January’s pick-of-the-month “Wired to Create: Unraveling the Mysteries of the Creative Mind”

Exploring the latest discoveries in psychology and neuroscience, alongside numerous insights from the “messy minds” of well-known artists and visionaries, “Wired to Create: Unraveling the Mysteries of the Creative Mind” tries to explain what the most creative people among us do that sets them apart, and how each of us can stimulate our own creativity.

Researcher Scott Barry Kaufman and writer Carolyn Gregoire collaborated on an incredibly popular 2014 Huffington Post article “18 Things That Creative People Do Differently” www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/04/creativity-habits_n_4859769.html , which generated five million views and 500,000 Facebook shares in one week. From there, they developed this well-researched and engaging book which reveals what we know about creativity, and what anyone can do to enhance this essential aspect of their lives and work.

Engaging and lively, “Wired to Create” explores the attributes and habits of highly creative people in each chapter, including: Daydreaming, Taking Time for Solitude, Seeking out New Experiences, Nurturing Emotional Sensitivity, Turning Challenges into Opportunities for Growth, Following Passions, Practicing Mindfulness.

Stories and insights come from such creative luminaries as Pablo Picasso, Frida Kahlo, Marcel Proust, David Foster Wallace, Thomas Edison, Josephine Baker, John Lennon, Michael Jackson, video-game designer Shigeru Miyamoto, and many others.

Comparable to “Quiet”, Susan Cain’s recent bestselling study of introverts. “Wired to Create” allows those with a creative mind, and those who aspire to develop one, to see themselves in a positive light and enhance their strengths, even though they are not always the most conventional ones.

Scott Barry Kaufman, Ph.D., is Scientific Director of The Imagination Institute in the Positive Psychology Center at the University of Pennsylvania, where he investigates the development and measurement of intelligence, creativity, and personality. He is the author of “Ungifted: Intelligence Redefined”. He writes the blog Beautiful Minds for Scientific American, and regularly gives keynotes and workshops on the development of intelligence, creativity, and human potential.

Carolyn Gregoire is a Senior Writer at the Huffington Post, where she reports on psychology, mental health and neuroscience. She has spoken at TEDx and the Harvard Public Health Forum, and has appeared on MSNBC, The Today Show, The History Channel and HuffPost Live.

–Aaron’s Books