Turn off your mind, relax, and float downstream!
I first saw an interview with Jonah Lehrer on The Colbert Report back in April..He was introduced as the author of a new book entitled the lone word "Imagine"...I thought, here is someone trying to capitalize on the famous John Lennon classic song of the same name, in order to sell books...It was a good interview, but it seemed like the focus of his book was overshadowed by Stephen Colbert's jokes.
About a month later, the book came up again. A great inventor mentor/friend of mine, who had recently met the author at a speaking engagement, was given an advance copy of the book by the author. The colleague was telling me that they were riveted by the words and paragraphs that Mr. Lehrer had formed into a book about the inner workings of human creativity..and highly recommended that I read it too, for myself.
OK, now I had three strong signs I should read the book. First, the book was named after one of my favorite songs of all time, sung by my favorite singer/songwriter of all time (no need to say who, I hope)...Second, the author and new book were featured for an interview on one of my favorite shows, featuring pundit Stephen Colbert. But when it was personally recommended to me now, and it was about creativity, something my career is based on, I decided I'd better get it.
Because I read enough already digitally on computers and phones, I prefer the pulp form for reading a book at home...So, I went to the old Barn that is Noble, and purchased myself a twentieth century-style hard copy. Later that day, I opened the book and started to read the words within.
Mr. Lehrer seemingly took on a somewhat impossible task...trying to put into words how creativity happens in the human brain, using a mixture of modern science, real life examples of creative persons and his own insight. But he nailed it!! Somewhere while reading the third chapter, my mind started roaming on its own, working on some of my own current inventions and areas needing polishing or re-working. I finally had to put the book down, because I found myself unable to read more than one continuous paragraph, before being grabbed by my own creativity telling me to "Come over here!! Have you thought about this? What about if you did this to that?? We need to engineer this new idea right now...skip the CAD program, we'll be designing it right in the synapses!! The idea has been simmering here, waiting to come out...but I've got it!! I've made the connection!!"
I DID FINISH THE BOOK AFTER BEING CREATIVELY (BUT POSITIVELY) DISTRACTED...HOWEVER, THIS BOOK IS A MUST READ FOR INVENTORS, ARTISTS AND ANYONE ELSE INVOLVED IN THE BUSINESS OF CREATIVITY! CHECK IT OUT!!
http://www.amazon.com/Imagine-Creativity-Works-Jonah-Lehrer/dp/0547386079
About a month later, the book came up again. A great inventor mentor/friend of mine, who had recently met the author at a speaking engagement, was given an advance copy of the book by the author. The colleague was telling me that they were riveted by the words and paragraphs that Mr. Lehrer had formed into a book about the inner workings of human creativity..and highly recommended that I read it too, for myself.
OK, now I had three strong signs I should read the book. First, the book was named after one of my favorite songs of all time, sung by my favorite singer/songwriter of all time (no need to say who, I hope)...Second, the author and new book were featured for an interview on one of my favorite shows, featuring pundit Stephen Colbert. But when it was personally recommended to me now, and it was about creativity, something my career is based on, I decided I'd better get it.
Because I read enough already digitally on computers and phones, I prefer the pulp form for reading a book at home...So, I went to the old Barn that is Noble, and purchased myself a twentieth century-style hard copy. Later that day, I opened the book and started to read the words within.
Mr. Lehrer seemingly took on a somewhat impossible task...trying to put into words how creativity happens in the human brain, using a mixture of modern science, real life examples of creative persons and his own insight. But he nailed it!! Somewhere while reading the third chapter, my mind started roaming on its own, working on some of my own current inventions and areas needing polishing or re-working. I finally had to put the book down, because I found myself unable to read more than one continuous paragraph, before being grabbed by my own creativity telling me to "Come over here!! Have you thought about this? What about if you did this to that?? We need to engineer this new idea right now...skip the CAD program, we'll be designing it right in the synapses!! The idea has been simmering here, waiting to come out...but I've got it!! I've made the connection!!"
I DID FINISH THE BOOK AFTER BEING CREATIVELY (BUT POSITIVELY) DISTRACTED...HOWEVER, THIS BOOK IS A MUST READ FOR INVENTORS, ARTISTS AND ANYONE ELSE INVOLVED IN THE BUSINESS OF CREATIVITY! CHECK IT OUT!!
http://www.amazon.com/Imagine-Creativity-Works-Jonah-Lehrer/dp/0547386079
| The Colbert Report | Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c | |||
| Jonah Lehrer | ||||
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