Good improvisers seem telepathic; everything looks pre-arranged, This is because they accept all offers made—which is something no ‘normal’ person would do.
Keith JohnstoneRead
At school any spontaneous act was likely to get me into trouble. I learned never to act on impulse, and that whatever came into my mind first should be rejected in favour of better ideas. I learned that my imagination Wasn’t ‘good’ enough. I learned that the first idea was unsatisfactory because it was (1) psychotic; (2) obscene; (3) unoriginal. The truth is that the best ideas are often psychotic, obscene and unoriginal.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote emphasizes the importance of challenging conventional thinking and embracing spontaneous and unconventional ideas.
In this quote, Keith Johnstone reflects on his experiences in school where he was taught to suppress spontaneous thoughts and ideas, believing them to be inadequate. He argues that true creativity often arises from those very impulsive and unconventional ideas that may initially seem psychotic, obscene, or unoriginal, suggesting that we should not dismiss our first instincts but explore them further for deeper insight and innovation.
Themes
CreativityImaginationImpulseOriginalityIdeas
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a creativity workshop to encourage participants to embrace unconventional ideas.
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