Creativity: A Short and Cheerful Guide
- Downloads：1483
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-06-19 18:16:33
- Update Date：2025-09-23
- Status：finish
- Author：John Cleese
- ISBN：1529157528
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
____________________________
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。
____________________________
'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。
____________________________
'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
Reviews
Jan
，
Fun short book about sparking your own creativity
Emma Major
，
I had an interesting conversation with my dad recently about being creative and/or being analytical。 He couldn't understand how I could do both and couldn't comprehend that everyone does both in their broadest senses。 I remembered this short book by John Cleese and thought it might help him。 I have just read the book again and am recommending it to my dad - but also to you。 It's an hour read or listen and I'm sure everyone would find it interesting。 I had an interesting conversation with my dad recently about being creative and/or being analytical。 He couldn't understand how I could do both and couldn't comprehend that everyone does both in their broadest senses。 I remembered this short book by John Cleese and thought it might help him。 I have just read the book again and am recommending it to my dad - but also to you。 It's an hour read or listen and I'm sure everyone would find it interesting。 。。。more
Rachel Cottam
，
A surprising amount of focus on the subconscious mind and creativity in writing， but John Cleese’s voice is delightful and it’s only an hour long。 Was a nice podcast listen。
PyranopterinMo
，
As the title says， it is a short book。 It just barely covers the basic elements but it does so very well。 Cheese describes how the most basic elements of creativity are not reinforced in school but how you can find them， how to encourage them， and what to expect early and later。 There aren't too many stories from the authors life and the balance of examples from his life vs。 telling us of his achievements is， I suppose， fair。 He mentions Kekule and the structure of benzene， and Feynman and Ediso As the title says， it is a short book。 It just barely covers the basic elements but it does so very well。 Cheese describes how the most basic elements of creativity are not reinforced in school but how you can find them， how to encourage them， and what to expect early and later。 There aren't too many stories from the authors life and the balance of examples from his life vs。 telling us of his achievements is， I suppose， fair。 He mentions Kekule and the structure of benzene， and Feynman and Edison in general， but more examples from math would have been inspirational for some of us。 Difficult math problems were probably my first experiences of trying to access creativity as opposed to the more creative kids who went for art or writing or music。 Of course creativity plays a big role in computer gaming and its not even mentioned。 Probably the best advice is that creativity takes time and practice。 。。。more
Lynn Holt
，
A funny and （as advertised） cheerful read。
Veronica
，
“In order to remove such interruptions， whether internal or external， so that you can enter your “Tortoise Mind，” you have to create a safe place， where you can play。”
Mike
，
Not the biggest of books （even shorter than you might think from the title） but I made enough notes to keep me happy from having read it。 A good book on creativity will always give you something fresh to think about。 And the joke about Harold Pinter is （almost） worth the price - not that I paid for the book， having picked it up at the Library。
Priyanka
，
A short， sweet and helpful read reminding us to trust the creative process — which includes the ‘tortoise mind’ and the ‘hare brain’ — and to embrace the aspects that simply aren’t in our control。 We want to know everything right away， but every new idea is accompanied with a lack of clarity。 It’s inevitable because we haven’t been there before。We can’t control the creative process; we can only play our role in it。 Don’t rush the process， Cleese advises， but allow real clarity to emerge with tim A short， sweet and helpful read reminding us to trust the creative process — which includes the ‘tortoise mind’ and the ‘hare brain’ — and to embrace the aspects that simply aren’t in our control。 We want to know everything right away， but every new idea is accompanied with a lack of clarity。 It’s inevitable because we haven’t been there before。We can’t control the creative process; we can only play our role in it。 Don’t rush the process， Cleese advises， but allow real clarity to emerge with time。 And when you first have a new idea， don’t get too critical too soon — exercise patience， until you have a clear sense of what it is that you’ve come up with。 The tortoise mind works slower， more playfully， but less purposely — and yet， it’s the place where we come up with our most creative ideas。 The faster， more logical hare brain comes in after the tortoise mind and it is where we clarify our thoughts and sort out inconsistencies。 Both are equally intelligent and important in the creative process。 Cleese adds: They need each other but keep them separate！ It’s during play， or other meditative moments， that our unconscious is working out a problem or coming up with a creative idea without us realizing it。 These moments we deem are a waste of time never are — the only waste of time is getting disappointed in ourselves for not being at the creative stage we think we should be。 Cleese reminds us that our thoughts follow our mood — so if we’re in a bad mood， we’re likely not going to be in a creative frame of mind， which is okay。The key is to get started， to begin with the simple stuff， Cleese says: Who are you writing for？ What am I really trying to say？ What is the point of this piece of journalism， or speech， or book， or play， or pamphlet， or email？ While you’re pondering this or researching key facts， you’re feeding your unconscious， doing your part in the creative process。 My favorite line: When you’re being creative there is no such thing as a mistake。 And this phrase: Kill your darlings， which means to not cling to your story， your darlings， because part of the process is letting the story change， and working on redrafting and rewriting it — not getting so attached to the original idea that you miss any new creative opportunities。 。。。more
SAMKyrie
，
Jacks’ personal creativity well。 Was sweet to read something so special to him
Amy
，
It was just ok
Mariah
，
Exactly what the title says it is。 Read by Cleese， which may not be as good as tucking into an episode of Fawlty Towers， but thoroughly satisfying nonetheless。
Caty Waterfield
，
Hmm。 I'm not sure how I feel about this audiobook。 Obviously， having John read the work made sense。 But， at several points， he sounded drunk。 I found his narration to be distracting from his writing。 I also didn't find the content to be terribly enlightening or informative。 While there are one or two golden nuggets in here， I would definitely recommend the printed version （if at all）。 Hmm。 I'm not sure how I feel about this audiobook。 Obviously， having John read the work made sense。 But， at several points， he sounded drunk。 I found his narration to be distracting from his writing。 I also didn't find the content to be terribly enlightening or informative。 While there are one or two golden nuggets in here， I would definitely recommend the printed version （if at all）。 。。。more
Steven Kolber
，
A really thoughtful and significant work （despite its shortness） - really explores things rarely considered in educational spheres
Brianne W。
，
Actually a fantastic， flash of a little piece。 Key: listen to the audiobook narrated by John Cleese， absolutely makes the whole experience。
Solomon A。
，
What can I say？ I'm a sucker for wisdom。。。 and this book is full of it。This book is so devastatingly annotated with all kinds of ideas I've conjured simply from reading the tiny bits of advice that pollute this book （in the best way！）。I kinda can't believe how easy it is to read？ I mean it's such a quick read and so tiny and easy to carry that I can't believe I got as much out of reading it as I did。 Best page-per-dollar ratio I've ever experienced。If you are a creative-type — and *especially* i What can I say？ I'm a sucker for wisdom。。。 and this book is full of it。This book is so devastatingly annotated with all kinds of ideas I've conjured simply from reading the tiny bits of advice that pollute this book （in the best way！）。I kinda can't believe how easy it is to read？ I mean it's such a quick read and so tiny and easy to carry that I can't believe I got as much out of reading it as I did。 Best page-per-dollar ratio I've ever experienced。If you are a creative-type — and *especially* if you're a writer — please read this book。 Your writing will improve and the world will improve upon reading your improved writing。 。。。more
Sarah Hills
，
I didn’t learn anything new。
Blue
，
Want to see more。。。 Bookstagram WebsiteWhat a cute little tale by Cleese， he is an absolute gem！ Want to see more。。。 Bookstagram WebsiteWhat a cute little tale by Cleese， he is an absolute gem！ 。。。more
Dale Rosenberg
，
A very brief treatise on how to become more creative。 Writer， actor， and comedian John Cleese discusses ways to get into a creative mood， things to do when you feel blocked， and other practical tips for enhancing one's natural creativity。 He focuses on writing， but makes clear that other creative pursuits are subject to the same techniques， quoting scientists and artists to support that assertion。The book is， as he says， cheerful， and also quite amusing in parts。I listened to it on audio book be A very brief treatise on how to become more creative。 Writer， actor， and comedian John Cleese discusses ways to get into a creative mood， things to do when you feel blocked， and other practical tips for enhancing one's natural creativity。 He focuses on writing， but makes clear that other creative pursuits are subject to the same techniques， quoting scientists and artists to support that assertion。The book is， as he says， cheerful， and also quite amusing in parts。I listened to it on audio book because that's what my library had。 It also let me experience his delivery， his occasional asides （he says "this part isn't in the book but I thought I'd add it"） and the comment at the end that he doesn't know why anyone would listen to the audiobook since it only takes an hour to read。 。。。more
Xvmichal
，
Dosłownie kilka akapitów o tym jak być kreatywnym。
Francisco
，
Um livro pequeno que se lê bem em apenas uma hora e que cumpre na perfeição aquilo a que se compromete: ser um guia prático e divertido sobre o processo criativo。John Cleese conta-nos pela sua experiência como funciona a criatividade e dá dicas práticas para que possamos deixar de lado o mito de que nem todas as pessoas são criativas。 Sempre com humor à mistura， é um livro motivacional （em bom） para quem quer ativar/reativar/aumentar a sua capacidade criativa。 Um livro pequeno que se lê bem em apenas uma hora e que cumpre na perfeição aquilo a que se compromete: ser um guia prático e divertido sobre o processo criativo。John Cleese conta-nos pela sua experiência como funciona a criatividade e dá dicas práticas para que possamos deixar de lado o mito de que nem todas as pessoas são criativas。 Sempre com humor à mistura， é um livro motivacional （em bom） para quem quer ativar/reativar/aumentar a sua capacidade criativa。 。。。more
Samuel Otten
，
Very short， but to the point and helpful！
Kanishka Sina
，
An excellent hands-on book about having a creative mindset。 Nobody is born creative， but you can adjust your mind to be more creative。 I really enjoyed this book and its practicality of it。
Lisa
，
An easy but thought provoking read on creativity and how to invite it in。
Pam C。
，
Simple， to the point， and brilliant。 Definitely worth reading。 Read it on Kindle then purchased the book to have it on hand for reference and to share。
Michelle
，
Audio read by authorDelightful 1 hour long treatise on creativity and how to perhaps foster your own even if you think you are not a creative person。 Inspirational， witty and wise （and for some silly reason I felt quite emotional as I listened。。。）
Sarah
，
This was a fantastic read！！ A quick little guide on creativity！ John Cleese does a magnificent job of getting the reader to think about what "creativity" means。"There's a myth that creativity is something you have to be born with。 This isn't the case。 Anyone can be creative。" （Quote from the book）。 This was a fantastic read！！ A quick little guide on creativity！ John Cleese does a magnificent job of getting the reader to think about what "creativity" means。"There's a myth that creativity is something you have to be born with。 This isn't the case。 Anyone can be creative。" （Quote from the book）。 。。。more
Tony Williams
，
Quite amusing as you would expect from John Cleese， but I didn't learn anything new。 If you're thinking of buying this "guide" then be aware that it is a very very short read。 Took me about half an hour to read it and I'm not a particularly fast reader。Is it worth the £3。99 I paid for it？ Probably not。 Quite amusing as you would expect from John Cleese， but I didn't learn anything new。 If you're thinking of buying this "guide" then be aware that it is a very very short read。 Took me about half an hour to read it and I'm not a particularly fast reader。Is it worth the £3。99 I paid for it？ Probably not。 。。。more
Jon Moore
，
Most of Cleese’s advice is based applied to creative writing but overall I enjoyed this short look into what it takes to unlock a persons creativity。
S。 Laureen MacDonald Farnam
，
Excellent！This was a highly enjoyable little speedy read。Creativity is not always bred in the bone！ You can learn to be creative and that creativity can absolutely enhance your enjoyment of life， whether you have an inkling to write or not。I just love John Cleese and this was a nice little distraction on a sunny Monday morning。5 ⭐️
M。 G。 A。
，