Geoffrey West on the Creative Process

From the book Scale:

As is often the case when moving into uncharted territory and trying to develop new ideas and ways of looking at a problem, the final product seems so obvious once the discovery or breakthrough has been made.  It’s hard to believe that it took so long, and one wonders why it couldn’t have been done in just a few days. The frustrations and the inefficiencies, the blind alleys, and the occasional eureka moments are all part and parcel of the creative process. There seems to be a natural gestation period, and this is simply the nature of the beast. However, once the problem comes into focus and it’s been solved it is extremely satisfying and enormously exciting.

Leave a Reply