John Cleese: Creativity is a Matter of Working Longer

How was  John Cleese able to generate so many creative scripts for the Monty Python Flying Circus? He worked longer hours, which required that he put up with more discomfort. That was his formula, which he discusses in this short video:

In 2020, Cleese wrote a wrote a short and cheerful guide to creativity called Creativity: A Short and Cheerful Guide.

Here are a few of my favorite ideas from his book:

Definition of creativity: "Wherever you can find a way of doing things that is better than what has been done before, you are being creative."

"Creativity is elusive like a dim star – sometimes you can’t see it until we look away."

"Creativity often come when you least expect it. For instance, while leeping or taking a walk. To be creative, you often need to work in silence."

Creativity comes quietly – often it only whispers at you.

I began to realise that my unconscious was working on stuff all the time without my being consciously aware of it.And that's the problem with the unconscious. It is unconscious. The language of the unconscious is not verbal. It’s like the language of dreams. It shows you images, it gives you feelings, it nudges you around without you immediately knowing what it’s getting at.

There were only two differences between the creative and the uncreative architects. Creative architects knew how to play.Creative architects always deferred making decisions for as long as they were allowed.

The greatest killer of creativity is interruption. It pulls your mind away from what you want to be thinking about.

Creativity may come from inside, as you suddenly remember something that you’ve forgotten to do, or worry that time is running out, or that you don’t think you’re clever enough to solve whatever problem it is that you’re trying to deal with. This can paralyse you.

It is, however, very important that when you first have a new idea, you don’t get critical too soon. New and “woolly” ideas shouldn’t be attacked by your logical brain until they’ve had time to grow, to become clearer and sturdier. New ideas are rather like small creatures. They’re easily strangled.

I'll close with two more quotes about creativity:

“Inspiration is for amateurs. The rest of us just show up and get to work." Chuck Close

“Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist” Attributed to Pablo Picasso.

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About the Use of the Word “CIS”

I completely agree with J.K. Rowling:

Recently, Elon Musk declared that "Cis" would be considered to be a slur on Twitter.

I oppose any censorship of the word "cis." Even if it is considered "hate speech," it would be protected by the First Amendment. FIRE explains:

There is no “hate speech” exception to the First Amendment. So, many Americans wonder, "is hate speech legal?"

Contrary to a common misconception, most expression one might identify as “hate speech” is protected by the First Amendment and cannot lawfully be censored, punished, or unduly burdened by the government — including public colleges and universities.

The Supreme Court of the United States has repeatedly rejected government attempts to prohibit or punish “hate speech.” Instead, the Court has come to identify within the First Amendment a broad guarantee of “freedom for the thought that we hate,” as Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes described the concept in a 1929 dissent. In a 2011 ruling, Chief Justice John Roberts described our national commitment to protecting “hate speech” in order to preserve a robust democratic dialogue:

Speech is powerful. It can stir people to action, move them to tears of both joy and sorrow, and—as it did here—inflict great pain. On the facts before us, we cannot react to that pain by punishing the speaker. As a Nation we have chosen a different course—to protect even hurtful speech on public issues to ensure that we do not stifle public debate.

In other words, the First Amendment recognizes that the government cannot regulate “hate speech” without inevitably silencing the dissent and dialogue that democracy requires. Instead, we as citizens possess the power to most effectively answer hateful speech—whether through debate, protest, questioning, laughter, silence, or simply walking away.

I want to see what other people are thinking, unvarnished, whether or not I approve of it, whether or not it is crude or wrongheaded. It gives me important information about that person.

"Profanity is the effort of a feeble brain to express itself forcibly."

Spencer W. Kimball

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Low Literacy of Americans

Not good news here, according to Emily Schmidt:

About 130 million adults in the U.S. have low literacy skills according to a Gallup analysis of data from the U.S. Department of Education. This means more than half of Americans between the ages of 16 and 74 (54%) read below the equivalent of a sixth-grade level.

Literacy is broadly defined as the ability to read and write, but it more accurately encompasses the comprehension, evaluation and utilization of information, which is why people describe many different types of literacy — such as health, financial, legal, etc. Low literacy skills can profoundly affect the day-to-day success of adults in the real world, and these impacts extend to their families, too.

 

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