The Rise: Creativity, the Gift of Failure, and the Search for Mastery
In this scholarly yet accessible text, art curator and cultural critic Lewis seeks to redefine the place of failure in the creative process. Beginning with the metaphor of the archer’s arrow that cannot travel in a direct line but must rise and fall before it hits its target, Lewis deftly weaves together theories on failure from hundreds of sources. Moving smoothly from Wynton Marsalis’ thoughts on jazz improvisation to Al Gore’s reflection on presidential loss, Lewis’ chapters profile those who have achieved mastery in their field by following the indirect path, often moving backwards, losing out, experimenting, and playing the amateur. These tales of grit and endurance include Samuel Morse’s failed painting career prior to inventing the telegraph, Ben Saunder’s solo ski to the North Pole, choreographer Paul Taylor’s disastrous early performances, and physicist Andre Geim’s playful discovery that earned him the 2010 Nobel Prize. Lewis focuses on the broadest definition of creativity, finding cross-disciplinary inspiration in entrepreneurship, mathematics, sports, and religion. Throughout, she illuminates the ways in which failure offers the irreplaceable advantage of propelling us forward. --Lindsay Bosch