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Notes & Links

John Cleese on Creativity

In your speech this morning, you suggested that there's a direct link between creativity and curiosity. If creative people are more fascinated by life in general than less creative people—if they simply take a greater interest in things—is that sense of curiosity innate to a person's personality or can it be developed?

CLEESE: I think it's true that there are just some people who are curious and some people who are not so curious. But it isn't all innate.

I knew a wonderful teacher once—a tutor. He tutored my stepsons and my elder daughter. He said to me, "Always start where the energy is."

People make an awful mistake by starting where the energy isn't. If you're feeling very world-weary—and sometimes we're all in that boat—you have to sit down with something that's going to engage you. That doesn't mean you just switch on the TV and watch a cartoon, but it does mean asking, What would be fun? Maybe take a piece of paper and a pencil and start drawing silly things. Go for a walk. Just sit very quietly watching your breathing. Anything. Just allow the whim to get you going.

Now, you can't do this all of the time; it's too disconnected. But I think in that particular frame of mind, when you run out of energy and motivation, I think you have to go right down to the instinct, right down to a whim.

Link via swissmiss.

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