The Myth of the Sole Genius and the Power of Partnerships

There’s this legend about the sole creator.

That person who goes into their creative cave, cloistered in solitude for days, months or even years, only to emerge with a work of genius. Exploding into the zeitgeist and changing everything.

But what if that was story was just a myth? What if the whole of idea sole genius was really a fantasy, obscuring the truth that almost nothing truly profound was created in a vacuum? That’s what we’re talking about on today’s episode

My guest today is bestselling author and essayist, Joshua Wolf Shenk. He recently published a provocative new book called The Powers of Two that explores both the myth of the sole creative and the complex and often legendary power of creative partnerships. Along the way, we also dive into Shenk’s own creative process, what it’s like to live the writer’s life and spend nearly 5 years working on a single book.

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