The Art of Ideas: Creative Thinking for Work and Life

Great ideas don’t just happen. Innovation springs from creative thinking―a method of the human mind that we can study and learn. In The Art of Ideas, William Duggan and Amy Murphy bring together business concepts with stories of creativity in art, politics, and history to provide a visual and accessible guide to the art and science of new and useful ideas.

In chapters accompanied by charming and inviting illustrations, Duggan and Murphy detail how to spark your own ideas and what to do while waiting for inspiration to strike. They show that regardless of the field, innovations happen in the same way: examples from history, presence of mind, creative combination, and resolution to action. The Art of Ideas features case studies and exercises that explain how to break down problems, search for precedents, and creatively combine past models to form new ideas. It showcases how Picasso developed his painting style, how Gandhi became the man we know today, and how Netflix came to disrupt the movie-rental business. Lavishly illustrated in an appealing artistic style, The Art of Ideas helps readers unlock the secret to creativity in business and in life.

William Duggan is on the faculty of Columbia Business School, where he teaches the art of ideas in graduate and executive courses. His previous Columbia University Press books include Strategic Intuition: The Creative Spark in Human Achievement (2007); Creative Strategy: A Guide for Innovation (2012); and The Seventh Sense: How Flashes of Insight Change Your Life (2017).

Amy Murphy is a director at Strategy&, part of the PwC network, where she advises business clients around the world on innovation, strategy, and creativity. She teaches at Columbia Business School Executive Education and is a licensed architect in the state of New York.