This review was originally written for my Hungarian blog back in 2010, but as this book is a serious dose of inspiration for me and made a remarkable impact on my writing, it is worth including on Outside the bud too.

According to Mihály Csíkszentmihályi, the famous professor of Hungarian origin known for his work of Flow, the first and essential condition for creativity is to delve into the given domain: to learn all its aspects and rules, then put aside what you have learnt and try to surpass the classics. Because only the ones who have a thorough knowledge of a particular domain can create a new aspect of it with mashing up disparate notions to form an innovative theory.

Creativity covers several decades of research – interviews with scientists, artists, and company directors provided the most significant raw material for the development of the theory, in which historical, philosophical, psychological and anthropological aspects are present throughout. In addition to the definition, conceptual and conditional system of creativity, sectoral aesthetics, reflections and gems of everyday creativity also shine in the volume.

It is important to note that there is an example in the book in which the writer presents the importance of the domain experts’ attitudes to any new artwork with the help of a specific painter’s career path. The story clearly shows the important realization that the true value of a creative artwork always depends on the mental maturity and receptiveness of the particular domain’s circle of experts. Therefore not all remarkable inventions become widely successful at a given time – the artist needs to be in the right place at the right time and practice self-promotion to be known in the right expert circles of their domain.

I would recommend this book for any artists (novice and professional alike) who needs extra motivation and encouragement to push themselves further in their creative process to expand the boundaries of a particular domain. And for all the casual readers, this interesting writing will guide you in how to activate your inner creative side in everyday life activities.