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Category: Creative Thinking

What I learned From Improv Class

Posted on April 16, 2013March 23, 2016 in Creative Thinkingby Scott Berkun

A decade ago, on a dare, I took a class in improvisation. I was surprised how much the class…

The Amazing Invention of Braille

Posted on January 4, 2013January 4, 2021 in Creative Thinking, design, Design Makes The World, Innovationby Scott Berkun

While studying to write the Myths of Innovation I read hundreds of accounts of how world changing inventions were…

Do you want a bar in your workplace?

Posted on November 30, 2012February 25, 2013 in Creative Thinkingby Scott Berkun

Taking the question of how much does your workplace affect creativity in a new direction, the folks at Janelia…

Idea beginnings and endings

Posted on November 26, 2012February 12, 2015 in Creative Thinkingby Scott Berkun

The beginning of a very bad idea often feels very good. And the beginning of a very good idea…

John Cleese on Creativity

Posted on November 19, 2012March 10, 2021 in Creative Thinkingby Scott Berkun

I recently re-watched this excellent talk by John Cleese (of Monty Python) on creativity. The best parts are after the…

The hypocrisy of bosses asking for ideas

Posted on November 15, 2012November 15, 2012 in Creative Thinking, Managementby Scott Berkun

I discovered the CBC Comedy The Newsroom a decade ago, while watching PBS late one night. I didn’t know…

How To Find Your Voice

Posted on November 14, 2012January 3, 2017 in Creative Thinking, Writing Wellby Scott Berkun

You have to play a long time to be able to play like yourself – Miles Davis There is a…

Bob Ross, Picasso and Creativity

Posted on October 29, 2012October 29, 2012 in art, Creative Thinkingby Scott Berkun

Growing up in NYC in the 1970s, with a mere 4 TV stations, any show in regular rotation on…

Does Your Workplace Affect Creativity? Mostly No

Posted on October 4, 2012May 27, 2015 in Creative Thinkingby Scott Berkun

There’s a misguided trend in looking to architecture to explain why some groups of people are creative and others…

Fermat and ideas are made of other ideas

Posted on October 1, 2012 in Creative Thinking, mailbagby Scott Berkun

A nice email from Ro about how the proof of Fermat’s Last Theorem is an example of ‘ideas are…

How To Be Creative – The Short Honest Truth

Posted on July 17, 2012February 20, 2021 in Creative Thinkingby Scott Berkun

After a decade studying how creatives do what they do the answer is simple: they work. No one wants…

Triple inspired by a film: Girl Walk All Day

Posted on May 29, 2012May 13, 2014 in Creative Thinking, moviesby Scott Berkun

I’ve said before we live in the best age in history to be a creative. It has never been…

Ideas vs. Time: how long does an idea take to develop?

Posted on April 9, 2012November 3, 2012 in Creative Thinkingby Scott Berkun

People often ask writers and filmmakers how long they worked on their most recent project. The mistake made is…

Syallabus for my Creative Thinking Course

Posted on March 8, 2012August 3, 2016 in Creative Thinkingby Scott Berkun

I used to teach a class at the University of Washington on Creative Thinking. I’d love to teach it…

Creative Thinking Hacks: Video

Posted on February 22, 2012 in Creative Thinkingby Scott Berkun

Here’s my fast track course on creative thinking. Everything you need to know in about 20 minutes, with some…

Glass & Glass on creativity

Posted on February 20, 2012March 7, 2015 in art, Creative Thinkingby Scott Berkun

Ira Glass, of This American Life, interviewed his cousin, the famous composer Phillip Glass. Here are some excerpts on…

The problem with The New Groupthink

Posted on February 16, 2012 in architecture (real), Creative Thinking, Innovation, Managementby Scott Berkun

I’m an introvert. I like being an introvert. I’m glad someone is clarifying what introverts are or are not,…

In Defense of Brainstorming

Posted on February 13, 2012November 27, 2020 in Creative Thinkingby Scott Berkun

Periodically popular articles arise decrying brainstorming as flawed (Jonah Lehrer’s article in the New Yorker, Groupthink: the brainstorming myth, is…

Edison vs. Tesla: two approaches to problem solving

Posted on February 11, 2012July 10, 2020 in Creative Thinkingby Scott Berkun

Two heroes in the pantheon of inventors are Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla. Of their many contrasts (ethics being…

The 5 best books on Innovation EVER

Posted on February 7, 2012March 20, 2014 in Books, Creative Thinking, Innovation, Myths of Innovationby Scott Berkun

Before I share the list of the 5 best books on innovation, here’s a list of 5 things you…

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Scott Berkun is the author of eight popular books on creativity, design, leadership and public speaking. You can hire him to speak, ask him a question or follow him on Twitter and Facebook.

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Scott's Awesome Books

How Design Makes The World

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“Nobody’s better at explaining how the world really works than Scott Berkun.” – Jeffrey Zeldman, co-founder of A List Apart

The Dance of the Possible

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"You'll find a lot to steal from this short, inspiring guide to being creative. Made me want to get up and make stuff!" - Austin Kleon, author of How To Steal Like An Artist

The Ghost of My Father

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“Thought-provoking read, and highly recommended…” – Thomas Duff

The Year Without Pants: WordPress.com & the Future of Work

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“If you want to think differently about entrepreneurship, management, or life in general, read this book.” — Tim Ferriss

Mindfire: Big Ideas for Curious Minds

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“The ideas contained in the essays are persuasive and it’s a fun, well focused read. ” — Simon Moore

Confessions of a Public Speaker

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“Berkun tells it like it is… you’ll gain insights to take your skills to the next level.” — Tony Hsieh, CEO Zappos.com

The Myths of Innovation

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“Berkun sets us free to try and change the world.” — Guy Kawasaki

Making Things Happen: Mastering Project Management

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“Highly recommended for CEOs, project managers, and hackers alike.” — Matt Mullenweg, Founder WordPress.org

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About Scott

Scott Berkun is the author of eight popular books on creativity, leadership, philosophy and speaking (more about Scott's background).

You can hire him to speak, ask him a question or follow him on Twitter and Facebook.

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