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Is the lone genius a total myth?
Creativity and collaboration
We are just not so aware of it, because much of the creative exchange happens quietly to the side, and does not become part of our modern history.
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The lone genius is a myth
All great achievements involve some measure of collaboration.
Some geniuses were obvious partners - like Orville and Wilbur Wright, or Marie and Pierre Curie, or John Lennon and Paul McCartney.
Then there are other more obscure cases where collaboration was the driver of creativity.
- Van Gogh had a brother Theo, who was "as much their creator as I, because the two of us are making them together."
- Picasso rose to the height of his creativity through a friendly rivalry with Matisse.
- After "a lot of discussions" with Michele Besso, Einstein "could suddenly comprehend the matter."
Creativity and collaboration
We are just not so aware of it, because much of the creative exchange happens quietly to the side, and does not become part of our modern history.
Remarkable creativity from one person
There is the case of Emily Dickinson. But looking closer, it becomes clear that she was immensely interested in people and wrote hundreds of poems for particular people, and sending them to them.
The big idea is that genius partnerships are stories of dialogue. As Warren Buffett said about Charlie Munger: "Charlie does the talking, I just move my lips."
Rivals end up as collaborators
Some competition is important. Rivalry can push people to great heights. When one does excellent work, the other feels the need to do even better.
Matisse and Picasso built on each other, each trying to better the other.
John Lennon and Paul McCartney found pleasure in their rivalry of a joint enterprise.
Use the power of collaboration
The power of collaboration shows up everywhere: between professor and student, where the student learns from the professor, and the professor discovers new things from the questions of the student.
If you want to find a new collaborative,
- meet up with people who share your interests.
- Look for the person that challenges you the most. The person may be very different from you and even drive you crazy.
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Creative genius and madness
There are many so-called mad geniuses in history. Suicide victims include Vincent Van Gogh or Ernest Hemingway. Creative geniuses who have succumbed to alcoholism or other addictions are legio...
Cognitive disinhibition
The creative genius tends to pay attention to things that normally should be ignored or filtered out.
People with schizophrenia are bombarded with hallucinations and delusions that should also be filtered out. However, creative genius differs from them in that the genius can separate bizarre fantasies from realistic possibilities.
Normal and abnormal
Many geniuses walk the line between the normal and the abnormal. The many impulses and ideas they perceive are a fountain of creativity. However, rational thought does impose a limit on a person's concept of his relation to the world.
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The right side of the brain
Creativity isn’t the preserve of one side of the brain, and it isn’t a talent confined to people with a special kind of brain. If you’re human and you’ve got a brain, you’re capabl...
The “Eureka!” moment
This myth encourages the belief that creativity is a passive process. It suggests you have to wait and hope that you’ll make a breakthrough.
That Eureka moment is actually the last step in a long, involved process and not the only step. For this to happen, your unconscious mind needs material to work with. You have to put in the hard work of studying and mastering your field and exposing yourself to different perspectives.
The lone, eccentric geniuses
In reality, creativity is a team sport.
The lone genius myth is a stereotype and it’s unhelpful because it suggests the route to innovation is to cut oneself off from colleagues and collaboration. You need a modest amount of intelligence to be creative, but extremely high IQ is neither sufficient nor necessary for being an innovator.
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Innovation at work
When you look at great geniuses like Newton, for example, it can be easy to imagine that their ideas and work came exclusively out of their minds. But that is seldom how it works.
Innovatio...
Everyone gets a lift up
We get to see further than our predecessors, not because we have a greater vision or greater height, but because we are lifted on their gigantic stature.
There are giants in every field. Don't let them intimidate you. Take from anywhere that resonates with you and inspires or fuels your imagination. Build upon it and improve it. Doing this will make your work authentic. Authenticity is invaluable; originality is non-existent.
The "Not invented here" syndrome
The syndrome can also show up as a reluctance to delegate work.
Creating a new solution may be more exciting, but new solutions create new problems.
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