I was intrigued by Michael J. Gelb's How to Think Like Leonardo Da Vinci because I knew so little about the man, and I was curious as to how the author expected ordinary readers to cultivate genius by following in decidedly medieval footsteps. After reading it I do know more about Da Vinci (the book is chock full of details from his life) but remain a bit puzzled over if the author proposed an extraordinary and unlikely emulation of genius, or simply defined it better.
The book talks about genius as if it were a precious resource we call carry inside and can cultivate, and that is rather naive. A great majority of Americans do not read books (the National Endowment for the Arts puts that figure at 51.5%), and that's where I believe self-education begins. The public library is the greatest free university in existence -- I speak as a grateful student who read entire libraries as a kid -- and in another fifty or a hundred years they will likely shut down for good.
That said, I do think in a limited way this book can help someone who reads and is interested in improving their minds and the products of their thinking through some very practical question list and exercises while following Da Vinci's lifetime as an example. The younger the reader, the better -- not that we could make every kid in America read this book, but it would help them form the right habits, I think, like keeping a daily handwritten journal.
The practical advice about how to take care of mind and body is pretty good -- Da Vinci was way ahead of his time on that front. About half of the book's suggestions for emulating his creative processes, however, are not appropriate for someone who has spent a lifetime self-educating and maintaining a career in the arts like me. I disagreed with a lot of Da Vinci's methods, particularly those that I thought kept him disconnected and wandering through life like someone with ADHD. He didn't finish a lot of his work, for example, likely because he was so preoccupied with chasing the next/newest shiny idea. Finishing work is also an art, one I've studied and practiced my entire life.
This is an interesting book, and it could be of great help to someone just starting out on their creative journey. I only suggest taking all the instructions and exercises with a healthy grain of salt. No one can be another Da Vinci, but with time, thought and practice of how you want to live, what you love to do, and executing your ideas fully, you can become the best version of yourself.
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