There are many myths about creativity, inspired by the lives of extraordinary persistent creators like Mozart, DaVinci, Van Gogh, or Einstein. Absent-minded, obsessed, naive, unable to explain their inspiration, stumbling into brilliance... these cliches all suggest that creativity is not for the likes of ordinary mortals like us.And they are all nonsense. Where Mozart was naive, DaVinci was able to operate in the labyrinthine world of the Medicis. Where VanGogh was obsessed and half-mad, Einstein was a balanced, open, admirably sane man. Personality has nothing to do with creativity.
Instead, creativity is a set of traits and skills. The traits (such as perceptiveness and wilfullness) can be nurtured. The skills (such as intuitive exploration of an idea) can be learned. It's true that some people have specific talents, such as for music or mathematics, which pave their way to a creative career. But all people, in all walks of life, could learn to be even more creative if they knew how.
Creativity adds richness to our lives; it is the antidote to boredom as well as the engine of civilization. Everything around you, from a pencil to the buttons on your computer, was invented by someone, somewhere. Creativity taught you to walk and speak, and it could also teach you to live better than you ever imagined.
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