The author developed a model that explains and predicts both longitudinal and cross-sectional variation in the output of major and minor creative products. The model first yields a mathematical equation that accounts for the empirical age curves, including contrasts across creative domains in the expected career trajectories. The model is then extended to account for individual differences in career trajectories, such as the longitudinal stability of cross-sectional variation and the differential placement of career landmarks (the ages at first, best, and last contribution). The theory is parsimonious in that it requires only two individual-difference parameters (initial creative potential and age at career onset) and two information-processing parameters (ideation and elaboration rates), plus a single principle (the equal-odds rule), to derive several precise predictions that cannot be generated by any alternative theory. Albert Einstein had around 248 publications to his credit, Charles Darwin had 119, and Sigmund Freud had 330, while Thomas Edison held 1,093 patents—still the record granted to any one person by the U.S. Patent Office. Similarly, Pablo Picasso executed more than 20,000 paintings, drawings, and pieces of sculpture, while Johann Sebastian Bach composed over 1,000 works, enough to require a lifetime of 40-hr weeks for a copyist just to write out the parts by hand. One might conclude from facts like these that exceptional productivity is a hallmark of outstanding creative individuals. And yet this induction may be contradicted by some curious exceptions and complications. Gregor Mendel managed to secure an enduring reputation on the basis of only seven scientific papers—considerably less than the 883 items claimed by the far more obscure naturalist John Edward Gray. Also, not all of the products that emerge from illustrious creators contribute credit to their names. Ludwig van Beethoven produced many compositions that only embarrass his admirers, just as William Shakespeare could write "problem plays" that are rarely performed today. Even Edison invented useless contraptions: The developmental costs for one failed device alone equaled all the profits he had earned from the electric light bulb! Now turn to another facet of the phenomenon: how creative productivity is distributed across the life span. Wolfgang Goethe began writing poetry in his teens, wrote a best-selling novel in his mid-20s, composed a series of successful plays in his 30s and 40s, and completed Parts I and II of Faust at ages 59 and 83, respectively. Hence, perhaps creators have careers characterized by precocity and longevity. Not all creative individuals show this pattern, however. On the one hand, some creators may exhibit comparable precocious achievement only to burn out early. Pietro Mascagni became famous at age 26 with the pro