Being Creative
Roger and I are always going on about innovation. Here’s a reminder post, but try searching ‘innovation’ on The Agitator website for plenty more.
Being innovative means being creative. And what are the prerequisites of being creative?
According to humorist John Cleese, there are five necessary conditions …
Space — away from your usual pressures
Time — for a specific period of time
Time (again) — allowing time for pondering and indecision
Confidence — versus fear of making mistakes
Humor — his preferred pathway to openness
Cleese makes his case eloquently in this video, brought to my attention by Brain Pickings.
One of my favorite lines: “You can’t be spontaneous within reason.” His point is, to be creative you need to take risks and accept the probability of mistakes … and even ridicule. And thus, to be creative, you need to be confident.
And he’s spot on with his counter-intuitive point about indecision … it’s necessary and good in the creative process.
Take a look … you won’t be disappointed.
Tom
Behavioral Science Q & A
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