Legendary psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi has been called “The leading researcher into ‘flow states.’” He accumulated over 30 years of research and did more than 100 interviews with people from all walks of life to bring his famous flow theory and exploration of the creative process to all of us. Creativity: Flow and the Psychology of Discovery and Invention helps us to understand those moments that are beyond description, the ones where time stands still.

I can’t discuss inventors without talking about engagement. The over-riding motivation to invent is not selfish, it’s motivated for the good of others. It’s an altruistic objection to the status quo without the expectation of financial reward driven by the unshakable belief that they’re doing the right thing and supported by confidence in their own technical skill and comprehension of the performance of the materials they are using in the guidance systems that direct them. This is about a flow state. This books takes us into the process and an understanding of what leads to these moments.

“The best moments in our lives are not the passive, receptive, relaxing times . . . The best moments usually occur if a person’s body or mind is stretched to its limits in a voluntary effort to accomplish something difficult and worthwhile”
(Csikszentmihalyi, 1990)