Here’s a 10-minute talk by John Cleese on creativity:
From about 6:20 into the video:
If you’re racing around all day, ticking things off on lists, looking at your watch, making phone calls, and generally just keeping all the balls in the air, you are not going to have any creative ideas.
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I showed this to my wife and her response was: big deal, someone has to do the laundry and get the kids off to school. I guess it depends on the point of view of the listener.
“If you’re racing around all day, ticking things off on lists, looking at your watch, making phone calls, and generally just keeping all the balls in the air, you are not going to have any creative ideas.”
What about necessity being the mother of invention?
Necessity indeed inspires invention. But you’re more likely to have creative ideas later when you’ve calmed down and are reflecting on your work than you are while you’re in the middle of putting out fires.
I don’t know whether I’m creative. But this video matches everything I know and do about creativity.
For example, I am hard to reach with anything but email. I hate the phone and most synchronous means of communication. I also hate working in a formal office with coworkers. I need to be isolated many hours a day with nobody to disturb me.