The Creative Curve
How to Develop the Right Idea, at the Right Time
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4.5 • 12 Ratings
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- $14.99
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
Big data entrepreneur Allen Gannett overturns the mythology around creative genius, and reveals the science and secrets behind achieving breakout commercial success in any field.
We have been spoon-fed the notion that creativity is the province of genius -- of those favored, brilliant few whose moments of insight arrive in unpredictable flashes of divine inspiration. And if we are not a genius, we might as well pack it in and give up. Either we have that gift, or we don’t. But Allen shows that simply isn’t true. Recent research has shown that there is a predictable science behind achieving commercial success in any creative endeavor, from writing a popular novel to starting up a successful company to creating an effective marketing campaign.
As the world’s most creative people have discovered, we are enticed by the novel and the familiar. By understanding the mechanics of what Gannett calls “the creative curve” – the point of optimal tension between the novel and the familiar – everyone can better engineer mainstream success.
In a thoroughly entertaining book that describes the stories and insights of everyone from the Broadway team behind Dear Evan Hansen, to the founder of Reddit, from the Chief Content Officer of Netflix to Michelin star chefs, Gannett reveals the four laws of creative success and identifies the common patterns behind their achievement.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this stimulating business manual, Gannett, founder and CEO of the marketing analytics firm TrackMaven, asserts, "There is in fact a science behind what becomes a hit," namely, neuroscience. He discusses recent psychological research into the appeal that both the novel and the familiar hold for people, writing that successful innovators "find the sweet spot" between "safety and surprise, similarity and difference." Gannett debunks the myth that creativity is imparted to select individuals by sharing the little-known but entertaining backstories to enduring creative breakthroughs by the Beatles, J.K. Rowling, and others. He also examines whether hard work and practice can compensate for a lack of innate talent. The central focus of Gannett's treatise for entrepreneurs with an idea centers on his "four laws of the creative curve," which include consumption (familiarizing oneself with a chosen field), imitation (learning from successful predecessors), creative communities (finding collaborators and/or a support group), and iterations ("the use of data-driven processes to refine ideas"). Gannett offers the ideal balance of valuable instruction, accessible writing, and refreshing stories, providing tangible evidence that the creative process he advocates actually works for businesspeople.
