Mastering Fear

CHAPTER 7Creativity

Myth Understandings

One of the most enduring myths in the creativity literature is the notion of the lone creator, the brilliant individual who has invented or discovered life-saving medicines, extraordinary consumer products, or great works of art. In reality, the most authoritative studies of creativity consistently report that the very opposite is true. Consider, for example, this summary of the research noted in John Briggs’ excellent book, Fire in the Crucible: The Alchemy of Creative Genius: “The legend of the lone creator is wrong. In recent years, investigators have begun to appreciate that creators collaborate in all sorts of ways in order to do their work. In fact, collaboration is one of the best kept secrets in ...