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Creativity: A Short and Cheerful Guide
____________________________
We can all be more creative. John Cleese shows us how.
Creativity is usually regarded as a mysterious, rare gift that only a few possess. John Cleese begs to differ, and in this short, immensely practical and often very amusing guide he shows it's a skill that anyone can acquire. Drawing on his lifelong experience as a writer, he shares his insights into the nature of the creative process, and offers advice on how to get your own inventive juices flowing.
What do you need to do to get yourself in the right frame of mind? When do you know that you've come up with something that might be worth pursuing? What do you do if you think you've hit a brick wall?
Not only does he explain the way your mind works as you search for inspiration, he also shows that, regardless of the task you've set yourself, you can learn to be better at coming up with a promising idea, refining it and knowing when you're ready to act on it.
We can all unlock new reserves of creativity within ourselves. John Cleese shows us how.
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'Humorous and practical ... Whether you're hoping to write a novel or paint a masterpiece, you're sure to feel inspired' OK Magazine
' His candor is endearing ... An upbeat guide to the creative process' Kirkus
'A jovial romp ... Cleese fans will enjoy, and writers and other artists will breeze through, picking up a few nuggets of wisdom along the way' The Festival Review
'A sincere and thoughtful guide to creativity, and a very useful book' Graham Norton
'Wise words on the serious business of being silly' Sunday Business Post
We can all be more creative. John Cleese shows us how.
Creativity is usually regarded as a mysterious, rare gift that only a few possess. John Cleese begs to differ, and in this short, immensely practical and often very amusing guide he shows it's a skill that anyone can acquire. Drawing on his lifelong experience as a writer, he shares his insights into the nature of the creative process, and offers advice on how to get your own inventive juices flowing.
What do you need to do to get yourself in the right frame of mind? When do you know that you've come up with something that might be worth pursuing? What do you do if you think you've hit a brick wall?
Not only does he explain the way your mind works as you search for inspiration, he also shows that, regardless of the task you've set yourself, you can learn to be better at coming up with a promising idea, refining it and knowing when you're ready to act on it.
We can all unlock new reserves of creativity within ourselves. John Cleese shows us how.
____________________________
'Humorous and practical ... Whether you're hoping to write a novel or paint a masterpiece, you're sure to feel inspired' OK Magazine
' His candor is endearing ... An upbeat guide to the creative process' Kirkus
'A jovial romp ... Cleese fans will enjoy, and writers and other artists will breeze through, picking up a few nuggets of wisdom along the way' The Festival Review
'A sincere and thoughtful guide to creativity, and a very useful book' Graham Norton
'Wise words on the serious business of being silly' Sunday Business Post
112 pages, Hardcover
First published September 3, 2020
About the author
John Cleese
93 books540 followersJohn Marwood Cleese is an English actor, comedian, writer, film producer, and singer.
Cleese is probably best known for his various roles in the British comedy Monty Python's Flying Circus, his role as Basil Fawlty in Fawlty Towers and his various roles in the British comedy The Frost Report. He also played the role of Archie Leach in the American / British comedy film A Fish Called Wanda.
Cleese is probably best known for his various roles in the British comedy Monty Python's Flying Circus, his role as Basil Fawlty in Fawlty Towers and his various roles in the British comedy The Frost Report. He also played the role of Archie Leach in the American / British comedy film A Fish Called Wanda.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,063 reviews
November 2, 2020
"We came to understand that the blockages weren't an interruption in the [creative] process, they were part of it. For example, when you eat, the bit where the fork returns empty to your plate isn't a failure. It's just a part of the eating process."
What a lovely little bite of a book. Clocking in at just 103 very scantily printed pages, it's like a peanut butter cup of inspiration. You can't survive on it but if you just need a little something to motivate you and cheer you up, here it is.
What a lovely little bite of a book. Clocking in at just 103 very scantily printed pages, it's like a peanut butter cup of inspiration. You can't survive on it but if you just need a little something to motivate you and cheer you up, here it is.
May 10, 2021
We would watch Month Python together, my hubby and I, but it was Fawlty towers that won my heart. John Cleese is brilliant. In this short book he shows us how our unconscious works, to aid us when we least expect it, often serving as a guide. Also ways to be creative and what being creative means. It doesn't just mean knitting, painting etc. but extends to many different fields. Being creative, thinking outside the box. What do we need to be creative and how to start. Much seems like common sense but this book does encourage one to keep trying and that fun and creativity can be had in many different ways.
Loved this quote about our unconscious. "And that's the problem with the unconscious. It... is unconscious. You can't order it about or hit it with a stick. You have to coax it out in all sorts of strange and crafty ways. And be clever about interpreting what it does tell you."
Some clever Cleese humor strewn about, here and there.
ARC from Edelweiss.
Loved this quote about our unconscious. "And that's the problem with the unconscious. It... is unconscious. You can't order it about or hit it with a stick. You have to coax it out in all sorts of strange and crafty ways. And be clever about interpreting what it does tell you."
Some clever Cleese humor strewn about, here and there.
ARC from Edelweiss.
February 11, 2021
Who better to tell us a few things about creativity than John Cleese, the beloved award-winning writer of Monty Python, Fawlty Towers, and a ton of other great stuff, eh?
A more cynical person might say the book has “stocking-stuffer” written all over it because the content is about the length of an essay stretched out into a dinky, gift-sized hardback aimed squarely at the more bookish members of your fam. But not me - I don’t think there’s a “might” about it!
Still, it’s not a bad read. It’s mostly aimed at wannabe writers, which makes sense as that’s Cleese’s background, and much of the advice is what you’d see in any other writing/creativity book: write what you know, be kind to your emerging ideas by not being overly critical of them to start with, the dangers of overconfidence, “kill your darlings” (ie. let go of ideas you like if they no longer fit the narrative), anyone can be creative and skilful at art, it’s not something you’re born with, it’s something you develop over time.
I also don’t necessarily agree in blocking out arbitrary amounts of time for writing, like 90 minute chunks, as I find, depending on the day, I can be productive in shorter 10 minute bursts, particularly in the early stages of a project, and that length of time might be intimidating to people starting out. But I do agree that perseverance and consistency is vitally important to success.
What stands out the most in this book is that Cleese relates an anecdote where he and his former writing partner, ex-Monty Pythoner Graham Chapman, used to spend hours writing and not come up with anything worthwhile - but that the time spent seemingly wastefully was necessary in order to reach somewhere that was good. And I think that’s definitely worth iterating to inexperienced writers: time spent thinking about your project, even if you don’t add words/pages, is still progress, so don’t get discouraged.
Patience, allowing yourself to feel somewhat panicked/uncertain, and not expecting to have all of your ideas fleshed out immediately, are all lessons worth keeping in mind, even if you’ve heard them before. Though I’m not sure we all have so many people in our lives who would be willing to read our writing efforts and provide feedback like John does. And parts of the book feel like vague anecdotes, ie. the importance of play/the unconscious, like he read an article or two once and is recounting it semi-reliably here.
Creativity may not be the most original or substantial thing John Cleese has written but, as he says, it’s not the originality that matters but the way it’s written, and he remains charming and pleasant company, however brief this book was.
A more cynical person might say the book has “stocking-stuffer” written all over it because the content is about the length of an essay stretched out into a dinky, gift-sized hardback aimed squarely at the more bookish members of your fam. But not me - I don’t think there’s a “might” about it!
Still, it’s not a bad read. It’s mostly aimed at wannabe writers, which makes sense as that’s Cleese’s background, and much of the advice is what you’d see in any other writing/creativity book: write what you know, be kind to your emerging ideas by not being overly critical of them to start with, the dangers of overconfidence, “kill your darlings” (ie. let go of ideas you like if they no longer fit the narrative), anyone can be creative and skilful at art, it’s not something you’re born with, it’s something you develop over time.
I also don’t necessarily agree in blocking out arbitrary amounts of time for writing, like 90 minute chunks, as I find, depending on the day, I can be productive in shorter 10 minute bursts, particularly in the early stages of a project, and that length of time might be intimidating to people starting out. But I do agree that perseverance and consistency is vitally important to success.
What stands out the most in this book is that Cleese relates an anecdote where he and his former writing partner, ex-Monty Pythoner Graham Chapman, used to spend hours writing and not come up with anything worthwhile - but that the time spent seemingly wastefully was necessary in order to reach somewhere that was good. And I think that’s definitely worth iterating to inexperienced writers: time spent thinking about your project, even if you don’t add words/pages, is still progress, so don’t get discouraged.
Patience, allowing yourself to feel somewhat panicked/uncertain, and not expecting to have all of your ideas fleshed out immediately, are all lessons worth keeping in mind, even if you’ve heard them before. Though I’m not sure we all have so many people in our lives who would be willing to read our writing efforts and provide feedback like John does. And parts of the book feel like vague anecdotes, ie. the importance of play/the unconscious, like he read an article or two once and is recounting it semi-reliably here.
Creativity may not be the most original or substantial thing John Cleese has written but, as he says, it’s not the originality that matters but the way it’s written, and he remains charming and pleasant company, however brief this book was.
December 9, 2020
This is not, in any real sense, a book. Yes, my copy is hardbound and 100 pages long, but all the monkey business that the publishers engaged in to get it to 100 pages made me laugh. They brought the margins in, blew up the font size, formatted to maximise blank space, and always left a lot of room between one line and the next. It reminded me of the shenanigans I pulled every time I was assigned to write a paper in high school. I'd quickly type out about 300 words and then I'd monkey with formatting and fonts until those 300 words had been spread over the required five pages. Well done Crown, an imprint of Random House.
The advice that Cleese gives is useful even if he sometimes resorts to shopworn truisms ("brevity is the soul of wit," and "kill your darlings," for example). But his core point is a good one. Cleese argues that creativity isn't necessarily born in linear thinking. The key is to tap into our unconscious mind. Creativity can often be found in those dreamy moments when we are staring into space, just vaguely thinking. He provides some tips to help this process along.
This book reads like an article from the web that might show up in an email from your mom. What makes it rise a bit above that is that it was written by John Cleese, and when it comes to creativity you know he knows what he's talking about. The man has authority.
The advice that Cleese gives is useful even if he sometimes resorts to shopworn truisms ("brevity is the soul of wit," and "kill your darlings," for example). But his core point is a good one. Cleese argues that creativity isn't necessarily born in linear thinking. The key is to tap into our unconscious mind. Creativity can often be found in those dreamy moments when we are staring into space, just vaguely thinking. He provides some tips to help this process along.
This book reads like an article from the web that might show up in an email from your mom. What makes it rise a bit above that is that it was written by John Cleese, and when it comes to creativity you know he knows what he's talking about. The man has authority.
June 11, 2021
This is a short book of 90 pages about the creative process of writing. It's an interesting work but probably overpriced.
There's some excellent information in here delivered in an amusing style. It was good to read that something I do, to let my subconscious do what it does best and think about ideas in the unconscious part of my mind overnight, is used by other people.
There were many other items of advice - you can't force yourself to be creative straightaway, ideas will come to you if you create the right conditions to accept them and if you're not interrupted by other thoughts or other people. Other points to emphasize are that a lack of clarity during the creative process is not a bad thing and that there's no such thing as a mistake when you're being creative.
There's lots more besides in this cheerful guide.
There's some excellent information in here delivered in an amusing style. It was good to read that something I do, to let my subconscious do what it does best and think about ideas in the unconscious part of my mind overnight, is used by other people.
There were many other items of advice - you can't force yourself to be creative straightaway, ideas will come to you if you create the right conditions to accept them and if you're not interrupted by other thoughts or other people. Other points to emphasize are that a lack of clarity during the creative process is not a bad thing and that there's no such thing as a mistake when you're being creative.
There's lots more besides in this cheerful guide.
March 31, 2022
A short and quite entertaining book in which John Cleese supplies tips on how to be creative, even if you think you're not a naturally creative person.
November 30, 2020
Exactly what it says: short and cheerful. The older I get the more I prefer short books. Brevity and all that.
August 14, 2022
A quick and fairly fun read. Contains some advice on how to be creative (but mostly anecdotal).
"When you're being creative there is no such thing as a mistake" (love this one although its hard to put into practice)
Creative people continue playing as they become adults i.e. they continue exploring alternatives without expecting an immediate answer or reward.
Creative people procrastinate decisions in order to maximize options and possibilities. This does not mean that they don't have deadlines but they wait until the last minute before they are forced to decide what to do.
"When you're being creative there is no such thing as a mistake" (love this one although its hard to put into practice)
Creative people continue playing as they become adults i.e. they continue exploring alternatives without expecting an immediate answer or reward.
Creative people procrastinate decisions in order to maximize options and possibilities. This does not mean that they don't have deadlines but they wait until the last minute before they are forced to decide what to do.
June 23, 2021
2/5
Moja opinia będzie tak krótka jak ta książeczka. Ten poradnik przekonuje mnie, że one chyba nie są dla mnie. Jakoś nigdy nie mogę z nich nic wynieść, chociaż ten może po prostu taki był? Znowu nie wiem czy powinnam podczas lektury robić notatki, żeby coś faktycznie wynieść czy też nie. Ten poradnik wydawał mi się jednak taki byle jaki. Z początkowych części nic nie byłam w stanie do końca zrozumieć o co chodzi. Dopiero ostatnia część z poradami wydaje się być przydatna, ale wciąż jakoś tego mało. Po chwili zastanowienia myślę, że to będzie dość dobry poradnik dla osób, które dopiero zaczynają swoją przygodę z pisaniem. One na pewno coś z niego wyciągną, bo dla tych, którzy z kreatywnością mają do czynienia na co dzień to nie będzie nic odkrywczego. Ta książeczka traci wiele właśnie na tym, że jest cienka i mało w niej treści. Czuję tutaj niewykorzystany potencjał niestety.
Moja opinia będzie tak krótka jak ta książeczka. Ten poradnik przekonuje mnie, że one chyba nie są dla mnie. Jakoś nigdy nie mogę z nich nic wynieść, chociaż ten może po prostu taki był? Znowu nie wiem czy powinnam podczas lektury robić notatki, żeby coś faktycznie wynieść czy też nie. Ten poradnik wydawał mi się jednak taki byle jaki. Z początkowych części nic nie byłam w stanie do końca zrozumieć o co chodzi. Dopiero ostatnia część z poradami wydaje się być przydatna, ale wciąż jakoś tego mało. Po chwili zastanowienia myślę, że to będzie dość dobry poradnik dla osób, które dopiero zaczynają swoją przygodę z pisaniem. One na pewno coś z niego wyciągną, bo dla tych, którzy z kreatywnością mają do czynienia na co dzień to nie będzie nic odkrywczego. Ta książeczka traci wiele właśnie na tym, że jest cienka i mało w niej treści. Czuję tutaj niewykorzystany potencjał niestety.
July 31, 2020
Balansuje na hranici medzi vzácnymi postrehmi z Cleesovej úctyhodnej kreatívnej kariéry a banálnymi pravdami niekoho, kto sľúbil do konca týždňa napísať nejakú knihu a spomenul si na to až v stredu poobede. Nakoniec je to skôr to druhé.
tl;dr ak chcete byť kreatívni, nájdite si čas, kedy vás nebude nič rušiť, a len tak nechajte myseľ blúdiť. Ale potom sa aj zamyslite, či sú tie nápady naozaj dobré.
tl;dr ak chcete byť kreatívni, nájdite si čas, kedy vás nebude nič rušiť, a len tak nechajte myseľ blúdiť. Ale potom sa aj zamyslite, či sú tie nápady naozaj dobré.
February 1, 2024
«Siempre que puedas encontrar una manera mejor de hacer las cosas, estás siendo creativo.»
Un sencillito libro, corto y encantador, de John Cleese que muestra, de un modo práctico y con algo de su característico humor, algunas herramientas para dar luz a nuestro genio creativo. Más enfocado a escritores o guionistas, puede ser una horita de lectura de lo más útil.
Un sencillito libro, corto y encantador, de John Cleese que muestra, de un modo práctico y con algo de su característico humor, algunas herramientas para dar luz a nuestro genio creativo. Más enfocado a escritores o guionistas, puede ser una horita de lectura de lo más útil.
December 21, 2020
A short, sweet read. Adding it to the shelf of favorites:
The War of Art - Steven Pressfield
On Writing - Stephen King
Writing without Teachers - Peter Elbow
Writing Down the Bones - Natalie Goldberg
Next up on my wish list: Ray Bradbury's Zen in the Art of Writing.
The War of Art - Steven Pressfield
On Writing - Stephen King
Writing without Teachers - Peter Elbow
Writing Down the Bones - Natalie Goldberg
Next up on my wish list: Ray Bradbury's Zen in the Art of Writing.
December 28, 2020
Um guia conciso sobre a criatividade. Tem uma série de dicas interessantes para quem procura ser mais criativo - não só na escrita, mas em todos os quadrantes profissionais. E é tão bom ler um livro e conseguir imaginar a voz do autor de uma forma tão clara.
October 9, 2021
Според прословутия пейзажист Боб Рос, всеки, който вижда платното и може да държи четка е способен да бъде художник, стига да поиска и да прояви постоянство. Дори и да има фактор като вроден талант, то той е само върха на айсберга. Останалото? Воля, постоянство, време и работа, работа, работа. Ако упражняваш едно умение достатъчно дълго, то няма как да не го развиеш. И докато ръката може и да има мускулна памет, то какво да кажем за въображението и креативността? Дали и те са „мускул”, който може да бъде трениран? Така твърди Джон Клийз. А когато член на Монти Пайтън говори за креативността, всички слушат! Поправка. В случая би трябвало да кажем: „А когато член на Монти Пайтън пише за креативността, всички четат”. Какво четем ли? „Един кратък и весел пътеводител”, озаглавен „Как да бъдем креативни”. Написан от легендарния комик Джон Клийз, преведен от Кирил Грозев и илюстриран от Емил Марков, пътеводителят излиза български от „Locus Publishing” и ще усмихна всеки, който реши да го разлисти. Прочетете ревюто на „Книжни Криле”: https://knijnikrile.wordpress.com/202...
October 31, 2021
Das Buch wird mit 128 Seiten angeben und kostet 16 Euro als Hardcover. Das ist es echt nicht wert, sogar Neulinge auf dem Gebiet werden sicher nicht denken, dass es der heilige Grahl unter den Sachbüchern ist. Ich habe jetzt vielleicht 45 Minuten mit Nachdenken für den Text gebraucht, denn die 128 Seiten haben auch großflächige Illustrationen. Ich habe mich schon viel mit dem Bereichen der 'Kreativität' und des 'Schreibens' beschäftigt und es war zwar etwas anders formuliert, aber es waren keine Neuigkeiten darin und auch keine Anekdoten, die mir die praktische Anwendung der Ideen greifbarer gemacht hätten.
Ich hatte es mir aus der Onleihe ausgeliehen und so war es ganz nett zu lesen, hätte ich dafür aber den Preis von 16 Euro gezahlt oder das eBook für 12,99 Euro ...
Vielleicht für Einsteiger in die Themen interessant, aber dann auch nicht zu diesem Preis.
Ich hatte es mir aus der Onleihe ausgeliehen und so war es ganz nett zu lesen, hätte ich dafür aber den Preis von 16 Euro gezahlt oder das eBook für 12,99 Euro ...
Vielleicht für Einsteiger in die Themen interessant, aber dann auch nicht zu diesem Preis.
December 24, 2023
Audiobook. Love Jon Cleese and had wrongly assumed this would be a funny quirky read… nope. Self indulgent “tips” on how to be creative. Yawn
October 23, 2020
John Cleese shares all he knows about creativity in this 103-page book. He studied science and later law in college, but it was only after he joined a society called the Footlights that he began to learn about creativity.
He learned that if he worked on a comedy sketch for the society at night, he would get stuck, and he'd eventually give up and go to bed. In the morning, he'd wake and the solution to the problem he'd had the night before became obvious to him. He began to realize that his unconscious was working on stuff all the time, without his being aware of it. The language of the unconscious is not verbal. To better think in the slow, more creative way, a person must (1) know how to play and (2) defer making decisions for as long as they are allowed. The answer will eventually present itself.
He warns us that, to be creative, we must avoid interruptions. The longer we sit, the more the mind settles. Don't get too critical too soon.
And that's it. Of course he also talks about "Hare Brain, Tortoise Mind," and offers lots of hints and suggestions, so you may want to read the book yourself. Hey, it's only 103 pages.
He learned that if he worked on a comedy sketch for the society at night, he would get stuck, and he'd eventually give up and go to bed. In the morning, he'd wake and the solution to the problem he'd had the night before became obvious to him. He began to realize that his unconscious was working on stuff all the time, without his being aware of it. The language of the unconscious is not verbal. To better think in the slow, more creative way, a person must (1) know how to play and (2) defer making decisions for as long as they are allowed. The answer will eventually present itself.
He warns us that, to be creative, we must avoid interruptions. The longer we sit, the more the mind settles. Don't get too critical too soon.
And that's it. Of course he also talks about "Hare Brain, Tortoise Mind," and offers lots of hints and suggestions, so you may want to read the book yourself. Hey, it's only 103 pages.
January 30, 2021
A very quick read. Nice and airy on the page. John Cleese reminds us of the power of taking your time, creating the space (and time) for letting the ideas come, the power of your unconscious mind, and other aspects of tapping into your own creativity. You won't be surprised that John Cleese, though trained in school to be a "maths" and science guy and then a lawyer, discovered the power of play and his own creativity along the way. I recently finished his book on some of the lectures he did at Cornell over the years and in that one, he had a chapter that interviewed the prolific writer/screenwriter William Goldman (who in this book is referred to as his friend "Bill Goldman") and in another chapter he talked about a book he'd read years ago called Hare Brain, Tortoise Mind (1999) that was written by Guy Claxton. The concepts from Claxton's book reappear here. A nice revisit. I now have Hare Brain, Tortoise Mind on my to-be-read stack.
January 15, 2022
A series of short, cheerful essays on the creative process that focuses on how the unconscious generates ideas and problem solves; and how effectively transitioning from an unconscious state to a conscious one can assist creativity. The essays finish with a short, cheerful essay about soliciting advice and judging what's best for your work, whether you're a writer, painter or architect. A thoroughly enjoyable read that helped me think through ways I can more effectively problem solve. Recommended.
December 30, 2021
"'Brevity is the soul of wit.' It is also the soul of not boring people." A guide that practices what it preaches, how lovely. It is short and interesting, ideas on how to be creative from a Python (who else better to aid us?). Also sharing the method of Dalí and Edison, which is falling asleep in a chair with something heavy and metallic in the hand and a metal bowl under the hand so that the clink would wake them up as soon as they drifted off, thus harnessing the most creative moments, those between being awake and being asleep. Just a reminder: you also need some proper sleep though to keep you sane. Nothing momentous but good pieces of advice throughout from setting boundaries to protect your creative process to using the energy of your panic.
January 17, 2021
Sufficiently short for the entire book to be quoted for some reason or another ("listen to this, dear..."). A very useful book I may have to buy after saying I would only borrow from the library. I recommend to writers and aspiring writers for its practicality. Oh, and I defy you not to hear it in Cleese's voice as you read.
July 30, 2022
Expected better Basil
February 4, 2024
Leuk! Het “theoretische” deel vond ik interessanter dan de praktische tips aan het einde, maar echt leuk!
April 5, 2024
Short & sweet with some wonderful insights about creativity and how to be creative. The audiobook version is read by John himself and is lovely.
September 21, 2021
Read this while working on your thesis/dissertation.
February 22, 2021
To be honest I picked up this book at the library because:
1) it is small and I feel stressed to keep up with my annual challenge goal. I know this is not the purpose of the annual goal but I hate seeing I am only 1 0r 2 books ahead, and
2) because it was written by John Cleese who is one of my favorite comedians
While the last chapter seems to address specifically writers, I really liked the rest of the book. It struck me as a good guide to life. I am considering buying the book as I think I would like a refresher every now and then and because I think I could get more from the book with multiple readings.
1) it is small and I feel stressed to keep up with my annual challenge goal. I know this is not the purpose of the annual goal but I hate seeing I am only 1 0r 2 books ahead, and
2) because it was written by John Cleese who is one of my favorite comedians
While the last chapter seems to address specifically writers, I really liked the rest of the book. It struck me as a good guide to life. I am considering buying the book as I think I would like a refresher every now and then and because I think I could get more from the book with multiple readings.
January 7, 2021
2.5 stars
This was a tiny little book that seemed to be trying to be more than it is. I read it on my lunch hour in one day. However, it was amusing enough to finish. The most creative part was the publisher thinking this was worth $19.95. Not even close.
This was a tiny little book that seemed to be trying to be more than it is. I read it on my lunch hour in one day. However, it was amusing enough to finish. The most creative part was the publisher thinking this was worth $19.95. Not even close.
September 4, 2020
I love this little book and who better to write a guide to creativity than John Cleese. It’s going to be my own little bible.
March 8, 2021
Did I just give a book that is really just a glorified essay in disguise a four-star rating? Yes, I did. I loved the many ideas, yes, some trite and overdone, that came together in this one little volume for me to reference and enjoy over and over again. Some of these ideas led to a new scripture study and more than a few meditation sessions. I walked into the library and happened to see this one on my way to pick up my holds and grabbed it on a whim and I am so glad that I did. Glad enough, in fact, to order myself my own copy when I was halfway finished reading. Also, I can hear John Cleese's voice in this writing and I always love that. Here are a few tastes, I will not try to offer up everything that I highlighted but I wanted to share a few things.
"There's a myth that creativity is something you have to be born with. This isn't the case. Anyone can be creative."
"And you can teach creativity. Or perhaps I should say, more accurately, you can teach people how to create circumstances in which they will become creative."
"If you find the notion of borrowing from other artists like this a bit dodgy, look up a fellow called Shakespeare. He stole all his plots, and then wrote rather creatively."
"Remember, the unconscious is totally unpredictable."
"Blockages aren't an interruption of the process, they were a part of it. For example, when you eat, the bit where the fork returns empty to your plate isn't failure. It's part of the eating process."
"The anthropologist Gregory Bateson once said, 'You can't have a new idea 'til you've got rid of an old one.'"
"The trouble is that most people want to BE right. The very best people, however, what to know IF they're right."
"There's a myth that creativity is something you have to be born with. This isn't the case. Anyone can be creative."
"And you can teach creativity. Or perhaps I should say, more accurately, you can teach people how to create circumstances in which they will become creative."
"If you find the notion of borrowing from other artists like this a bit dodgy, look up a fellow called Shakespeare. He stole all his plots, and then wrote rather creatively."
"Remember, the unconscious is totally unpredictable."
"Blockages aren't an interruption of the process, they were a part of it. For example, when you eat, the bit where the fork returns empty to your plate isn't failure. It's part of the eating process."
"The anthropologist Gregory Bateson once said, 'You can't have a new idea 'til you've got rid of an old one.'"
"The trouble is that most people want to BE right. The very best people, however, what to know IF they're right."
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