“Creativity is not a special talent”

That phrase left me flabbergasted. It comes from a John Cleese talk that recently crossed my virtual path.

Isn’t it a relief? Society all around drills on us that only special people are blessed with magical creative fingers. Or is it special only when certain people do it?

I can’t help but think of our aunts, mothers and grandmothers. How many of them spend hours in the kitchen, experimenting with different recipes and creating wonderful dishes that will always live in our souls, but don’t have a Michelin Star to showcase? However, if you ask them, they will say they are not creative, not at all!

What is creativity, then, if not a special talent? According to John Cleese, it’s the result of you allowing yourself to have a favourable environment and being consistent with it. It is not so much about Mother Inspiration touching you with the brightest of ideas, but about you allowing yourself the time to ponder about whatever issue you have in your hands so your brain “rewards” you with the most creative solution.

Essentially, creativity is not a talent, but a choice you make.

The choice of letting yourself have that space to ponder, to experiment. The choice of exercising that muscle. It’s about living with the temporal discomfort of not finding the solution on the first go. It’s about being vulnerable and persevering.

Now the question is, are you ready to be creative?

** PS: if you’re interested in the talk, you can find it in YouTube here.