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The Dance of The Possible: A mostly honest and completely irreverent guide to creativity
The powers of creative thinking can be yours if you're willing to laugh and learn in this concise, cliche free, fun and memorable short book. With challenging chapters on topics like creative confidence, making bold decisions, and separating the need for feedback from the desire for encouragement, even if you've read other books on the subject or if this is your first, The Dance of The Possible will surprise you, make you think, laugh and perhaps even dance when you get back to work.
248 pages, Paperback
First published March 13, 2017
133 people are currently reading
424 people want to read
About the author
Scott Berkun
23 books318 followersScott Berkun is the author of four popular books, Making Things Happen, The Myths of Innovation, Confessions of a Public Speaker and Mindfire: Big Ideas for Curious Minds. His work as a writer and speaker have appeared in the The Washington Post, the New York Times, Wired, the Economist, Fast Company, Forbes, CNBC, MSNBC, CNN, National Public Radio and other media. His many popular essays and entertaining lectures can be found for free on his blog at http://www.scottberkun.com, and he tweets at https://twitter.com/berkun.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews
March 8, 2018
Fourth book I read from Scott Berkun, first book I've read on creativity.
The book's subject is to demystify the creativity process. Too often in popular culture creativity is seen as something magical. We tend to believe geniuses such as Picasso or Kafka were creative because they were granted a special gift or because they were inspired by an external source (a muse or an eureka moment). Then people who aspire to create something spent their time aimlessly searching for these external sources of inspiration or hoping to be gifted someday.
The truth is that the creative process is a more mundane activity, and there's nothing magical about it. When we consider a work of art we see it as a final product, but we ignore that to get to that result an artist may have gone through tons of iterations. That applies not only to art but to any creative process (a book, a film, a software project, etc). If you want to create something, you just need to put time on it in a consistent manner. The result might be good or might be bad, it doesn't matter. If you're committed to your idea, you will eventually produce something valuable, in this or in a future project.
This is a short summary of the content of this book. You'll find more perspectives and stories on it. Many of the essays in this book are reworked articles from Scott Berkun's blog. If you're an regular reader of his blog they might already sound familiar to you.
If you like what Scott Berkun writes about, you'll definitely enjoy this book. If you have never heard of Berkun, but are looking for a book about creativity and ideas, I'd also recommend it.
The book's subject is to demystify the creativity process. Too often in popular culture creativity is seen as something magical. We tend to believe geniuses such as Picasso or Kafka were creative because they were granted a special gift or because they were inspired by an external source (a muse or an eureka moment). Then people who aspire to create something spent their time aimlessly searching for these external sources of inspiration or hoping to be gifted someday.
The truth is that the creative process is a more mundane activity, and there's nothing magical about it. When we consider a work of art we see it as a final product, but we ignore that to get to that result an artist may have gone through tons of iterations. That applies not only to art but to any creative process (a book, a film, a software project, etc). If you want to create something, you just need to put time on it in a consistent manner. The result might be good or might be bad, it doesn't matter. If you're committed to your idea, you will eventually produce something valuable, in this or in a future project.
This is a short summary of the content of this book. You'll find more perspectives and stories on it. Many of the essays in this book are reworked articles from Scott Berkun's blog. If you're an regular reader of his blog they might already sound familiar to you.
If you like what Scott Berkun writes about, you'll definitely enjoy this book. If you have never heard of Berkun, but are looking for a book about creativity and ideas, I'd also recommend it.
September 7, 2017
Twisted experience. I love Berkun's style and his ability to express condensed wisdom with the simple words. And it's not the first essay I've read. From the other hand, there was nothing new for me to learn from this book, but it is mostly because I am interested in this part of human nature and already read a lot. To sum it up: this book will definitely stay pretty close to my working place to be able to remind me some vital basics.
April 30, 2018
Got this book for free from Amazon to my Kindle and it´s my third one from Scott - this time about creativity. The book itself is a solid collection of ideas, but don´t expect much, if you´ve already read something else about it.
August 30, 2025
Actually not a bad book about creativity. I knew most of the things from it but the author helped me to structure it in easier way to digest. I like authors style, so, most likely will be reading more his books.
April 28, 2018
A fun read on refreshing creativity
This is a quick, refreshing read with tips on how to cultivate creativity. Not to spoil it, but it seems to involve a lot more practice, and a lot less excuses. Could catch on!
The author really likes fun socks - that's an important detail that cannot be missed. The book shares examples of creative people in a number of fields and some things they've found to be successful, as well as gentle reminders throughout to practice. Write, sing, play, paint, dance, whatever makes your creative heart sing is the only way to nourish it and expand your repertoire.
This is a quick, refreshing read with tips on how to cultivate creativity. Not to spoil it, but it seems to involve a lot more practice, and a lot less excuses. Could catch on!
The author really likes fun socks - that's an important detail that cannot be missed. The book shares examples of creative people in a number of fields and some things they've found to be successful, as well as gentle reminders throughout to practice. Write, sing, play, paint, dance, whatever makes your creative heart sing is the only way to nourish it and expand your repertoire.
March 10, 2017
If you’ve ever wanted to be more creative or make something for the world then you must read “The Dance of the Possible” by Scott Berkun. Scott made the following promise to us: “If I have written it well, you will soon want to work on something where you can apply your creativity”.
The author sent me an early reviewer’s copy of the book which only took me 3.5 hours to read. Upon completion of the book, I started working on a small feature for an open source project which I had on the back burner for three months. So, Scott kept his promise to me, he provided sufficient insight and pragmatic techniques that helped me get out of my rut.
My main problem is that I’m obsessed with trying to solve problems by searching for the best technique or approach. I have spent hours searching google to find the best possible answers or solutions. I’ve read many other books on problem solving and creativity but I haven’t been able to change my thought process for long periods of time. I’ve tried failed fast techniques, brainstorming, A/B testing, etc…. I can add “The Dance of the Possible” to my short list of books that helped put a dent into my though process and attitude for solving problems.
With enough practice, we can all develop a variety of skills that can help us become better problem solvers. Scott’s guide has helped me update my out-dated skill stack for generating ideas and staying committed to my craft. There were many techniques and insights provided by the author but this is what worked for me.
“We get the majority of our creative powers from our subconscious mind.” If this is the case, then, how do we nurture a more healthy relationship with our subconscious mind? I use to write my ideas down in a journal but would eventually stop because I would get lazy or distracted. Scott mentioned that one of the most important relationships you can have is between your subconscious and creative instincts. I realized that for me to continue to nurture this relationship I need to slow down and write my ideas down.
“Finding good ideas is one thing. Developing them into finished works is another.” I tried two of the eight mentioned techniques for idea exploration: Kill False Constraints and Switch Modes. One of the issues that I continue to face with problem solving is that I am too pessimistic and kill ideas too quickly. When I made a list of practical and psychological constraints, I realized that I was not exploring enough solutions to my problem. The other technique which I found helpful was the switch mode technique: trying another approach to express ideas. Typically, I sketch my ideas or write them down. The tip of trying to explain a project to someone who knows nothing about it worked well.
“No matter how great your idea is, there will be energy you have to spend, often on relatively ordinary work, to deliver it to the world.” “To get off the couch and do something interesting requires confidence.” I realize that sometimes I lack patience or lose confidence when trying to solve a problem and can be disappointed when my solution fails. The author provided vivid examples of the discovery of the Post-IT note, Edison, The Wright brothers and how they dealt with setbacks. I found it inspirational and have added several biographies and documentaries to my list for motivation. Also, I’ve blocked out time in my calendar when I’m “most energetic” to work on my projects.
“The longer you work at creating things the greater the odds you’ll eventually have a day where you don’t feel like doing it anymore.” “It takes effort to keep going when feeling unmotivated, but that’s the difference between commitment to a craft and a fantasy.” I realized that surrounding yourself with friends and mentors that are nurturing, laughing at yourself, and create more situations that bring me joy can help reduce creative burnout and help me stay motivated. Yes, sometimes I forget to have fun and this advice is common sense. But, sometimes common sense is uncommon.
I highly recommend “The Dance of The Possible” to anyone who wants to follow a pragmatic guide to make something. This is a terrific hands-on guide that will help you stay committed to your craft.
The author sent me an early reviewer’s copy of the book which only took me 3.5 hours to read. Upon completion of the book, I started working on a small feature for an open source project which I had on the back burner for three months. So, Scott kept his promise to me, he provided sufficient insight and pragmatic techniques that helped me get out of my rut.
My main problem is that I’m obsessed with trying to solve problems by searching for the best technique or approach. I have spent hours searching google to find the best possible answers or solutions. I’ve read many other books on problem solving and creativity but I haven’t been able to change my thought process for long periods of time. I’ve tried failed fast techniques, brainstorming, A/B testing, etc…. I can add “The Dance of the Possible” to my short list of books that helped put a dent into my though process and attitude for solving problems.
With enough practice, we can all develop a variety of skills that can help us become better problem solvers. Scott’s guide has helped me update my out-dated skill stack for generating ideas and staying committed to my craft. There were many techniques and insights provided by the author but this is what worked for me.
“We get the majority of our creative powers from our subconscious mind.” If this is the case, then, how do we nurture a more healthy relationship with our subconscious mind? I use to write my ideas down in a journal but would eventually stop because I would get lazy or distracted. Scott mentioned that one of the most important relationships you can have is between your subconscious and creative instincts. I realized that for me to continue to nurture this relationship I need to slow down and write my ideas down.
“Finding good ideas is one thing. Developing them into finished works is another.” I tried two of the eight mentioned techniques for idea exploration: Kill False Constraints and Switch Modes. One of the issues that I continue to face with problem solving is that I am too pessimistic and kill ideas too quickly. When I made a list of practical and psychological constraints, I realized that I was not exploring enough solutions to my problem. The other technique which I found helpful was the switch mode technique: trying another approach to express ideas. Typically, I sketch my ideas or write them down. The tip of trying to explain a project to someone who knows nothing about it worked well.
“No matter how great your idea is, there will be energy you have to spend, often on relatively ordinary work, to deliver it to the world.” “To get off the couch and do something interesting requires confidence.” I realize that sometimes I lack patience or lose confidence when trying to solve a problem and can be disappointed when my solution fails. The author provided vivid examples of the discovery of the Post-IT note, Edison, The Wright brothers and how they dealt with setbacks. I found it inspirational and have added several biographies and documentaries to my list for motivation. Also, I’ve blocked out time in my calendar when I’m “most energetic” to work on my projects.
“The longer you work at creating things the greater the odds you’ll eventually have a day where you don’t feel like doing it anymore.” “It takes effort to keep going when feeling unmotivated, but that’s the difference between commitment to a craft and a fantasy.” I realized that surrounding yourself with friends and mentors that are nurturing, laughing at yourself, and create more situations that bring me joy can help reduce creative burnout and help me stay motivated. Yes, sometimes I forget to have fun and this advice is common sense. But, sometimes common sense is uncommon.
I highly recommend “The Dance of The Possible” to anyone who wants to follow a pragmatic guide to make something. This is a terrific hands-on guide that will help you stay committed to your craft.
March 24, 2017
Summary: A Satisfying, Convincing, and Actionable Initiator on Creativity
It's not uncommon that when we finish a book, we feel something lacking. Sometimes it's because it starts strong and wears out at the end (like most bestsellers); sometimes because it facilitates thoughts beyond the scope (philosophy or mathematics); other times because it's inspiring enough to provoke thought, but not practical enough to provoke action (positive psychology).
Scott Berkun's The Dance of the Possible (DoP) goes farther and beyond. It’s one of the most satisfying, convincing, and actionable initiators on creativity.
1. It’s Satisfying
Many bestsellers are actually best-fillers, inflating one chapter (or less) worth of materials to a dozen-chapter balloon, which eventually shrinks to the bare and bald.
Scott’s book is bestseller-worthy with no compromises. With his characteristic fluency and just-enough humor, Scott’s book is dense with insights, to-the-point with examples, and is intentionally kept concise for the most impatient. There’s no reason you can’t or shouldn’t read it.
2. It’s Convincing
Over the years I’ve also, just like the author, read quite some books on the topic of creativity. Blended with my own experiences and lessons, many of the books’ major points are resonant and are often finer and summarized better. Only solid research leads to sound reasoning, which is evident in the book.
Misconceptions, myths, and blindspots about creativity are all well addressed, barely leaving any space for further doubt. The author does a great job in anticipating and answering your questions along the way. Major concerns are usually addressed on-location, in a logical, practical manner.
You end up connecting all the fuzzy dots in your own experiences and reasoning about the topic, and, along with the author’s, shape a far better understanding and opinion. It’s not magical. It's just incredibly intelligent.
3. It’s Actionable and Inspiring
The understanding, the steps, and the encouragement are all right in the book. You can easily see yourself doing all the things suggested, with most of your skeptical or anxious questions about taking action answered.
4. Conclusion
This should be your first book on creativity, and hopefully the last (because it’s just so action-provoking).
Eventually, there's no magic at all when it comes to creativity. It's always in the details. And attending to the details of the mind and the action requires a higher calling, established by intelligence, curated by will, and implemented by habitual commitment.
Scott's book guides you to that calling. And the rest is, well, not easy, but finally in sight, probable, and most importantly, approachable.
Highly recommend!
It's not uncommon that when we finish a book, we feel something lacking. Sometimes it's because it starts strong and wears out at the end (like most bestsellers); sometimes because it facilitates thoughts beyond the scope (philosophy or mathematics); other times because it's inspiring enough to provoke thought, but not practical enough to provoke action (positive psychology).
Scott Berkun's The Dance of the Possible (DoP) goes farther and beyond. It’s one of the most satisfying, convincing, and actionable initiators on creativity.
1. It’s Satisfying
Many bestsellers are actually best-fillers, inflating one chapter (or less) worth of materials to a dozen-chapter balloon, which eventually shrinks to the bare and bald.
Scott’s book is bestseller-worthy with no compromises. With his characteristic fluency and just-enough humor, Scott’s book is dense with insights, to-the-point with examples, and is intentionally kept concise for the most impatient. There’s no reason you can’t or shouldn’t read it.
2. It’s Convincing
Over the years I’ve also, just like the author, read quite some books on the topic of creativity. Blended with my own experiences and lessons, many of the books’ major points are resonant and are often finer and summarized better. Only solid research leads to sound reasoning, which is evident in the book.
Misconceptions, myths, and blindspots about creativity are all well addressed, barely leaving any space for further doubt. The author does a great job in anticipating and answering your questions along the way. Major concerns are usually addressed on-location, in a logical, practical manner.
You end up connecting all the fuzzy dots in your own experiences and reasoning about the topic, and, along with the author’s, shape a far better understanding and opinion. It’s not magical. It's just incredibly intelligent.
3. It’s Actionable and Inspiring
The understanding, the steps, and the encouragement are all right in the book. You can easily see yourself doing all the things suggested, with most of your skeptical or anxious questions about taking action answered.
4. Conclusion
This should be your first book on creativity, and hopefully the last (because it’s just so action-provoking).
Eventually, there's no magic at all when it comes to creativity. It's always in the details. And attending to the details of the mind and the action requires a higher calling, established by intelligence, curated by will, and implemented by habitual commitment.
Scott's book guides you to that calling. And the rest is, well, not easy, but finally in sight, probable, and most importantly, approachable.
Highly recommend!
June 7, 2017
This book reminds us that create is a verb. It is the process of bringing something into being. Having creativity is, therefore, having the ability to create … and this, more often than not, is about hard work. Deciding what to create is influenced by the Dance of the Possible: the expansion in the number of ideas that are possible and shrinking this set enough to be able to get things done. This latter process is a key point I took from the book, summarised in the following: “You can only call a pursuit important if you identify what is less important and what you are willing to give up”.
Scott Berkun has provided a handy, concise guide for anyone trying to bring something into existence: whether it be a book, a piece of software, or a fund raising event. Recommended for anyone trying to get something done and out the door.
Scott Berkun has provided a handy, concise guide for anyone trying to bring something into existence: whether it be a book, a piece of software, or a fund raising event. Recommended for anyone trying to get something done and out the door.
July 4, 2017
Inspiring book
Anyone wanting to work or is already working on some projects should read this bolk. You will get inspired and motivated to continue.
Author lays out practical ideas on how to improve creativity. For me the most valuable information was that creativity is not only strike of genius but mostly dedicated effort. Not that I did not know about this but the arguments Scott uses make me finally believe what I thought before. Well written, easy to read and full of practical tips.
Thanks Scott for writing this book.
Anyone wanting to work or is already working on some projects should read this bolk. You will get inspired and motivated to continue.
Author lays out practical ideas on how to improve creativity. For me the most valuable information was that creativity is not only strike of genius but mostly dedicated effort. Not that I did not know about this but the arguments Scott uses make me finally believe what I thought before. Well written, easy to read and full of practical tips.
Thanks Scott for writing this book.
September 1, 2018
I like Scott Berkun, especially because of his great book Confessions of a Public Speaker, so I am reading his blog and newsletter (I guess that`s why I got this book for free). It is not a bad book, but nothing eye-opening for me. Kind of a longer blogpost.
For me, the most interesting were stories about famous creators such as:
For me, the most interesting were stories about famous creators such as:
Yes, Ray Bradbury did write 25,000 words of Fahrenheit 451 in just a few days. But what’s often not told about that amazing burst of productivity is that he later revised the book several times over the course of a year, expanding its length and heavily editing it, before it reached its final published form.
February 24, 2024
Audiobook. The most helpful tidbit I found from this is learning about “the dance” of producing something creative. If you call it finished too early, you will never discover the many other possible choices that could have made it even better. But if you keep working on it forever, exploring all the possibilities, you will never narrow in your focus and actually finish it. It’s all about finding that balance!
March 15, 2017
I read a fair number of books about creativity, and some that are business-oriented leave me cold and unchallenged to pursue creativity. I expected this one to be a book about creativity in the business world. I'd think it was well written, but wouldn't find anything to take away from it. The idea of "don't be precious" made me think of my fellow writers who find the process of finishing a creation daunting and never get around to "shipping" it (in the words of the esteemed Seth Godin, another author's work on creativity that gave me much to take away).
He says people who become creators have good taste, and at the beginning we're disappointed with our own work because "it's trying to be good, it has ambition to be good, but it's not that good." Since our taste is still good, we're disappointed because it's the work isn't to our good taste--it's a disappointed in the work, not ourselves. If we can get through this phase of learning to create by creating a lot, we can bridge the gap between how good we want our work to be and how good it is. I never thought of it that way, and it was kind of a revelation.
I'm so glad I read it. I got an early review copy from the author.
He says people who become creators have good taste, and at the beginning we're disappointed with our own work because "it's trying to be good, it has ambition to be good, but it's not that good." Since our taste is still good, we're disappointed because it's the work isn't to our good taste--it's a disappointed in the work, not ourselves. If we can get through this phase of learning to create by creating a lot, we can bridge the gap between how good we want our work to be and how good it is. I never thought of it that way, and it was kind of a revelation.
I'm so glad I read it. I got an early review copy from the author.
May 14, 2018
The book is small and I like it. The author has taken great pain to edit it sharply, so there is not much boring stuff. The author is to the point and tells what he needs to tell in a concise and precise manner.
However, I felt it's all known! Just another book which tells what is already known. Perhaps you can use this to remind yourself the things you've forgot!
However, I felt it's all known! Just another book which tells what is already known. Perhaps you can use this to remind yourself the things you've forgot!
August 24, 2018
The book will let you see things from different perspective
In this book, Scott breaks the conventional approach of creating things and shows us how to find creative ideas by ‘dance of possibles’ and be motivated to actually finish the project. I really enjoyed the read and highly recommend every creative professionals.
In this book, Scott breaks the conventional approach of creating things and shows us how to find creative ideas by ‘dance of possibles’ and be motivated to actually finish the project. I really enjoyed the read and highly recommend every creative professionals.
September 24, 2018
I like Scott Berkuns work and this one was no different for me. Concise, to the point with a lot of great ideas. The major premise is that creativity is less of a gift and more the product of hard work. That if we really want to produce something of value then get working and turn those ideas to reality.
October 23, 2021
There are definitely some gems in there.
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I opened this book at a traditional bookstore, and it's the page: if I did things for money, and I didn't get the money, then I have nothing...
There are other gems on creativity as well, but this remains the turning point /light bulb moment. Thanks universe for showing me this paragraph when I needed it.
------
I opened this book at a traditional bookstore, and it's the page: if I did things for money, and I didn't get the money, then I have nothing...
There are other gems on creativity as well, but this remains the turning point /light bulb moment. Thanks universe for showing me this paragraph when I needed it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 17, 2017
Another short and efficient book from S. Berkun. Creativity is nothing magical, and he explains it clearly. It also helps to define / develop your creative process and give some interesting insights (not a list of methods but an overall methodology).
July 2, 2017
This is one of the best books on creativity I've read. It has practical actions as well as just thoughts. It doesn't try to tell the reader how to be creative. Read this book right now if you are trying to be creative.
November 29, 2017
I honestly wanted to just tear out a lot of pages and then plaster them all over my desk to remind myself about the importance of creativity and distance from an audience and all the things. I agreed with so many things in this book that you can say I’m biased, but oh well
January 5, 2018
This is a good short book about creativity with some sage wisdom you might find in similar books, and some usable ideas. As an example, he recommends taking an improv class. Never in my life have I thought that would be a good idea, but I did it and really enjoyed it.
July 29, 2018
A very quick read with lots of ideas about how to get out of your own way to actually create something. I was very entertained that, in addition to books about creativity and storytelling, Amazon recommended "Circular Knitting Workshop" as something others who bought this book purchased.
August 23, 2018
Imagine doing the impossible.
Concise and quite hot to the point with lots of clear examples to help improve your understanding on the matter that is probably so common that people just overlook the issue.
Concise and quite hot to the point with lots of clear examples to help improve your understanding on the matter that is probably so common that people just overlook the issue.
April 14, 2020
I will be using this book in an intro undergrad creativity class. It provides a good overview of many of the topics we'll be discussing and also gets students to reassess creativity in entrepreneurial effort.
Read
January 31, 2024Don’t remember because I’m writing this in 2024 but on Jan 31, 2019 wrote:
This book “fed into my wish to be really good. It’s ok as long as I let go of being really good. And just do action to be really good.”
This book “fed into my wish to be really good. It’s ok as long as I let go of being really good. And just do action to be really good.”
January 10, 2018
As pragmatic as it is fun to read. Very inviting to start new creative projects after reading this.
September 18, 2018
Practical and concise.
September 28, 2019
The author read the audio book and it was only ok.
October 15, 2019
more of a collection of random ideas that worked for the author, rather than an attempt to understanding how it works
May 8, 2020
Simple and short but I got some good takeaways.
April 23, 2021
quick easy read, but didn't provide any new insights.
Felt like the author used familiar stories and the bottom line is create a routine and work hard if you want to be creative.
Felt like the author used familiar stories and the bottom line is create a routine and work hard if you want to be creative.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews