Interesting views from John Cleese on creativity. Words to ponder over.
“Creativity is not a talent, it is a way of operating…creativity is not an ability that you either have or not have, it is for example and this may surprise you, absolutely unrelated to IQ, provided you’re intelligent above a certain minimal level that is, but McKinnon showed in investigating scientists, architects, engineers and writers that those regarded by their peers as most creative were in no way whatsoever different in IQ from their ‘less creative’ colleagues. So in what way were they different? Well, McKinnon showed that the most creative had simply acquired a facility for getting themselves into a particular mood, a way of operating, which allowed their natural creativity to function…indeed he described the most creative when in this mood as being childlike, that they were able to play with ideas, to explore them, not for any immediate practical purpose but just for enjoyment, play for its own sake.”
Agree! When I’m on a deadline I always purposefully go into “The Zone.”
I imagine you being in “the zone” more often than not Leslie 🙂 . Another quote from him, “telling people how to be creative is easy, it’s only being it that’s difficult.” Going into the zone, bringing out creativity to the fore and effectuating it, well it takes some practice.
Haha Komar! True. That second quote is good too. I also feel it helps to be goofy.
Well it helps John Cleese 😛