Creativity: A Short and Cheerful Guide
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- Create Date：2021-04-07 13:55:35
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：John Cleese
- ISBN：0385348274
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Summary
"Many people have written about creativity， but although they were very， very clever， they weren't actually creative。 I like to think I'm writing about it from the inside。" --John Cleese
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。 What do you need to do to get yourself in the right frame of mind？ When do you know that you've come up with something that might be worth pursuing？ What do you do if you think you've hit a brick wall？
Not only does he explain the way your mind works as you search for inspiration， he also shows that， regardless of the task you've set yourself， you can learn to be better at coming up with a promising idea， refining it， and knowing when you're ready to act on it。
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。 What do you need to do to get yourself in the right frame of mind？ When do you know that you've come up with something that might be worth pursuing？ What do you do if you think you've hit a brick wall？
Not only does he explain the way your mind works as you search for inspiration， he also shows that， regardless of the task you've set yourself， you can learn to be better at coming up with a promising idea， refining it， and knowing when you're ready to act on it。
We can all be more creative。 John Cleese shows us how。
Reviews
peppersocks
，
Reflections and lessons learned:“。。。you can teach people how to create circumstances in which they will become creative”Less a book and more of an extended essay but powerful nonetheless （with a few forgivable typographical errors along the way）。 A timely reminder not to make excuses but embrace possibilities！ I only realised about halfway through that ironically pandemic reading and Goodreads updates have been my channeled creativeness that I’d not acknowledged！ I need to step away from the tho Reflections and lessons learned:“。。。you can teach people how to create circumstances in which they will become creative”Less a book and more of an extended essay but powerful nonetheless （with a few forgivable typographical errors along the way）。 A timely reminder not to make excuses but embrace possibilities！ I only realised about halfway through that ironically pandemic reading and Goodreads updates have been my channeled creativeness that I’d not acknowledged！ I need to step away from the thought of creativity not just being arts and craft based。。。 also， my next step is to identify the creativity that I have to use on my professional work - something so large but undefined so far。。。Key lessons for myself included don’t be afraid of being an individual - and give it time to develop; the use of the positive unconscious; don’t rush to evaluate everything - the brain will take care of some that！ the ‘can’t vs unable to play’ observation; feeling childish but nativity leading to greater tolerance; “I haven’t got time as an adult” - even used as a justification to reading a book on this theme！Side note - is what aboutery quashing creativeness as people try to include something for everyone？ Important not to be purposely exclusive of course but impossible to be all encompassing-ly inclusive？ Apt in the context of modern critics of this comedian 。。。more
Amanda
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Don’t be fooled， this isn’t a step by step on how to be more creative。Rather， what this was - was something that felt like a transposed conversation you had over coffee asking John Cleese about his history with creativity。 If you’re reading this it’s because you wanted to see into the brain of John Cleese - which is totally fine that’s why I picked it up too。 As the book cover says it’s a short and cheerful guide。 Something delightful to read over a cup of tea in the morning。 I especially liked Don’t be fooled， this isn’t a step by step on how to be more creative。Rather， what this was - was something that felt like a transposed conversation you had over coffee asking John Cleese about his history with creativity。 If you’re reading this it’s because you wanted to see into the brain of John Cleese - which is totally fine that’s why I picked it up too。 As the book cover says it’s a short and cheerful guide。 Something delightful to read over a cup of tea in the morning。 I especially liked the friendly Lemur at the start of every section。 But as a creative myself it wasn’t really anything I didn’t know before。 。。。more
Adam
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I picked this book up a few months ago as something I knew I'd read but I more wanted it to keep on a shelf or in the spare room for guests to enjoy and think I'm witty and working on myself。It took under an hour to read， and that's with distractions from family and dog。 It is a mental sorbet。 Just a good palate cleanser， and there are some good nuggets in there。I think it might be a book I read multiple times moving forward when I want to refocus on tasks， issues， or life。 I picked this book up a few months ago as something I knew I'd read but I more wanted it to keep on a shelf or in the spare room for guests to enjoy and think I'm witty and working on myself。It took under an hour to read， and that's with distractions from family and dog。 It is a mental sorbet。 Just a good palate cleanser， and there are some good nuggets in there。I think it might be a book I read multiple times moving forward when I want to refocus on tasks， issues， or life。 。。。more
Vuk
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Short and sweet， straight to the point。
Rhonda
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Super short read w nothing that really stands out。 All his ideas seem like common sense to me。
Beverley Douglas
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Very interesting bookAs a new writer John covers some interesting points which I will definitely put in my toolkit and use as a reference。 I also liked the book because it is short and will make a lovely gift！
Sean Randall
，
It's only a 30 minute read and does contain some valuable little bits of advice， but for the most part this book is aimed at writers。 There are better reads out there for other creatives。 It's only a 30 minute read and does contain some valuable little bits of advice， but for the most part this book is aimed at writers。 There are better reads out there for other creatives。 。。。more
Jason
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Great short book on creativity。 It was life-changing but I’m glad I read it and I was encouraged by it。 I will have to jot down some ideas and thoughts as I ponder them more。
superawesomekt
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Tiny little morsel with some good ideas。 I suppose this is designed to be a gift？ I thought the last section on how to ask and incorporate feedback was one of the best sections although I think his musings on the unconscious were interesting， too。 Overall， worth a checkout from the library！
John of Canada
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A short read but a lot to think about and not a few things to laugh at。
Rosie Silva
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As the title says， a short and cheerful guide to learn how to embrace your unconscious and explore your creativity。
Ken Proudfoot
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A quick read。 Useful for writers who may questions their own ideas。 Persevere。
Jennifer Santos
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Nice little guide that explain a lot in just a few words。 Which is something I definitely should be doing myself。
Simon Gianoutsos
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This is a very short book that is predominantly about the creative process for writing but there are some good tidbits for creativity in general， in particular that sometimes playing with an idea and taking time to make a decision often results in better ideas evolving。
Rachelle
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Fun， quick read on how to develop your creativity。 Takes work， but worth it！ And we can all be creative。
Meron
，
A very short and enjoyable little book which can be read in no time at all。 Cleese tries to share insight into how he enables his creative showing that his method can be used for all forms of artistic creating。 The book is simple and won't wow anybody with groundbreaking strategy but it does nudge you into the more obvious， one of the things that most people overlook when endeavouring to be creative。 The book was a great quick read although I do feel it ended a bit abruptly。 He could of at least A very short and enjoyable little book which can be read in no time at all。 Cleese tries to share insight into how he enables his creative showing that his method can be used for all forms of artistic creating。 The book is simple and won't wow anybody with groundbreaking strategy but it does nudge you into the more obvious， one of the things that most people overlook when endeavouring to be creative。 The book was a great quick read although I do feel it ended a bit abruptly。 He could of at least said thanks for reading and signed off with a witty farewell :） 。。。more
Michael Leheny
，
An amusing inspirational tome on artistic endeavor。 In a sense it reads something like a daily meditation for artists。 If you start to despair because the ideas aren't coming fast and furious， John Cleese explains from experience what is going on， how to combat it and when to listen to the writer's block。 An amusing inspirational tome on artistic endeavor。 In a sense it reads something like a daily meditation for artists。 If you start to despair because the ideas aren't coming fast and furious， John Cleese explains from experience what is going on， how to combat it and when to listen to the writer's block。 。。。more
Petro Kacur
，
Short and cheerful indeed。 There are a few nuggets， most of which have been said before。 But as André Gide wrote: “Everything that needs to be said has already been said。 But since no one was listening， everything must be said again。”Here are a few: "Another myth is that creativity is something you have to be both with。 This isn't the case。 Anyone can be creative。 "So I began to realize that my unconscious was working on stuff all the time， without my being consciously aware of it。 This intellig Short and cheerful indeed。 There are a few nuggets， most of which have been said before。 But as André Gide wrote: “Everything that needs to be said has already been said。 But since no one was listening， everything must be said again。”Here are a few: "Another myth is that creativity is something you have to be both with。 This isn't the case。 Anyone can be creative。 "So I began to realize that my unconscious was working on stuff all the time， without my being consciously aware of it。 This intelligent unconscious of ours， then， is astoundingly powerful。"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。 "When you're being creative there is no such thing as a mistake。 "Creative people are much better at tolerating the vague sense of worry that we all get when we leave something unresolved。 Play like a child。 Become so absorbed in what you are doing that you are not distracted。 Explore as if you do not know where you are going。 。。。more
Ronald J。
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This was a short， enjoyable read。 The premise is “you can teach people how to create circumstances in which they will become creative。 Our unconscious is incredibly powerful when it comes to creativity。 Stop thinking （too much） may be the right prescription。 Cleese points out: “Because so much of creativity is about the unconscious， there is a limit to what you can say about it！ …Only two differences between the creative and the uncreative architects。 The first was that the creative architects k This was a short， enjoyable read。 The premise is “you can teach people how to create circumstances in which they will become creative。 Our unconscious is incredibly powerful when it comes to creativity。 Stop thinking （too much） may be the right prescription。 Cleese points out: “Because so much of creativity is about the unconscious， there is a limit to what you can say about it！ …Only two differences between the creative and the uncreative architects。 The first was that the creative architects knew how to play。 Second creative architects always deferred making decisions for as long as they were allowed。” Don’t fear mistakes， there’s no such thing when you’re being creative。 Clarity is another creativity killer。 If it’s a new idea， how could you possibly understand it—and everything that will flow from it—right away？ Creativity takes place in an “atmosphere of uncertainty and gentle confusion。” You bring your critical thinking in later。 I also found this useful: “Your thoughts follow your mood。 Feeling creative isn’t exactly an emotion。 It’s a frame of mind。 General rule， when people become absolutely certain that they know what they’re doing， their creativity plummets。 They think they have nothing more to learn。” A great primer on creativity。MemorableAnthropologist Gregory Bateson， “You can’t have a new idea ’til you’ve got rid of an old one。” Writing is easy。 Writing well is difficult。 “Brevity is the soul of wit。” It is also the soul of not boring people。 “kill my darlings，” from William Faulkner。 Writer， show people your work， there are four questions you need to ask:Where were you bored？ Where could you not understand what was going on？ Where did you not find things credible？ Was there anything that you found emotionally confusing？The people you have asked will probably suggest their solutions too。 Ignore these completely。 Unless they are writers themselves。 Then…listen carefully。 。。。more
Pamela Cooper
，
This book is required reading for any parent， teacher， facilitators， and anyone who communicates any form of instruction or sharing of ideas with anybody。 The contents is simple。 The process is well-explained。 Play is the basis for creativity。
Thomas Hunt
，
A nice short and positive take on creativity by John Cleese。 fun to read。 you can hear his voice throughout and encouraging a light book with wide margins。
Meghan
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I rarely say this， but I wish this book had been longer。 It's surprisingly short in length。 I rarely say this， but I wish this book had been longer。 It's surprisingly short in length。 。。。more
Ryan Miller
，
It’s a booklet， not a book， but Cleese moves beyond the normal drivel of creative self-help books to examine how we can operate when we get out of the brain’s way and let it work。
Milototo
，
Единствената ми забележка е， че е много кратка！！！！
Amin Motin
，
Agreed with every word， just not enough of them！I already knew most of what John writes about in this book and for those who don't it will be a nice introduction to the whole subject。However， it's a very short read and I'd have liked a more in depth coverage of the subject。 Wanting more is probably a good sign！ Agreed with every word， just not enough of them！I already knew most of what John writes about in this book and for those who don't it will be a nice introduction to the whole subject。However， it's a very short read and I'd have liked a more in depth coverage of the subject。 Wanting more is probably a good sign！ 。。。more
Annie
，
A light， happy read。 Regardless of whether you take his advice or not， his expressions are worth the time of reading this short book。
Amy Potts Ostrowski
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Quick， to the point， and fun。 Best hour of my weekend！
STEPHEN PLETKO
，
XXXXX [Wink wink nudge nudge] Want to get an insider’s view on the creative process？ Then， read this bookXXXXX“And you can teach creativity。 Or perhaps I should say， more accurately， you can teach people how to create circumstances in which they will become creative。And that’s what this little book is all about。”The above （in italics） comes from this book by John Cleese。 He is an actor， comedian， screenwriter， producer， and author。 He co-founded the legendary Monty Python， the comedy troupe r XXXXX [Wink wink nudge nudge] Want to get an insider’s view on the creative process？ Then， read this bookXXXXX“And you can teach creativity。 Or perhaps I should say， more accurately， you can teach people how to create circumstances in which they will become creative。And that’s what this little book is all about。”The above （in italics） comes from this book by John Cleese。 He is an actor， comedian， screenwriter， producer， and author。 He co-founded the legendary Monty Python， the comedy troupe responsible for the sketch show “Monty Python’s Flying Circus” and wrote and performed in several high profile movies。 Cleese co-wrote and starred in the now classic sitcom “Fawlty Towers。” He has appeared in many other films， from “James Bond” to “Harry Potter，” and has guest starred in numerous TV shows。Cleese draws on his long， accomplished career to offer a slim compendium on what worked for him with respect to creativity。 He also offers advice on how to get your own creative ideas flowing。The final chapter gives eleven suggestions on how to become creative。 For this， he draws on his own experience as a writer。Finally， this book demonstrates that “brevity is the soul of wit。” That is， this book is not a long （and boring} thick book on creativity but is an original， to-the-point guide that’s enjoyable to read and learn from。In conclusion， this is a truly upbeat tome on the creative process—a short and cheerful guide！！（2020; introduction; 3 chapters; main narrative 105 pages）XXXXX 。。。more
April-lyn
，
This was much shorter than I wanted it to be！ But had some helpful tidbits。 Particularly this: "We [he and Graham Chapman] came to understand that the blockages weren't an interruption in the process， they were part of it。。。。 my fallow periods [are] preparatory to the fertile ones， and therefore [are] an inseparable part of the whole creative process。"Only complaint: it ended abruptly with no concluding thoughts。 Call me old-fashioned but I want my books to have a conclusion， even short ones。 This was much shorter than I wanted it to be！ But had some helpful tidbits。 Particularly this: "We [he and Graham Chapman] came to understand that the blockages weren't an interruption in the process， they were part of it。。。。 my fallow periods [are] preparatory to the fertile ones， and therefore [are] an inseparable part of the whole creative process。"Only complaint: it ended abruptly with no concluding thoughts。 Call me old-fashioned but I want my books to have a conclusion， even short ones。 。。。more
Bryan Wood
，