{"id":1150,"date":"2015-08-13T09:55:59","date_gmt":"2015-08-13T09:55:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.shareasimage.com\/?p=1150"},"modified":"2019-04-10T07:53:34","modified_gmt":"2019-04-10T12:53:34","slug":"creativity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/getstencil.com\/blog\/creativity\/","title":{"rendered":"What John Cleese, Stephen King, Paul Simon and Anthony Trollope Can Teach You About Creativity"},"content":{"rendered":"

Anthony Trollope<\/a> was one of the world\u2019s most creative writers.<\/p>\n

In the 1800\u2019s he regularly released novels over 700 pages in length, multiple times a year, and wrote whole series so long in length that Lord of the Rings<\/em> looks like a short story.<\/p>\n

And, he did all of this while working a full time job for the British Postal Service.<\/p>\n

According to Stephen King in his book On Writing, <\/em>he was able to stay so creative for one simple reason \u2013 his process:<\/p>\n

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\u201cHe wrote for two and a half hours before work. This schedule was ironclad. If he was mid-sentence when this two and a half hours expired, he left that sentence unfinished until the next morning.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

If he finished a book in that time too, he\u2019d simply write The End<\/strong>, set it aside, and start writing his next book.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Now you\u2019re probably thinking, \u201cWow, that\u2019s insane! How can you be that creative, that often?\u201d And, you wouldn\u2019t be the only one.<\/p>\n

The truth is,  a creative process is all<\/em> you need to be more creative. In fact, it’s the only part of creativity that you have any control over at all…<\/p>\n

The Creative Process<\/strong><\/h2>\n

John Cleese is a comedy legend \u2013 you might remember him from Monty Python, Fawlty Towers and A Fish Called Wanda \u2013 but he\u2019s also a keen psychologist. And, not too long ago, he did a lot of research into the realm of creativity<\/a>.<\/p>\n

And in this research he came to the conclusion that:<\/p>\n

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\u201cCreativity is not a talent, but a way of operating\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

That is to say that you creativity isn\u2019t a feature only a few people have. It\u2019s something you can unlock.<\/p>\n

For example, in comparisons between people who are deemed<\/em> intelligent, such as Engineers and Writers, and those who aren\u2019t, there was no difference in I.Q that suggests the smarter you are, the more creative you are.<\/p>\n

As long as you have a base<\/em> level of intelligence, you can be as creative as anybody else on the planet.<\/p>\n

Which is great news.<\/p>\n

But how do you unlock this creative potential hidden deep inside of you?<\/p>\n

Well, Cleese points out there are 5 ways you can become more creative<\/strong> if you arrange them correctly.<\/p>\n

These are:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Space<\/li>\n
  2. Time<\/li>\n
  3. Time (Again)<\/li>\n
  4. Confidence<\/li>\n
  5. Humour<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Now, there are no guarantees that any of these will give you your big idea instantly. As is the case with anything<\/em> creative, there are good days, and there are bad days.<\/p>\n

    You could sit around for hours and get nothing<\/em>, or you could sit down, sip your coffee and be hit with a freight train of original ideas.<\/p>\n

    As the man himself says:<\/p>\n

    \n

    \u201cThis is the extraordinary thing about creativity: If just you keep your mind resting against the subject in a friendly but persistent way, sooner or later you will get a reward from your unconscious.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

    But what all<\/strong> of these steps will do, more importantly, is get you into an open<\/strong> mind. Which is the breeding ground for all creativity.<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

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    Open Your Mind\u2026<\/strong><\/h2>\n

    There are two types of thinking when it comes to your work:<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. The open<\/strong> mind<\/li>\n
    2. The closed <\/strong>mind<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      The closed mind is where you spend most of your day. It\u2019s where you complete tasks, think logically and get work done. This is your productive<\/em> state of mind.<\/p>\n

      The open mind is where you need to get to if you want to be creative. It\u2019s where you can be playful, curious and free from pressure. It\u2019s the state of mind that lets you connect the dots, find clues and create solutions.<\/p>\n

      These five steps you\u2019re about to learn about will help you get into that open mind more easily.<\/p>\n

       <\/strong><\/p>\n

      Step #1: Space<\/strong><\/h2>\n

      Pressure is a creativity killer.<\/p>\n

      In that, if you\u2019re under the usual stresses and strains of day to life \u2013 your boss peering over your shoulder, super tight deadlines etc. \u2013 you\u2019re not in the right mind set to be creative.<\/p>\n

      Because, understandably, your focus is elsewhere.<\/p>\n

      When your focus is on being more creative then, space can be a physical space \u2013 like a desk or a park or an office \u2013 or it can be mental space, away from the pressures and strains of daily life.<\/p>\n

      Or, it can be both.<\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n

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       <\/p>\n

      This space doesn\u2019t need to be clean, either. Some of the worlds most creative minds, from Einstein to Twain and Zuckerberg<\/a> all boasted messy creative spaces.<\/p>\n

      All it needs to be is removed from your usual<\/em> workspace, where you\u2019d normally find yourself in a closed<\/strong> mind.<\/p>\n

      Think of places like:<\/p>\n