How to Fly a Horse: The Secret History of Creation, Invention, and Discovery

How to Fly a Horse: The Secret History of Creation, Invention, and Discovery (2015) is a nonfiction book by Kevin Ashton about creativity. Ashton has led three start-ups and was a pioneer in the use of radio-frequency identification (RFID) in inventory systems, underscoring his business credibility in this area. His thesis extends into the creative process involved in any field, including art and medicine. 

Ashton’s main point strikes an open and democratic tone: Being creative is part of the human condition and is thus open to everyone. Creativity isn’t reserved for a special elite few, as commonly thought, but only requires hard work. Just as there is no such thing as “creative walking,” he argues, there is no “creative thinking.” Everyone is born with this ability, and when we call something creative, we are actually referring to what results from thinking, not the process of thinking.

The author uses a mix of scientific research and stories from history to prove his point. He deflates myths surrounding famous people and the source of their ideas, such as Mozart’s compositions and Einstein’s theory of relativity, showing that they were not the result of sudden flashes of insight but rather the result of hard work involving many steps. These steps, Ashton asserts, are the same for everyone: evaluate a situation, solve problems, and repeat.

After early chapters reinforce his fundamental thesis about creativity, the author deals with other aspects of the creative process. The role of failure looms large and often prevents people from continuing their work. Ashton aims to show how widespread it is, stating that it’s not only common but inevitable—failure is simply part of the process. He also examines how people perceive problems, noting that experts can see situations both through experienced eyes and through the unimpeded sight of a beginner.

Ashton also addresses larger issues related to creation, such as assigning credit for discoveries and inventions. Using specific examples, he shows that no one creates in isolation; everyone relies on the work that others did before them, in addition to the concomitant work of their contemporaries. In this sense, bestowing awards and crediting individuals with breakthroughs seems misguided. We are all contributing to a continuum of ideas, borrowing some while passing on others. Another important issue of creating pertains to its consequences. Ashton reviews the criticism of those who warn of the negative outcomes of a new idea or invention and ultimately disagrees with them. While he acknowledges that bad things may result, he argues that in most cases this is hard to predict, and when they do happen, the best response is to solve the problem through more creation. After all, creation is what humans do.