Encouraging Creativity

Many people think of creative ideas as popping into the creators head like a light bulb turning on. In reality, this is rarely the case. Creative ideas are usually the result of much hard work over a long period of time. Even Edison's light bulb, which is so often used as a symbol for the creativity, was only invented after thousands of experiments and over two years of research.

Because creative ideas are often the result of hard work, it can be difficult to teach people how to think more creatively. Often, it is more productive to change the working environment and make the conditions more conducive to creative thinking. Obstacles such as risk and deadlines or a lack of opportunities to explore areas that spark our curiosity can easily suppress creative behavior.