How Great Ideas Happen

Cognitive scientist George Newman challenges the notion that creativity is a mysterious gift reserved for the few. Drawing on cutting-edge research, he reveals that breakthrough success comes from method, not magic. The most successful innovators approach creativity like archaeology—scanning terrain, digging with intention, and discovering what already exists. With examples from Jackson Pollock's paintings, Korean filmmakers, and Paul Simon's Graceland, Newman presents a repeatable method anyone can follow, reframing creativity as a universal capacity waiting to be unlocked through exploration.