How to Fly a Horse
The Secret History of Creation, Invention, and Discovery
2015 800-CEO-READ Business Book of the Year Award — 800-CEO-Read
5 new books to read in 2015 — Fortune
15 of The Best Business Books Coming Out in 2015 — Business Insider
Inspiring and empowering, this journey behind the scenes of humanity's greatest creations reveals the surprising way we make something new.
What do Thomas Jefferson's ice cream recipe, Coca Cola, and Chanel No. 5 have in common? They all depended on a nineteenth-century African boy who, with a single pinch, solved one of nature's great riddles and gave birth to the multimillion-dollar vanilla industry. Kevin Ashton opens his book with the fascinating story of the young slave who launched a flavor revolution to show that invention and creation come in unexpected shapes and sizes. From the crystallographer's laboratory where the secrets of DNA were first revealed by a long-forgotten woman, to the electromagnetic chamber where the stealth bomber was born on a 25-cent bet, Ashton weaves tales of humanity's greatest creations to unpack the surprising true process of discovery. Drawing on the Amish and the iPhone, Kandinsky and cans of Coke, Lockheed, South Park, and the Wright brothers — who set out to "fly a horse" — he showcases the seemingly unremarkable individuals, gradual steps, multiple failures, and countless ordinary — and usually uncredited — acts that led to our most astounding breakthroughs. Creators, he shows, apply everyday, ordinary thinking that we are all capable of in particular ways, taking thousands of small steps, working in an endless loop of problem and solution. He explores why innovators meet resistance and how they overcome it, why most organizations stifle creative people, and how the most creative organizations work. In a passionate and profound narrative that amazes and inspires, Ashton's book sheds new light on how "new" comes to be.
Anchor Books (15 Sept. 2015)
William Heinemann (29 Jan 2015)
Excerpt
How To Commit To A Creative Life
Audio Interviews
Creativity isn't magic — CBC The Spark
Horse Play — BBC Global Business Radio
Articles
Top business books to read in 2015 — The Telegraph
12 Books Every Business Owner Should Read In 2015 — Lovin.ie
Summary
How to Fly a Horse — Actionable Books
Praise
"How to Fly a Horse solves the mysteries of invention. Kevin Ashton, the innovator who coined the 'internet of things,' shows that creativity is more often the results of ordinary steps than extraordinary leaps. With engrossing stories, provocative studies, and lucid writing, this book is not to be missed." — Adam Grant, Wharton professor and New York Times bestselling author of Give and Take
"Beautifully written, Ashton¹s exploration of creativity explodes so many myths and opens so many doors that readers, like me, will be left reeling with possibilities. We can all create, we can all innovate." — Larry Downes, New York Times bestselling author of Unleashing the Killer App
"Ashton gleefully demolishes the 'mystery' of innovation and delivers a vision that is at once optimistic and immensely practical. Creativity is not the exclusive domain of brainiac elites; it is what defines us as humans. This book will forever change how you think about innovation and will make you a better, more creative innovator." — Paul Saffo, Futures Studies & Forecasting Chair, Singularity University
"Kevin Ashton has built and sold startups, launched game-changing innovations inside big companies, and shaped our understanding of the Internet of Things. But this may be his greatest achievement yet‹one of the most creative books on creativity I have ever read, a genuinely inspiring journey through the worlds of art, science, business and culture that will forever change how you think about where new ideas come from." — William C. Taylor, Founding Editor, Fast Company, Author, Practically Radical
"If you have ever wondered what it takes to create something, read this inspiring and insightful book. Using examples ranging from Mozart to the Muppets, Kevin Ashton shows how to tap the creative abilities that lurk in us all. There are no secrets, no shortcuts; just ordinary steps we can all take to bring something new into the world. Ashton¹s message is direct and hopeful: creativity isn¹t just for geniuses it¹s for everybody." — Joseph T. Hallinan, author of Why We Make Mistakes
"How to Fly a Horse gallops past dozens of fascinating stories and experiments on the way to presenting a radical new answer to the question of where creative ideas begin. If you¹ve ever struggled to produce new ideas while imagining that to some lucky people they come easily, you must read this book." — Adam Alter, Associate Professor of Marketing and Psychology at New York University, and bestselling author of Drunk Tank Pink: And Other Unexpected Forces That Shape How We Think, Feel, and Behave
"Kevin Ashton's new book "How to Fly a Horse" is all about the creative sorcery and motivational magic necessary to make impossible things happen in teams or as individuals. Through numerous examples of creative genius ranging from Einstein to the creators of South Park to the invention of jet planes and concertos, Ashton reveals the secrets of the great scientists, artists, and industrialists of the last few centuries." — John Maeda, author of Laws of Simplicity, Design Partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers
