“At this point in my career, I have art directed over 100 products from a rough idea into consumer’s hands. I’ve collaborated with incredible creators like James Clear and Roxane Gay. There came a point where it was very obvious how it all worked and fit together—because I was always interested not just in what I was doing but how I was doing it.” — Joey Cofone
Joey Cofone, Founder & CEO of the much loved “tools for thinkers” company Baronfig, joins me to breakdown his new book, The Laws of Creativity. We cover why creativity isn’t magic, how creators across history from Albert Einstein to Grace Hopper and Bruce Lee wielded creativity to reach incredible heights, practical ways to hone your creativity, a framework for generating ideas, Joey’s process for writing the book, and so much more.

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Search and down a transcript and find links to related books, interviews, lectures, and more: outlieracademy.com/142.

Chapters
(00:00:00 ) Introduction
(00:01:49 ) Origin Story of The Laws of Creativity
(00:06:39 ) Distilling Down the Laws of Creativity
(00:08:17 ) What Creativity Is and Why It Isn’t Magic
(00:18:17 ) On Zeno’s Paradox and Choosing to Finish
(00:22:58 ) The Laws of Mindset, Action, and Greatness
(00:25:57 ) Joey’s Favorite Law: The Law of Competition
(00:29:55 ) The Law of Precision
(00:33:00 ) The Law of The Muse
(00:36:06 ) On Borrowing vs Stealing Ideas
(00:39:42 ) The Law of Simplicity
(00:42:56 ) The Law of Good Enough
(00:46:51 ) Joey’s Process for Writing the Book
(00:55:54 ) Knowing When the Book Was Done
(01:02:07 ) The Highs and Lows of Creating Baronfig
(01:04:54 ) Creativity vs Business
(01:08:21 ) Baronfig: The Idea Company

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Explore my full summary for the book featured this week.
Insanely Simple: The Obsession That Drives Apple's Success

For more, explore my full profile on Steve Jobs.
Who is Steve Jobs? Wisdom From The Man Who Built Apple, NeXT, and Pixar

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About the book.
In his book The Laws of Creativity, Joey debunks why creativity isn’t magic and shares what it is, how it works, and how you can harness it in your everyday life. Learn how to unlock your originality and awaken your creative genius with Joey Cofone—award-winning designer and Founder & CEO of the much loved “Tools for Thinkers'' brand Baronfig.
Each of the 39 Laws of Creativity are illustrated with inspiring, enlightening, and surprising stories of iconic creators across history—including Albert Einstein, Serena Williams, Martin Luther King Jr., Harry Houdini, Grace Hopper, Bruce Lee, and many more. Joey breaks down how these titans of history wielded creativity to reach incredible heights.
“Drawing on decades of experience, Joey Cofone has distilled the elements of creativity into an excellent, easy-to-use guide. The Laws of Creativity provides a roadmap for unleashing the creative force inside you.” — James Clear, Author of Atomic Habits
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