We’ve all heard the tired old stereotypes. Creative people wear quirky clothes, work in minimalist studios, and spend their days painting or writing poetry. The rest of us? We’re just… regular folks doing regular jobs. But what if I told you that creativity isn’t confined to art galleries and design studios?

After spending two decades in content creation and marketing, I’ve discovered something profound: creativity thrives everywhere, often hiding in plain sight. The accountant meticulously crafting an elegant spreadsheet solution, the HR manager designing an innovative onboarding experience, the nurse finding a unique way to calm an anxious patient—these are all acts of creativity that rarely get acknowledged as such.

Redefining Creativity

First, let’s dispel a myth: creativity isn’t just about producing something visually striking or emotionally moving. At its core, creativity is about solving problems in novel ways. It’s about making connections between seemingly unrelated concepts. It’s about improving processes, communicating more effectively, or simply finding a better way to do something.

John Cleese, the legendary British comedian and creativity expert, puts it this way: “Creativity is not a talent. It is a way of operating.” In his talks to business leaders, Cleese emphasizes that creativity isn’t some magical gift bestowed upon a lucky few—it’s a mode of thinking accessible to everyone, regardless of their profession.

When we expand our definition, we begin to see creativity everywhere.

The Creative Accountant

Consider accounting—a field stereotypically associated with rigid rules and formulas. Yet, accountants regularly exercise creative thinking by:

• Developing customized spreadsheet solutions that transform complex financial data into clear, actionable insights
• Finding ethical approaches to minimize tax burden within regulatory frameworks
• Creating visual representations of financial trends that help non-financial stakeholders grasp important concepts
• Designing systems that anticipate problems before they arise

Consider the satisfaction an accountant might feel when building a custom financial dashboard that finally helps a client understand their business health at a glance. That moment when a client says “I can actually see my business now” represents pure creative joy—the same emotional reward artists experience when their work resonates with an audience.

The Imaginative IT Professional

IT professionals are problem-solvers by nature, and problem-solving is inherently creative:

• Troubleshooting complex system issues requires the ability to envision multiple possible causes and solutions
• Designing user interfaces demands empathy and imagination about how others will interact with technology
• Writing efficient code often resembles crafting poetry—finding the most elegant expression of an idea within constraints
• Building network architecture requires visualizing abstract data flows and connection points

Many systems administrators view their server architecture as a kind of sculpture—constantly shaping and refining it, finding the perfect balance between performance, security, and accessibility. This perspective transforms technical work into a creative practice with both functional and aesthetic dimensions.

The Creative Healthcare Worker

Healthcare workers exercise creativity daily by:

• Adapting standard protocols to meet the unique needs of individual patients
• Finding gentle ways to deliver difficult news with compassion
• Creating workarounds for institutional barriers that might otherwise impede patient care
• Developing memory aids or visual tools to help patients understand complex medical information

Observe how nurses often help young children overcome fear of procedures by turning them into imaginative stories—where medicine becomes superheroes going on missions through the body to fight “sick monsters.” These creative approaches transform frightening experiences into manageable ones, demonstrating imagination at work in high-stakes environments.

The Innovative Customer Service Representative

Customer service might seem routine, but it’s a field ripe for creative approaches:

• Finding personalized solutions to customer problems that fall outside standard procedures
• De-escalating tense situations through creative communication techniques
• Translating technical concepts into accessible language tailored to each customer’s understanding
• Creating memorable customer experiences through small, thoughtful gestures

The best customer service representatives develop their own systems of metaphors to explain technical concepts to non-technical users. They might have kitchen metaphors, garden metaphors, and car metaphors ready to deploy depending on the customer’s background and communication style. By listening carefully to how people talk and then translating complex information into their language, these representatives demonstrate remarkable creativity in communication.

Cultivating Your Everyday Creativity

So how can you nurture and express creativity in your own work, regardless of your field? John Cleese offers profound insights on creating conditions for creativity to flourish.

1. Create “Oases” for Creative Thinking

Cleese emphasizes the importance of creating what he calls “oases” in our lives—protected spaces and times where creative thinking can happen. “To be creative, you need time to get into the right mood, and you need space, both physical space but also space in your head,” he explains.

In practical terms, this might mean blocking out uninterrupted time on your calendar, finding a quiet spot away from your usual workspace, or simply turning off notifications for a period each day.

2. Embrace the Unknown and Play with Ideas

“The real key to creativity is not being frightened of not knowing,” says Cleese. He suggests that our rush to certainty can kill the creative process before it begins. Instead, we should learn to tolerate the discomfort of uncertainty and play with multiple possibilities.

As Cleese notes: “We don’t know where we get our ideas from. We do know that we do not get them from our laptops.” This means allowing your mind to wander, connecting disparate concepts, and being willing to explore seemingly “silly” ideas without immediate judgment.

3. Question the Default Process

Creativity often begins with a simple question: “Is there a better way?” Just because something has always been done a certain way doesn’t mean it’s the optimal approach. Set aside time regularly to examine your routine tasks and ask if there might be a more efficient, effective, or enjoyable way to accomplish them.

4. Cross-Pollinate Ideas

Some of the most creative solutions come from borrowing concepts from completely different fields. How might principles from architecture apply to your project management? What could customer service learn from emergency medicine? Reading widely, cultivating diverse interests, and talking to people outside your professional bubble can spark unexpected insights.

5. Embrace Constraints

Contrary to popular belief, unlimited freedom isn’t always conducive to creativity. Often, it’s the constraints—limited time, resources, or parameters—that force our brains to find innovative solutions. Instead of seeing limitations as obstacles, try viewing them as creative challenges that can lead to breakthrough thinking.

Cleese reinforces this point when he says: “Creativity is not a talent; it’s a way of operating.” It’s not about having boundless freedom, but about how you operate within whatever constraints exist.

6. Switch Between “Open” and “Closed” Modes

One of Cleese’s most valuable insights is his distinction between what he calls “open mode” and “closed mode” thinking:

“The open mode is more relaxed, more receptive, more exploratory, more contemplative, more playful… The closed mode is the mode we are in most of the time when we are at work. We’re under pressure to solve problems, to get on with it.”

Both modes are necessary—the open mode for generating ideas and the closed mode for implementing them. The key is knowing when to switch between them, rather than staying locked in the closed mode of execution.

As Cleese explains: “We need to be in the open mode when pondering a problem, but in the closed mode when implementing a solution.” Recognizing which mode is appropriate for which task can dramatically enhance your creative effectiveness.

The Ripple Effects of Everyday Creativity

When we exercise creativity in our daily work, the benefits extend far beyond the immediate task at hand. Creative problem-solving builds confidence and resilience. It creates more engaging workplaces and stronger connections with colleagues and customers. Perhaps most importantly, it transforms the way we experience our work—shifting it from mere obligation to a canvas for self-expression and growth.

Cleese captures this transformative power when he says: “Creativity is not just about making art. It’s about finding better ways of doing things—at work, at home, everywhere.”

The accountant who finds satisfaction in elegantly structured financial models, the IT professional who takes pride in clean, efficient code, the healthcare worker who develops unique approaches to patient care—these individuals aren’t just doing their jobs. They’re expressing their humanity through their work.

And isn’t that what creativity is ultimately about? Not just making beautiful things, but bringing our full human capacity for imagination, connection, and innovation into everything we do.

So ask yourself: How might you bring more creativity into your work tomorrow? The answer might just transform not only what you do, but how you feel about doing it.

As John Cleese reminds us: “If you just keep your mind resting against the subject in a friendly but persistent way, sooner or later you will get a reward from your unconscious.” That reward—the spark of a new idea, a fresh approach, or an elegant solution—is available to all of us, regardless of our job titles or industries.