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Zig Zag: The Surprising Path to Greater Creativity
A science-backed method to maximize creative potential in any sphere of life With the prevalence of computer technology and outsourcing, new jobs and fulfilling lives will rely heavily on creativity and innovation. Keith Sawyer draws from his expansive research of the creative journey, exceptional creators, creative abilities, and world-changing innovations to create an accessible, eight-step program to increasing anyone's creative potential. Sawyer reveals the surprising secrets of highly creative people (such as learning to ask better questions when faced with a problem), demonstrates how to come up with better ideas, and explains how to carry those ideas to fruition most effectively. This science-backed, step-by step method can maximize our creative potential in any sphere of life. Sawyer's book offers a wealth of easy to apply strategies and ideas for anyone who wants to tap into their creative power.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published February 13, 2013
125 people are currently reading
1210 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
June 27, 2020
Let's learn a little about creativity.
Shouldn't we all learn about this?
Creativity is seen as some sort of gene that you either have or don't have.
Maybe not, author Robert Keither Sawyer says. It's a muscle, and everybody has it, but some are exercised more than others.
Takeaway.
Let's exercise our muscle: Ask questions. Stretch and squeeze ideas. State of flow. Seek knowledge. Look with fresh eyes. Watch for serendipity. Play in daily life. Ideate: Ideas, ideas, ideas...catch them. Fuse. Cook on all the burners. Remote associations. Choose. Look past the good. Tinker. Make.
Oh, there's lots more.
Shouldn't we all learn about this?
Creativity is seen as some sort of gene that you either have or don't have.
Maybe not, author Robert Keither Sawyer says. It's a muscle, and everybody has it, but some are exercised more than others.
Takeaway.
Let's exercise our muscle: Ask questions. Stretch and squeeze ideas. State of flow. Seek knowledge. Look with fresh eyes. Watch for serendipity. Play in daily life. Ideate: Ideas, ideas, ideas...catch them. Fuse. Cook on all the burners. Remote associations. Choose. Look past the good. Tinker. Make.
Oh, there's lots more.
January 17, 2014
I read this at the same time I was reading "Creative Confidence" by Tom and Dave Kelley. My brain is on fire now -- in a good way.
Keith Sawyer is a scholar who lives and breathes creativity but he wrote an accessible guide to bringing out the potential everyone has to solve delicious problems.
I'm "the creative one" at work, but as Sawyer points out, that's not true at all. Anyone can be that person, and as his previous book "Group Genius" makes clear, brilliance comes in groups. With his two tomes the world now has the cookbook for creativity.
I almost took a star off for some of Sawyer's corny jokes, but he's a professor. I knew I had to keep the 5 when the final words of his conclusion made me misty.
I heart you, R. Keith Sawyer.
Gotta go. Time to go get all creative on the world now...
Keith Sawyer is a scholar who lives and breathes creativity but he wrote an accessible guide to bringing out the potential everyone has to solve delicious problems.
I'm "the creative one" at work, but as Sawyer points out, that's not true at all. Anyone can be that person, and as his previous book "Group Genius" makes clear, brilliance comes in groups. With his two tomes the world now has the cookbook for creativity.
I almost took a star off for some of Sawyer's corny jokes, but he's a professor. I knew I had to keep the 5 when the final words of his conclusion made me misty.
I heart you, R. Keith Sawyer.
Gotta go. Time to go get all creative on the world now...
June 13, 2014
It's a great book for "creativity beginners". The type of book you need to keep on your desk and browse through it from time to time for some ideas of exercises that can "boost" your creativity.
What I liked the most is that it states that creativity "is not a moment in time; it's a way of life".
What I liked the most is that it states that creativity "is not a moment in time; it's a way of life".
November 25, 2018
Rating: 2 stars
This was not a great book. The author basically gave 8 steps to leading a creative life, along with tons of sub-steps to getting there. Most of the things he talked about was unrealistic. The real-life examples of creators using the steps was actually the most interesting part of the book; other than that, it was just the author giving his own perspective and ideas on being creative. A lot of the exercises applied only to business professionals, which was pretty annoying when trying to base college class exercises off the book. Also - at some points, the author definitely had a sexist attitude. Not appreciated.
Overall, I did not enjoy this book, and would definitely not base my creative life around its ideas. It truly is a lifestyle, and not one I would want to try. I could see how the ideas might be helpful for some people, but only a specific type of person.
This was not a great book. The author basically gave 8 steps to leading a creative life, along with tons of sub-steps to getting there. Most of the things he talked about was unrealistic. The real-life examples of creators using the steps was actually the most interesting part of the book; other than that, it was just the author giving his own perspective and ideas on being creative. A lot of the exercises applied only to business professionals, which was pretty annoying when trying to base college class exercises off the book. Also - at some points, the author definitely had a sexist attitude. Not appreciated.
Overall, I did not enjoy this book, and would definitely not base my creative life around its ideas. It truly is a lifestyle, and not one I would want to try. I could see how the ideas might be helpful for some people, but only a specific type of person.
February 22, 2023
My absolute favorite book I read! Honestly lit a spark in me to retap into my creative side! 3 takeaways (I have many more):
1. Everyone has an equal opportunity to be a creative expert and all it takes is deliberate and consistent practice.
2. Creativity is hindered when we fear judgment
3. I love the interactiveness of this book!
I would say this book will serve as a creative toolkit and reference for my future ideas and endeavors.
1. Everyone has an equal opportunity to be a creative expert and all it takes is deliberate and consistent practice.
2. Creativity is hindered when we fear judgment
3. I love the interactiveness of this book!
I would say this book will serve as a creative toolkit and reference for my future ideas and endeavors.
July 14, 2021
Zig Zag is a great book for everybody but creatives. If you’re already a creative person and already generate lots of ideas, you don’t need to read about the zig zag methodology because you already live it. I read it because I was hoping it would help me explain how to be creative to my students more succinctly, but I like the way I already do it.
Zig Zag is not a theory book. It’s an action manual with multiple practices per section to help people intentionally become more creative. The eight steps to be more creative are: Ask, Learn, Look, Play, Think, Fuse, Choose, and Make. For this reason, the book is probably more useful than other books that simply muse on creativity. There are lots of examples and practical things you can do to eradicate the Eureka mindset and learn to generate ideas as a way of life and not waiting for a burst of inspiration.
If you are trying to inspire creativity in your children, especially your teenagers, these activities will be a boon for you. If you have a team that needs a jumpstart or if you want to learn to generate more and higher qualities ideas for yourself, then the practices here will be super useful. The quiz at the beginning that determines your strengths may also be enlightening. I recommend checking it out from the library and giving it a skim.
My major critique is that every example and every great thinker is a white person. It’s as if a person of color had never done a creative thing ever. (Wait, he does mention Diego Rivera in passing when he was citing someone else’s work.) As creative as he may be, Sawyer is blind to his bias, and that is disappointing. Now, I need to find a creativity manual from an Eastern or African perspective and compare the two.
Zig Zag is not a theory book. It’s an action manual with multiple practices per section to help people intentionally become more creative. The eight steps to be more creative are: Ask, Learn, Look, Play, Think, Fuse, Choose, and Make. For this reason, the book is probably more useful than other books that simply muse on creativity. There are lots of examples and practical things you can do to eradicate the Eureka mindset and learn to generate ideas as a way of life and not waiting for a burst of inspiration.
If you are trying to inspire creativity in your children, especially your teenagers, these activities will be a boon for you. If you have a team that needs a jumpstart or if you want to learn to generate more and higher qualities ideas for yourself, then the practices here will be super useful. The quiz at the beginning that determines your strengths may also be enlightening. I recommend checking it out from the library and giving it a skim.
My major critique is that every example and every great thinker is a white person. It’s as if a person of color had never done a creative thing ever. (Wait, he does mention Diego Rivera in passing when he was citing someone else’s work.) As creative as he may be, Sawyer is blind to his bias, and that is disappointing. Now, I need to find a creativity manual from an Eastern or African perspective and compare the two.
Read
June 23, 2025I'm reading this for a class and otherwise would probably not be reading it.
I've read the introduction and chapter 1 and so far it feels like an oversized TED talk. Maybe I'll be surprised but so far I'm underwhelmed, although there are a lot of exercises which I'm hoping are helpful.
The personal assessment in the introduction though was annoying and often didn't make sense and in a few instances seemed ignorant that not everyone is neurotypical and might experience creativity differently.
I'll get through the book because it's assigned, but I'm cynical about whether it's going to help.
It didn't help that the intro had a chart which was supposed to picture how the zig zag method isn't linear and yet although the steps were in a zig zag the arrows only went one way and therefore in one order. Also you learn the steps in one order, and I get that there has to be some order to the book, but all of it together goes very much against the idea of the steps being non-linear.
I've read the introduction and chapter 1 and so far it feels like an oversized TED talk. Maybe I'll be surprised but so far I'm underwhelmed, although there are a lot of exercises which I'm hoping are helpful.
The personal assessment in the introduction though was annoying and often didn't make sense and in a few instances seemed ignorant that not everyone is neurotypical and might experience creativity differently.
I'll get through the book because it's assigned, but I'm cynical about whether it's going to help.
It didn't help that the intro had a chart which was supposed to picture how the zig zag method isn't linear and yet although the steps were in a zig zag the arrows only went one way and therefore in one order. Also you learn the steps in one order, and I get that there has to be some order to the book, but all of it together goes very much against the idea of the steps being non-linear.
December 10, 2022
It was interesting at first learning people’s stories. But as the book goes on it just becomes dry. There are so many other instances the author could have used to bring this theme of creativity together that failed. There was also a lack of understanding of neurodivergent thinking and how that plays into creativity.
May 4, 2017
If you're stuck in your writing or art making, read this book.
This is a book about the specific steps in the process of creativity. There are numerous scientific studies in each chapter. What I love is how the author understands that there isn't a specific formula of which order you do the steps in. A lot of times, you'll go back and forth between drafting and brainstorming, but it's different for each person!
So he goes deep into what each step is: Ask, look, think, and fuse are a few of the steps. It gives examples of how you can do better at each step of the process, and it allows you to go out of order if you wish. I ended up skimming some of the book but I read something from each chapter and it was really good and I highly recommend it.
This was a book in my college campus bookstore, required for a business class that I was not taking, and it interested me so I got it from the library.
This is a book about the specific steps in the process of creativity. There are numerous scientific studies in each chapter. What I love is how the author understands that there isn't a specific formula of which order you do the steps in. A lot of times, you'll go back and forth between drafting and brainstorming, but it's different for each person!
So he goes deep into what each step is: Ask, look, think, and fuse are a few of the steps. It gives examples of how you can do better at each step of the process, and it allows you to go out of order if you wish. I ended up skimming some of the book but I read something from each chapter and it was really good and I highly recommend it.
This was a book in my college campus bookstore, required for a business class that I was not taking, and it interested me so I got it from the library.
September 12, 2024
Have you always struggled to be creative and thought it just wasn’t in your genes? Do you ever experience a creativity block and think you just need a break, or find yourself bored with your current learning or circumstances, but don’t know what to do next? Then Zig Zag by Keith Sawyer is for you. Sawyer, a scientific expert on creativity, innovation, and learning, who has designed videogames for Atari and played jazz piano for over 30 years, proposes an eight-step path that zigs and zags, challenging you to find your creativity and get the juices flowing, taking you to the next level!
By using anecdotal quotes like “The brain that doesn’t feed itself eats itself” (Gore Vidal), and “The creative act is nonlinear” (Josh Linkner), along with real life stories and situations, Sawyer’s book takes you through the eight steps to finding your own creativity, with a lot of tips, tricks, and techniques to pique any naysayer’s interest and keep coming back for more.
By using anecdotal quotes like “The brain that doesn’t feed itself eats itself” (Gore Vidal), and “The creative act is nonlinear” (Josh Linkner), along with real life stories and situations, Sawyer’s book takes you through the eight steps to finding your own creativity, with a lot of tips, tricks, and techniques to pique any naysayer’s interest and keep coming back for more.
April 8, 2021
هذا الكتاب بكل جدارة أفتخر و أقول أعطاني النصف المتبقي لأنعاش الطفل المبدع داخلي .
سأقترح فقط أول ثلاث فصول لعامة الناس ف هي كافية لمساعدتهم على تفكيك المشاكل ورسم خارطة الحلول لها ولكن ساقترح هذا الكتاب كامل لأصحاب الخيال الواسع و الأفكار الغير مألوفة لانه و بأختصار بيئة تحتوي على أفكار الحالمين الخيالين القادرين على خرق الصندوق الاسود .
وفي النهاية هذا الكتاب لكل شخص مستعد أن يتجرد من كلام الناس ومستعد لخوض التجارب المجنونة و الغير مألوفة في سبيل خلق واقع مختلف يخلق نتيجة حياة افضل .
سأقترح فقط أول ثلاث فصول لعامة الناس ف هي كافية لمساعدتهم على تفكيك المشاكل ورسم خارطة الحلول لها ولكن ساقترح هذا الكتاب كامل لأصحاب الخيال الواسع و الأفكار الغير مألوفة لانه و بأختصار بيئة تحتوي على أفكار الحالمين الخيالين القادرين على خرق الصندوق الاسود .
وفي النهاية هذا الكتاب لكل شخص مستعد أن يتجرد من كلام الناس ومستعد لخوض التجارب المجنونة و الغير مألوفة في سبيل خلق واقع مختلف يخلق نتيجة حياة افضل .
October 16, 2020
I’m excited to get going
This book brings so much depth to the creative thinking process than other books I’ve read on the subject. I have a big, sticky problem that I need novel ideas to solve, and I can’t wait to start applying the techniques and concepts in this book. But first, a good nights sleep.
This book brings so much depth to the creative thinking process than other books I’ve read on the subject. I have a big, sticky problem that I need novel ideas to solve, and I can’t wait to start applying the techniques and concepts in this book. But first, a good nights sleep.
April 2, 2022
Sawyer attempts to change the fundamental mindset of entrepreneurs, or any thinker for that matter. In the context of innovation and ideation, this book is worth a quick read, as the simple processes it offers to increase creativity could add important quality to the ideas.
September 2, 2017
Pretty easy instructional on how to look at things. None of the information was particularly nuanced, but the how-tos and case studies on just what "zig-zagging" means in a creative context were helpful.
October 25, 2018
Lots of exercises. Very action-oriented. You'll want to keep it around to flip through from time to time.
July 27, 2020
Some good insights and suggestions on how to actively become more creative.
July 21, 2024
Creativity from the mindset of a businessman focused on the profit incentive of his ideas
November 24, 2025
As a strategist and planner I will be keeping this book around for reference. If I was giving a class in design methodology in the context of detailed planning this would be on the reading list.
Read
January 15, 2026DNF. Moc mi to nepřineslo, ale možná se k tomu ještě jednou vrátím.
March 2, 2017
I was less surprised than the title implied I'd be...
February 11, 2017
8 steps
fuse
ask
learn
play
make
look
think
choose
fuse
ask
learn
play
make
look
think
choose
May 10, 2013
Interesting book with a breakdown of the steps involved in creativity, and lots of suggestions and exercises at each step to develop your creative faculties in that particular area. In a sense, it was almost too much...rather than something helping me to develop a daily practice that would guide me toward being more creative, this felt like getting hit with a fire hose. I didn't finish with any sort of sense of what I should do tomorrow to integrate this book's teachings into my own life.
October 5, 2013
Is your work day boring and stagnate like mine recently? Then I picked up this book and couldn't put it down - this author has given me back my creativity juices! All new ideas on my daily calendar to play like a child again and my desk will never be boring again! By interviewing highly creative innovator's secrets this the author shared them with me. Keith you brought my groove back!
April 23, 2013
This book is a wonderful resource of creativity exercises backed up by solid research. I used the book personally and with a group of high school students. We all loved it! I know I will turn to this book time and time again for ideas.
February 3, 2014
هذا الكتاب يعطيك طريقة لرؤية العالم وتكوين الارتباطات وحل المشكلات والتغلب على العقبات. يستند إلى أساليب مجربة مبنية على بحث علمي صميم حول الإبداع والعقل، وهي في متناول الجميع. يقدم خطوات ثمانية أساسية للوصول للإبداع، عندما تتبعها، فإنك تتعرض لتدفق مستمر لأفكار إبداعية.
November 14, 2014
Practical exercises plus a straightforward framework to think about one's own creative processes makes this a solid read. Recommended for folks who feel they can further tap into their well of creativity.
November 18, 2014
Good book on evidence-based strategies for becoming a more creative person in every aspect of your life: career, home, fun. There are exercises in the book that are easy and engaging, though-provoking quotes, and an easy reading style that keeps the whole thing flowing.
Recommended!
Recommended!
May 2, 2013
Great good on creativity.
May 6, 2013
Now on my 'want-to-buy' shelf!
February 23, 2014
Read for class, thoroughly enjoyable. Am using several of the techniques with students and in my personal life to seek and solve problems.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews