How to Fly a Horse

December 15, 2014
Ashton wastes no time debunking the creativity myth, explaining in the preface to this book (his first) why creativity is not the domain of a select few individuals but the result of hard work by anyone willing to put in the effort. A pioneer in radio-frequency identification networks, the author coined the phrase “the Internet of things” and is no stranger to the topic of innovation. His theory—that everybody is capable of creating—applies to individuals as diverse as a 19th-century slave who at the age of 12 discovered how to fertilize vanilla flowers, Mississippi Delta bluesman Robert Johnson, South Park masterminds Trey Parker and Matt Stone, the rock band Fleetwood Mac, and the Wright Brothers (whose attempts to develop “a bicycle with wings” inspired the title of the book). Ashton explores common barriers to creativity, including fear of failure and aversion to change. While he belabors some points and indulges in unexpected pep talks, the author’s detailed account of the origins of Coca-Cola, for instance, makes for fascinating reading, as does his shorter synopsis of Apple’s evolution. Many examples come from the medical and science fields, but taken collectively, the creations documented in this thought-provoking book prove that creative power resides in us all.

November 15, 2014
As a writer on technology and coiner of the phrase "the Internet of Things," Ashton seems to be a particularly creative type. But the "secret" of the subtitle is that there is no secret, no magic and no mystery.Creation isn't light-bulb illumination or flashes of insight, writes the author. It is step-by-step, trial-and-error work. "Work is the soul of creation," he writes, often with different turns of phrase. "Work is getting up early and going home late, turning down dates and giving up weekends, writing and rewriting, reviewing and revising, rote and routine, staring down the doubt of the blank page, beginning when we do not know where to start, and not stopping when we cannot go on." Ashton shows how work builds on the work of so many others, for generations, thus debunking the very notion of individual genius, or even individual credit. Along the way, he incorporates examples ranging from all sorts of scientific discovery (a process that occasionally involves theft) to Bert and Ernie, Coca-Cola, the films of Woody Allen and the creative dynamic behind South Park. His message is inspirational, that "we all have creative minds. This is one reason the creativity myth is so terribly wrong. Creating is not rare. We are all born to do it." From such inventions as the airplane and the smartphone, Ashton shows how asking the right questions and providing the right frame for the problem can achieve something extraordinary and how important are qualities such as seeing (clearly) and actually starting. "We are inclined to regard passion as positive and addiction as negative, but they are indistinguishable apart from their outcomes," he writes in one of many overstated passages. "Addiction destroys, passion creates, and that is the only difference between them." Ashton makes compelling arguments about creativity and genius but continues to belabor them long after readers have gotten the point.

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January 1, 2015
We all are more like Leonardo, Mozart and Einstein than not, maintains author and technology-pioneer Ashton. Creations are extraordinary but creators are human. In this entertaining and inspiring meditation on the nature of creative innovation, Ashton sets out to debunk the myth of mysterious and rarified genius. Weaving stories of fantastic breakthroughs in arts, science, medicine, and society, Ashton shows that true innovation is brought about by the painstaking efforts of ordinary people, often in spite of institutional or societal resistance. It is creativity as work itselfa process of partnership, trial and error, experimentation, and ongoing researchthat binds the broad spectrum of Ashton's tales. From the Muppets and South Park to the jet engine and X-ray crystallography, the author champions the creations of organizations and people that prioritize action over talk and maintain strong rituals of doing. Fans of Malcolm Gladwell and Steven Levitt will enjoy Ashton's hybrid nonfiction style, which builds a compelling cultural treatise from a coalescence of engaging anecdotes.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)