Creativity and Time

I admire John Cleese. And I admire a writer who shared a video of him a few months ago. It was only a lack of time that kept me from watching the video.

So I finally watched, and it is, of course, great. The video, obviously a few years old, is a lecture John Cleese gave about creativity. Included in the speech are his top five things you need for creativity.

Two of the five things are time.

Remember how it was lack of time that got in my way of watching it? Oy. Not a good sign for a creative professional.

Time–whether a perceived lack of or an actual lack of–is a constant battle for us nonprofiteers. Overworked and understaffed. It’s our lot in life.

And I should point out that it’s not just writers and designers who need to be creative in the workplace. Leaders need creative time. And service providers. And fundraisers. Really, if you want to improve in your position–no matter what your position–you need to be thinking creatively. Which means you need time.

The brandraising work we do here at Big Duck takes time. On the creative side of the work–logos and taglines, especially–it’s the quality of the time that matters. Concentrated, uninterrupted, significant chunks of time.

And time away. Time away is also a treasured friend in the creative process.

Yet time is only part of what makes for great creative work. And I could talk about it for hours.

Segue alert!

Design Director Sonny Mui and I will be doing just that next week. We’ll be discussing the creative process behind nonprofit logos and taglines.

So watch the John Cleese video and come to our workshop next week. We’d love to discuss the creative process with you a little in person.