Creativity is Not a Noun

Austin Kleon quotes John Cleese to explain how everyone can be more creative if they learn the way of operating, including those in supposed "non-creative" professions.

Creativity is not a talent. It is a way of operating.

John Cleese

Forget the Noun, Do the Verb.

In this video with Chase Jarvis, Kleon interprets and fleshes out this "way of operating" idea. That creativity is not a noun or adjective but a verb. I liked Kleon's comment about the plumber who teaches him how to fix the easy stuff so that when he has a big problem, he knows who to hire.

Similar to the approach taken by the plumber, I hope to help you avoid big problems by periodically sharing tips and observations about internal controls! 

Here's the link to his post with the image above: We are verbs, not nouns

In my Fostering a Community post, I shared Kleon's "Three Reasons to Show Your Work" video (again with Chase Jarvis). It's an excellent companion piece to the video above.


You can see more of Austin Kleon's work and subscribe to his newsletter at AustinKleon.com