Creative Confidence: Unleashing the Creative Potential Within Us All

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of illness.



The Preface sets the stage by introducing the personal and professional journey of the Kelley brothers, whose lifelong bond and divergent paths form the backbone of the book’s narrative. Growing up in small-town Ohio, Tom and David shared nearly every aspect of childhood—from playing baseball and building snow forts to attending the same schools and scouting together. Despite this close relationship, their interests diverged early on. David gravitated toward unconventional pursuits: his passion for art, participation in a local rock band, and creative projects such as building giant plywood structures and painting bold murals. Tom, in contrast, followed a more traditional academic and professional route, studying liberal arts, dabbling in law, working in accounting and information technology, and eventually pursuing a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree and management consulting.

Their lives took a transformative turn when Tom discovered the design world, ultimately joining David at the design and information firm IDEO in 1987. Over the subsequent decades, the brothers worked side-by-side—David in leadership roles and Tom in marketing, business development, and storytelling—helping shape the innovative culture at IDEO.