The Creative Process in the Individual

The Creative Process in the Individual is a book by Thomas Troward, first published in 1910. Written by a former British judge known for his sober, lawyerly style, it outlines a “mental science” approach to how ideas move from thought into form. Troward presents creativity as a lawful sequence rather than a happy accident, arguing that individual imagination and disciplined attention cooperate with a universal creative principle.

The result is a practical, step-by-step philosophy of self-development that sits at the crossroads of metaphysics, psychology, and common-sense ethics. Beyond its historical interest in the New Thought tradition, the book has had a durable influence on later self-help and spiritual writers who emphasize mindset, causation, and personal responsibility. Readers interested in topics like mental causation, manifestation, habit formation, and the ethics of creative power will find a concise framework here—skeptical in tone, logical in structure, and aimed at application rather than mystique.