
Forget everything you think you know about creativity. "The Myths of Creativity" demolishes ten innovation misconceptions that limit your potential. Praised by Daniel Pink and selected as Entrepreneur's top fall read, Burkus reveals why breakthroughs aren't flashes of genius - they're methodical processes anyone can master.
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A falling apple inspires Newton. Archimedes shouts "eureka!" and dashes naked through the streets. A lone genius toils in isolation until-flash!-the perfect idea arrives. These stories feel true because they're simple, romantic, and deeply embedded in our cultural imagination. But what if they're also dangerously misleading? What if our most cherished beliefs about creativity are precisely what's holding us back from genuine innovation? The uncomfortable truth is that most of what we think we know about creativity is fiction-and these myths don't just distort our understanding, they actively sabotage our creative potential. When companies like Google and Pixar restructure their entire innovation processes around debunking these misconceptions, perhaps it's time we examine what we've gotten wrong. Picture the Post-it Note-that ubiquitous yellow square that seems like such an obvious, simple invention. Surely someone just had a brilliant flash of insight, right? Not quite. Spencer Silver at 3M developed a "failed" adhesive that wouldn't stick properly. Years passed. Art Fry, who'd attended Silver's presentation, sang in a church choir and grew frustrated with bookmarks that damaged his hymnal. One day, he connected Silver's weak adhesive with his bookmark problem. But even then, they hadn't cracked it. The real breakthrough came when someone realized these sticky notes could revolutionize office communication. From Silver's initial formula to market launch: twelve years. Not exactly a lightning bolt.