Mastery (64 page)

apprenticeship, 11, 15, 290

of Caroline Islanders, 272–73

hacker model for, 89–90

as lifelong path, 16–17

Medieval system of, 59, 62, 89

in Renaissance, 88

for tech founders, 234–35

Apprenticeship Phase, 3, 176

acquiring social intelligence in, 125–65

creativity suppressed in, 177, 179

Apprenticeship Phase (
cont.
)

dependency in, 203

eight strategies for, 65–90

end of, 63

expanding horizons in, 68–71

first transformation in, 49–54

goal of, 55–56, 74

Ideal, 47–91

keys to mastery in, 54–64, 102–8, 133

learning how to learn in, 47–91

self-direction in, 54–56, 66, 71, 89

three modes of, 55–64

trust in, 75–78

working with mentors in, 93–123

approval, as impediment to Life’s Task, 37–38, 203, 204

architecture, 41, 42, 84–87, 109, 219–23

Aristotle, 106, 196

artifacts, Fuller’s use of, 190

artificial intelligence, 87

assembly line, 83, 195

Aunt Ann (Grandin’s aunt), 280–81, 284

authentic voice, 206–9

autism, 43–45, 156–58, 280, 283–84

automobiles, 81–83

aviation, 216–18

Bach, Johann Christian, 171

Bach, Johann Sebastian, 117, 171, 182

Baptism of Christ, The
(Verrocchio), 290

barnacles, Darwin’s study of, 188, 192

basketball, 78–79

Beagle,
HMS, 11, 50–54, 62

Bergman, Ingmar, 30, 31

Bible, 51, 96, 180, 187

Pirahã translation of, 72, 161, 298

bicycle technology, 215–16, 219

Blanton Museum of Art, 244

blocks, in creative process, 199–201

blogging, 234

blood flow theory, 149–50

Blue Angel, The,
160–61

body language, 224

books, 68–71, 96, 107, 122, 249

Bowers, Kenneth, 263

boxing, 38–40, 67, 119–21, 294–98

Bradley, Bill, 78–79

brain:

in achieving mastery, 10, 273

in age of technology, 63–64, 273

childhood development of, 134

evolution of, 6–9, 267

hand and, 35, 64, 198, 210–11, 219, 230

interconnections of, 146, 184, 211, 224, 231, 263

map of, 210

mnemonic networks in, 263–64

of monkeys, 7–8

as opportunistic, 213–14

and optical illusions, 210–11

in pain response, 212

plasticity of, 9–10, 14, 196, 211, 234, 235

in visual perception, 110–11, 191

Brazil, 71–72, 298–303

Brin, Sergey, 193–94

Brooks, Rodney, 34–35, 111

Buñuel, Luis, 266

Burgess, Anthony, 186

Burghölzli Psychiatric Hospital, 109

Calatrava, Santiago, 15, 84–87, 219–23, 312

career path, 12, 27–28, 32–36, 56–58

adaptability in, 38–40, 89–90

false and unsuitable, 26, 37–38, 41–43

of Masters, 270–71

Caroline Islanders, 270–73

cat, 199–200

cattle, Grandin’s work with, 44–45, 280–84

Champollion, Jean-Francois, 238–42

chaos, managing, 265–66

Charles I, king of England, 150–51

charm, 136, 165

chess, 256, 264

childbed fever, 147–49

childhood, 4, 11, 243

dependency of, 54, 134–35

genius in, 36

limitations evidenced in, 43

primal inclination evidenced in, 30–32

as reflected in mentors, 107–8

reverting to, 73–74

sense of wonder in, 28, 31, 74, 175–77, 202

uniqueness expressed in, 25–26

chimpanzees, 8, 258

Chomsky, Noam, 162, 301

Christianity, 27, 71–72, 95–96, 161, 238, 302–3, 304

Chuang Tzu, 255–56

Cleopatra, 240

Coltrane, John, 15, 31, 187, 206–9, 245

communication:

nonverbal, 30, 138–39, 224

social, 146

complacency, 202, 224

computer science, 87–90, 164, 193, 229

confirmation bias, 183

conflict avoidance, 161

conformism, 227, 285

as Deadly Reality, 141, 142

as impediment to uniqueness, 26–27, 29, 42

confrontation, indirect, 145

consciousness, expanding of, 4–5

conservatism, emotional pitfall of, 202–3, 212, 225

contagious disease, 148, 185, 194

contradictions, 244–45

Conventional Mind, 176–77, 191

Conversations with Goethe
(Eckermann), 102

Coptic language, 238, 240, 242

court, rituals of, 23, 159–60

craftsmanship, craftspeople, 64, 219

Creative-Active Phase, 3, 135, 167–246

keys to mastery of, 175–205

nine strategies for, 205–45

six emotional pitfalls in, 202–5

Creative Breakthrough, 179, 199–201

Creative Dynamic, Primary Law of, 180–81

creative process, 24, 199–201

compared to alchemy, 242–45

in developing new ideas, 227–28

evolution of, 223–24

Creative Strategies, 179, 181–99

Creative Task, 179–81

creative thinking, 3, 62, 127, 204

adaptability as essential to, 234–36

analogies in, 187

childhood spirit in, 176–78

compared to expanded vision, 191

going beyond language in, 196–99

heightened consciousness in, 205

imagining new uses in, 233–34

impediments to, 176–77, 181, 191–96

misconception about, 235

models and diagrams in, 197–98

Negative Capability as key to, 183

openness in, 185, 236

outburst and frenzy of, 172–75

in science, 98, 100, 101

social intelligence and, 146

subverting shorthands in, 191–96

synesthesia in, 198–99

transformation to, 52–56

transforming spirit of, 173–75

Crick, Francis, 197–98

criticism:

of authority, 102–3

as constructive, 62, 76, 115–16, 163

derisive, 230, 285

exposing self to, 62–63

public, 162–63

Curie, Marie, 30, 193

Curie, Pierre, 193

cycle of accelerated returns, 60, 61, 77–78

dance, 30–31, 66–67, 224–28

Dance, William, 97, 98

Darwin, Charles, 10, 15, 110, 192, 197

anomalies recognized by, 194

Apprenticeship Phase for, 49–54

Beagle
voyage of, 11, 50–54, 62, 187–88

and first transformation, 49–54

as model for apprenticeship, 55–56, 58, 62

see also
evolution, theory of

Darwinian strategy, 32–36

Das Rheingold
(Wagner), 200

Davis, Miles, 207

Davy, Humphry, 97–101, 104–6, 111

Deep Observation (The Passive Mode), 56–58

democratization, 102

in mentoring, 121–22

demotic language, 236–38, 242

Denishawn method, 225, 228

destiny, sense of, 25–26, 261

detachment, 7, 265

in social interactions, 130, 139

in view of self, 55, 61, 63, 80, 155, 157–59, 203

determination, 76–77, 79–80, 90–91, 123

Dimensional Mind, 167–246

Creative Breakthrough for, 199–201

Creative Strategies for, 181–99

Creative Task for, 179–81

dimensional thinking, 236–42

discipline, 13, 38, 75, 115–16, 128, 177, 246, 253

diversity, 28–29

Dogood, Silence, 127–28, 130

Don Giovanni
(Mozart), 173–75

Don’t Sleep, There Are Snakes
(Everett), 162–63

doubt, in creative process, 199, 201, 204, 260

Doyle, Arthur Conan, 194

dreams, 245, 301

inspiration from, 198, 200–201, 223, 232

drugs, 4, 14, 71, 205, 245–46

Duncan, Isadora, 225

Eckermann, Johann Peter, 102

Edison, Thomas Alva, 15, 185–86, 197, 201, 256

Creative Task of, 179–80

self-apprenticeship of, 122–23

education, formal, 49–50, 54, 69–70, 84–86, 87–88, 122, 276

ego, 55, 182, 204

Einstein, Albert, 15, 25, 30, 31, 64, 66, 90, 146, 185, 192, 197, 198, 205, 256, 257, 259–60, 268, 269, 274–79

mastery achieved through focus on strengths by, 274–79

Negative Capability of, 182–83

see also
relativity, theories of

electricity, 96, 122

electromagnetism, 8, 100–101, 105, 197, 274–75, 277

emotions, 14, 55, 135, 145–46, 163, 179, 180, 195

as impediments in Creative-Active Phase, 202–5

empathy, 134, 136, 139, 157

for animals, 283–84

as nonverbal communication, 138–39

Pirahã’s lack of, 299–300

Endymion
(Keats), 79–80

enlightenment, 113–15, 201

entrepreneurs, 83–84, 89, 194–95, 235

environmental connection, achieving mastery through, 270–73

envy, 15, 38, 107, 141–42, 241

Ernst, Max, 186

Ernsting warehouse, 220–22

Eruption
(Fernández), 243

ether, 275–77

Everett, Daniel, 15, 31, 162, 312–13

Apprenticeship Phase of, 71–74

mastery achieved through submission to other, 298–304

public criticism of, 161–63

Everett, Keren Graham, 71–72, 161, 298, 299

evolution, theory of, 11, 53, 58, 62, 183, 187–88, 192, 194, 197, 267, 306

evolutionary hijack, 231–236

Experimental Researches in Electricity
(Faraday), 122

Experimentation (The Active Mode), 56, 62–64

Eye and Brain
(Gregory), 32–33, 110

eyes, 6, 110–11, 191, 273

fact of great yield, 210–14

failure, 179

benefits of, 24–25, 42, 261

as incentive, 75–78, 253

learning through, 81–84, 156–57, 260