July’s speaker on COLLABORATE is the inimitable Jon Bell. Jon is a senior product designer at Twitter and co-founder of UX Launchpad, a company that teaches fun, hands-on design courses. He’s done all sorts of things, but you probably don’t care about that. You’re wondering if he’s going to deliver an interesting talk, and the answer is … no.

Just kidding. It’s going to be great. People seem to really like this one. And you can get your tickets here on June 29th.

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How do you define creativity and apply it in your career?
By creating things. No, wait! Come back! I’ll say more!

By creating things with others. This means being someone people want to work with. It’s not hard to come up with an idea. It’s incredibly hard to turn that idea into something real. And it’s harder still to do graciously and as part of a team.

Where do you find your best creative inspiration?
Oh, I don’t find it. I have to hunt it down and pull it from a tree like a scared kitten.

What’s the one creative advice or tip you wish you’d known as a young person?
Everyone starts projects, very few people finish. Get good at finishing and you’ll stand out. My trick for finishing is doing lots of small things and not getting bogged with giant magnum opus projects.

Who would you like to hear speak at CreativeMornings?
Me, while a second me sits in the audience. Imagine how crazy it’d be to somehow be able to see yourself from another vantage point. It could be the worst talk ever and still be a fascinating experience.

What myths about creativity would you like to set straight?
Talent. It’s a cop-out. The only thing that matters is how hard you’re willing to work. I know plenty of people with quote-unquote talent that I’d never let near an important project. Whereas if someone is willing to work hard, truly hard, they won’t just improve, they’ll stand out. Our work isn’t magic or rocket science. It just takes work.

If you could do anything now, what would you do?
Respond to this very email. Seriously. The more you’re comparing what you’re doing to what you really want to be doing, the more it erodes your mood. I am genuinely delighted to be writing silly answers to this email.

What is the one question we haven’t asked that you want to answer?
Jon, what do you think about questions that go unanswered?