Years ago at Autodesk University, I was surprised to see one of the speakers was...John Cleese! What was a comedy writer/performer doing at a CAD conference?

Image credit: Roopinder Tara, The CAD Insider

On stage, Cleese revealed that he had spent years interviewing all types of creatives--painters, architects, writers and so on--to learn about their individual methods of accessing creativity. He then delivered a compelling and fascinating one-hour talk on the subject.

(I have a janky audio recording of most of the lecture, and have searched online for a professional recording of this in vain. If you're interested in seeing it, let me know and I'll try to contact someone at Autodesk in an effort to get it released.)

Now Cleese has distilled his years of research into a book, "Creativity: A Short and Cheerful Guide," which will be released this fall.

Creativity is usually regarded as a mysterious, rare gift that only a few possess. John Cleese begs to differ, and in this short, immensely practical and often very amusing guide he shows it's a skill that anyone can acquire.

Drawing on his lifelong experience as a writer, he shares his insights into the nature of the creative process, and offers advice on how to get your own inventive juices flowing. What do you need to do to get yourself in the right frame of mind? When do you know that you've come up with something that might be worth pursuing? What do you do if you think you've hit a brick wall?

Not only does he explain the way your mind works as you search for inspiration, he also shows that, regardless of the task you've set yourself, you can learn to be better at coming up with a promising idea, refining it and knowing when you're ready to act on it.

The book is available for pre-order and will be released on September 8th.