Last summer, I discovered a book one day that piqued my curiosity while browsing in the OverDrive app: Zig Zag: The Surprising Path to Greater Creativity by Keith Sawyer.

I’m always interested in learning more about the creative process and gleaning insight into our creative processes as musicians, thinkers, educators, and creators, and when I found out that Keith Sawyer was not only a scientific expert on creativity but also a jazz pianist, I couldn’t wait to start reading.

In the book, Sawyer outlines 8 stages of the creative process but explains that there are multiple ways of entering and engaging in creativity. Rather than following a clear and direct path forward, starting here and ending there, the path to greater creativity has more zigs and zags; it’s unpredictable, erratic, and yes, surprising.

As Sawyer summarized, “The wonderful beauty of the creative life is that no authentic, thoughtful experience, no new glimmer of knowledge, is ever wasted.”

There’s so much I could say about Keith Sawyer’s book, but today, I want to give you a big picture of what this book is about by sharing three of my three biggest takeaways.

For show notes + full transcript, click here.

Resources mentioned:

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OverDrive app for checking out free eBooks and audiobooks from your local library

Zig Zag: The Surprising Path to Greater Creativity by Keith Sawyer

The Art of Short Story - a writing masterclass by Joyce Carol Oates

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