James O’Brien is a well-known radio journalist and author in the UK who also has a podcast, named “Full Disclosure.” Back in August, he talked with the even more well-known comic, John Cleese of Monty Python fame, on the subject of “creativity.”
Here are takeaways of the big ideas the podcast generated, both John’s and our own:
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- When you get old (John Cleese is 83), you stop caring so much about what other people think. This is its own form of freedom.
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- John Cleese said his former collaborator, the psychiatrist, Robin Skynner, used to talk about how every personality is in fact composed of three sub-personalities: The Wise Man/Woman, The Boring/Responsible Adult, and the Carefree, Playful, Creative Child. These three selves are always in conflict with each other.
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- When you get to a certain point in life, for some reason, the need to be “terribly important” takes over. This is deadly to the creative spirit.
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- “PLAY” is central to creativity. No play, no create. It’s that simple.
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- If you REALLY want to get good at something, you REALLY need to get interested in it first.
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- It’s not enough to be “creative.” It’s not enough to “flow.” You also need the hard stuff: grit, logic, discipline. Otherwise, your ideas won’t survive when things get tough, when your ‘creative baby’ meets worldly resistance.
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- You can’t force creativity. You can only put yourself in a space where the chances of creativity are maximized. Only you know what that space looks like.
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- Creativity comes from the unconscious. We pretend we have more control over it than we do because that makes us look smarter. Alas!
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- There is no creative machine. There is only the creative heart. You can’t understand creativity without understanding your true nature.
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- When you say no, you get to choose where to direct your time and energy. It becomes easier as we get older.
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- We humans are easily distracted. To capture attention beyond a few minutes requires wonder and intrigue. A good story can do that. That’s its power.
For more content like this, check out our last podcast review featuring Sarah Kauss, on how she built S’well, a high-end reusable water bottle company.
