explore

Book Cover for: The Creative ACT: A Way of Being, Rick Rubin
Book Cover for: An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth: What Going to Space Taught Me about Ingenuity, Determination, and Being Prepared for Anything, Chris Hadfield
Book Cover for: Rest: Why You Get More Done When You Work Less, Alex Soojung-Kim Pang
Book Cover for: 12 Notes: On Life and Creativity, Quincy Jones
Book Cover for: Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You about Being Creative, Austin Kleon
Book Cover for: The Butterfly Effect: How Your Life Matters, Andy Andrews
Book Cover for: The Art of Possibility: Transforming Professional and Personal Life, Rosamund Stone Zander
Book Cover for: The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth: Live Them and Reach Your Potential, John C. Maxwell
Book Cover for: The Power of Flexing: How to Use Small Daily Experiments to Create Big Life-Changing Growth, Susan J. Ashford
Book Cover for: Illogical, Emmanuel Acho
Book Cover for: Creative Is a Verb: If You're Alive, You're Creative, Patti Digh
Book Cover for: How Will You Measure Your Life?, Clayton M. Christensen
Book Cover for: The Confident Creative: Drawing to Free the Hand and Mind, Cat Bennett
Book Cover for: Sometimes You Win--Sometimes You Learn: Life's Greatest Lessons Are Gained from Our Losses, John C. Maxwell
Book Cover for: The Origins of Creativity, Edward O. Wilson
Book Cover for: The Creative ACT: A Way of Being, Rick Rubin
Book Cover for: An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth: What Going to Space Taught Me about Ingenuity, Determination, and Being Prepared for Anything, Chris Hadfield
Book Cover for: Rest: Why You Get More Done When You Work Less, Alex Soojung-Kim Pang
Book Cover for: 12 Notes: On Life and Creativity, Quincy Jones

About the Author

Richtel, Matt: -

MATT RICHTEL is a health and science reporter at the New York Times. He spent nearly two years reporting on the teenage mental-health crisis for the paper's acclaimed multipart series Inner Pandemic, which won first place in public-health reporting from the Awards for Excellence in Health Care Journalism and inspired his book How We Grow Up: Understanding Adolescence. He received the Pulitzer Prize for national reporting for a series of articles about distracted driving, which he expanded into his first nonfiction book, A Deadly Wandering, a New York Times bestseller. His second nonfiction book, An Elegant Defense, on the human immune system, was a national bestseller and chosen by Bill Gates for his annual Summer Reading List.

More books by Matt Richtel

Book Cover for: How We Grow Up: Understanding Adolescence, Matt Richtel
Book Cover for: An Elegant Defense: The Extraordinary New Science of the Immune System: A Tale in Four Lives, Matt Richtel
Book Cover for: A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age, Matt Richtel
Book Cover for: Devil's Plaything, Matt Richtel
Book Cover for: The Doomsday Equation, Matt Richtel
Book Cover for: Hooked: A Thriller About Love and Other Addictions, Matt Richtel
Book Cover for: Mejor Defensa, La, Matt Richtel
Book Cover for: Inspirados, Matt Richtel
Book Cover for: The Cloud, Matt Richtel
Book Cover for: Runaway Booger, Matt Richtel
Book Cover for: A Deadly Wandering: A Tale of Tragedy and Redemption in the Age of Attention, Matt Richtel

Critics’ reviews

Praise for this book

"Engaging and lively. ... Crisp, conversational and at times darned funny. ... What distinguishes Inspired is its expansive range and conversational tone, as well as Richtel's ability to synthesize a lot of complex research, simplifying without oversimplifying." -- Washington Post

"Argues that creativity 'is as natural as reproduction itself' while exploring its evolutionary origins, examining its science and providing insight from notable creative types." -- New York Times Book Review

"Remarkable. ... At once conversational and intellectual, Richtel's lucid writing and intensive research showcase the many facets and manifestations of creativity. This profound and at times whimsical volume informs and inspires." -- Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)

"Inspired makes the convincing case that true creativity spans industries, movements, and endeavors." -- Scientific American

"The Pulitzer-winning author unpacks the myths and mysteries of the creative process, and shows the research that proves why it's not just the 'Big C' geniuses who can tap into it." -- Salon

"Illuminating. ... Entertaining. ... Inspiring. ... An enthusiastic examination of the creative process." -- Kirkus Reviews

"Allowed freedom, Inspired reminds us that a curious mind is an unstoppable force and cause for celebration." -- 48 Hills