Smith's detective work on why we get creative

Alexander McCall Smith is one of the world’s most prolific and popular authors but success in writing came after a distinguished career as a professor of medical law, working in universities both in the UK and abroad. We caught up with the writer at this year's Hay Festival and he told us why everyone should get creative.

Alexander McCall Smith at Hay Festival 2015

He has sold millions of copies of his books, which have been translated into more than 40 languages but Smith recognises that you do not have to be successful to enjoy being creative.

It deals with our fundamental desire as people to create or make something, that’s what we’re like.
Alexander McCall Smith

"It doesn’t really matter if what you create is not something that’s necessarily going to be appreciated by other people you’ll have enjoyed doing it. So I think there are many, many arguments for being creative," Smith said.

"It deals with our fundamental desire as people to create or make something, that’s what we’re like. That’s what we want to do. So I say Get Creative, it makes a great deal of sense."

Following the publication of his highly successful No 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series, Smith left his teaching post to devote his time to writing fiction. He has also written the Scotland Street novels, first published as a serial in The Scotsman; the Sunday Philosophy Club series starring Isabel Dalhousie, the von Igelfeld series, and the new Corduroy Mansions novels.

Really Terrible Orchestra

The author's creative talents do not stop at writing. He's also founder and contrabassoonist at the Really Terrible Orchestra, a collection of amateur musicians who rehearse regularly in Edinburgh and will once again be performing at the city's fringe festival.

They started in 1995 with just 10 players and and was bourne from 'envying the pleasure our children gained from music'. Smith, who is also known by the nickname Sandy, said: 'It won’t be a good orchestra, in fact it will be a really terrible one' and that is how the name came to be.

At the beginning the orchestra played simple two or three part arrangements for junior school orchestras and over the years progressed to more complicated pieces which had parts for each instrument.

Early concerts were just for families of the players before gaining a regular slot on the Edinburgh Festival Fringe every August.

"Being creative is the most tremendous fun," Smith said. "It passes the time if time has to be passed, in an absolutely unequalled way."