Is solitude or collaboration the key to creative success? Keith Sawyer points to a NPR special on "creativity, solitude, and collaboration" in which he talks with "Quiet" author Susan Cain in an effort to answer the question. While solitude - different from loneliness - has in some respects gone missing from our culture, and periods of quiet aren't as readily available, or accepted, as they once were, collaboration is of course an absolutely essential part of the creative process. Every successful idea has its roots in another. And in contrast to this somewhat staged either-or at NPR, I see creative success as a cycle of engagement and reflection. Some people just require more of the latter.
About the latter, if you've never read William Deresiewicz's "Solitude and Leadership" essay, you should.
Just a reminder that All-Access Passes for IdeaFestival 2012 go on sale after May 15. I hope to see you there!
Wayne