Rating: 
Summary: The How is in the Doing
Review: "How are creative people able to look at the same thing as everybody else but see something different?" Denise Shekerjian relying on interviews with forty MacArthur Foundation Fellowship winners tries to answer this in "Uncommon Genius." The Fellows, all having demonstrated creative genius across a variety of pursuits, provide a glimpse inside their own experience with the creative process.
"All were driven, remarkably resilient, adept at creating an environment that suited their needs, skilled at honoring their own peculiar talents instead of lusting after an illusion of self, capable of knowing when to follow their instincts, and above all, magnificent risk-takers, and unafraid to run ahead of the great popular tide."
This is a great read for both those who have already embraced their creative potential as well as for those who have not. Shekerjian surfaces the common threads of attitudes and behaviors that foster creativity. Creatives can use this book to build on the "why" of their creativity with confidence.
For those interested in developing their creative potential, the book eliminates the mystery and lays out the "how" of being creative. But to be successful, one needs to make an "act of faith" in the "act of doing." Shekerjian's "doing" includes:
1. Find your talent.
2. Commit to it and make it shine
3. Don't be afraid of risk. Or even failure, which if seen in its proper light, brings insight and opportunity.
4. Find courage by looking to something stronger and better than your puny vulnerable self.
5. No lusting after quick resolutions. Relax. Stay loose.
6. Get to know yourself; understand your needs and the specific conditions you favor.
7. Respect, too, your culture. We can't, any of us, escape the twenty-first century. It's tucked up around our collective chin as snugly and as firmly as the bedsheet.
8. Then, finally, break free from the seductive pull of book learning and research and the million other preparatory steps that could delay the entire span of a life and immerse yourself in the doing.
"Uncommon Genius' is written in an easy, engaging style. I had a difficult time putting the book down. And I will be unable to lend my copy out...as I have ruined it for others with my many notations, and highlights.
Rating: 
Summary: A LOOK INTO CREATIVITY
Review: How are great ideas born and made to come alive? Denise Shekerjian attempts to answer this question through her interviews with forty winners of the MacArthur Award.These eclectic and sometime eccentric fellows share with us their musings on the creative drive that shaped their lives. Part one of her text gives us the nuts and bolts of what it takes to establish the creative impulse. Part two focuses on the pragmentic concerns of re-orienting your perspective. Part three shares with us the issue of mental health in spurring on creativity and the need to build resiliency in your life to keep the process flowing. The text is engaging, the people interesting and their insights are well worth taking notice. Unfortunately so much has been written about the creative process that in this day in time her book loses its spark. We are told right off that creativity is not some magic gift handed to us by the Gods. It is something that we can develop but at the same time you don't get a good handle on how these eminent individuals were able to develop their gifts to the fullest. Although forty were interviewed only a few of the full fledged interviews are given here. Most of those profiled are men and very few minorities. You wonder if creativity is endowed only to those who are male and happen to win this award? If you want a book to go into more detail concerning creativity this is not the one. If you want to know more about those unique persons who won the MacArthur Fellowship or want a very sweeping view of the creative process this book is certainly for you.
Rating:
Summary: Very worthwhile! Relevant to artists, scholars, scientists
Review: Shekerjian tackles a tough topic and succeeds in bringing it down to earth. "Geniuses," or MacArthur Fellows, at any rate, are humanized here. They aren't struck by lightning, or born with great discoveries. They are hard workers and they have personality traits well-suited to creative endeavors.
For a creative spirit such as myself, I was very intersted to glean insights from Shekerjian and from the MacArthur Fellows she spoke with. By normalizing these people, Shekerjian shows (among other things) that a.) people of all kinds of backgrounds can produce "genius," b.) "geniuses" work very hard, c. geniuses are capable of pursuing their interests in the face of criticism, defeat, and setbacks, d.) genius is fostered by play, by cross-pollination, by persistence, and by "doing," e.) et cetera--there are many more insights in the book.
Shekerjian's prose is easy to read and well-organized. The reader doesn't have to work to figure out this book, and instead profits from the considerable work that the author put into translating "genius." She's done the legwork, had the conversations, and had to decipher what can seem like the ineffable.
I'm glad I read the book. I took home many lessons for my own creative work; lessons that will hopefully linger for a long while. I recommend this book to artists, writers, scientists, entrepreneurs, and political activists. Geniuses are more ordinary than we suspect and they have more to share than their creations--they can share with us the process of creation itself.
Rating: 
Summary: Traits the Macarthur Fellows share
Review: Shekerjian traces the "origins" of creativity in her study of forty Macarthur Fellows. Her writing could be a bit more cohesive at times. A good book that exposes the reader to genius traits, and in turn shows us the creativity that is waiting to be tapped in our own lives. presented in short narratives that support a given creative quality.
Rating:
Summary: an investigation of the creative mind
Review: The author of this book tracked down and interviewed 40 recipients of the McArthur "genius award." This award is a cash grant given to creative people in many different fields; it enables them to work on, or not work on, whatever they please and not have to worry about money. There was much about the creative process in this book that was new to me. Reading interviews with people who use the process every day is a lot different than reading about creativity in a "how to be creative" book. You get more of a sense of the range of ways people produce outstanding work. Shekerjian introduces us to people who are not only in the arts, but also science, teaching, ecology and conservation, political science, social services, and other fields. Many of these people are extremely quirky, and there's a lesson in that: trying to be like others, and be liked, is not the way to uncover your potential. Shekerjian's prose is conversational and easy to read. However, at times I found it to be overly flowery and thus distracting. There were many involved descriptions of interview settings, which seemed superfluous. I found myself doing a lot of skimming to get to the core subject matter. On the whole, though, it's a well-written book, by an author who is clearly in love with her subject matter.
Rating:
Summary: an investigation of the creative mind
Review: The author of this book tracked down and interviewed 40 recipients of the McArthur "genius award." This award is a cash grant given to creative people in many different fields; it enables them to work on, or not work on, whatever they please and not have to worry about money. There was much about the creative process in this book that was new to me. Reading interviews with people who use the process every day is a lot different than reading about creativity in a "how to be creative" book. You get more of a sense of the range of ways people produce outstanding work. Shekerjian introduces us to people who are not only in the arts, but also science, teaching, ecology and conservation, political science, social services, and other fields. Many of these people are extremely quirky, and there's a lesson in that: trying to be like others, and be liked, is not the way to uncover your potential. Shekerjian's prose is conversational and easy to read. However, at times I found it to be overly flowery and thus distracting. There were many involved descriptions of interview settings, which seemed superfluous. I found myself doing a lot of skimming to get to the core subject matter. On the whole, though, it's a well-written book, by an author who is clearly in love with her subject matter.
Rating:
Summary: Trying to find your passion in life? Start here.
Review: Trying to find your passion in life? Stuck in a career that fails to fulfill you? Let this book help you find your way by showing you the many ways that 'geniuses' find it and live according to it. Ms. Shekerjian has managed to put together an amazingly frank collection of conversations with intriguing geniuses. By filling the book with answers that come directly from the genius' mouth, this book offers insight that other similar books can't. And it's not just insight from one genius - it's from forty. Forty people who have won the MacArthur fellowship*, an award created to reward impassioned, creative individuals: Rather than just dabbling in a passion as a hobby, their lives revolve around their passions. So, read this book and get inspired. These forty have worn the path to living a passionate life - learn how they did it and live your own passionate life. As Thoreau said "...suck the marrow out of life". * The MacArthur Fellowship is an award of about $500,000 over 5 years. It is given to especially creative people. Awardees are peer nominated - no applications are allowed. 558 fellows have been named since 1981.
Rating:
Summary: Trying to find your passion in life? Start here.
Review: Trying to find your passion in life? Stuck in a career that fails to fulfill you? Let this book help you find your way by showing you the many ways that 'geniuses' find it and live according to it. Ms. Shekerjian has managed to put together an amazingly frank collection of conversations with intriguing geniuses. By filling the book with answers that come directly from the genius' mouth, this book offers insight that other similar books can't. And it's not just insight from one genius - it's from forty. Forty people who have won the MacArthur fellowship*, an award created to reward impassioned, creative individuals: Rather than just dabbling in a passion as a hobby, their lives revolve around their passions. So, read this book and get inspired. These forty have worn the path to living a passionate life - learn how they did it and live your own passionate life. As Thoreau said "...suck the marrow out of life". * The MacArthur Fellowship is an award of about $500,000 over 5 years. It is given to especially creative people. Awardees are peer nominated - no applications are allowed. 558 fellows have been named since 1981.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful look at the creative personality
Review: Uncommon Genius is a wonderful book that allows us to peek into the creative minds of winners of the famous MacArthur prize. For this book, Shekerjian interviewed a large number of those who have won this prize, and takes us through in-depth examinations of what seems to make them tick creatively. When I was writing Aha! - 10 Ways to Free Your Creative Spirit and Find Your Great Ideas, I read this book, and the different perspectives that Shekerjian shares in this book, were instrumental in helping me develop some of the structure in my book. This book goes way beyond what could have been an academic exercise in personality exploration. The author is an excellent writer, and as we read about each of these creative individuals, we feel like we actually get to know them. I highly recommend this book for anyone looking to gain a better understanding of what makes the creative individual think, or anyone who would just enjoy reading about some highly creative individuals.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful look at the creative personality
Review: Uncommon Genius is a wonderful book that allows us to peek into the creative minds of winners of the famous MacArthur prize. For this book, Shekerjian interviewed a large number of those who have won this prize, and takes us through in-depth examinations of what seems to make them tick creatively. When I was writing Aha! - 10 Ways to Free Your Creative Spirit and Find Your Great Ideas, I read this book, and the different perspectives that Shekerjian shares in this book, were instrumental in helping me develop some of the structure in my book. This book goes way beyond what could have been an academic exercise in personality exploration. The author is an excellent writer, and as we read about each of these creative individuals, we feel like we actually get to know them. I highly recommend this book for anyone looking to gain a better understanding of what makes the creative individual think, or anyone who would just enjoy reading about some highly creative individuals.
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