We are often told that creation is a sudden, divine event. A flash of lightning in the mind, and—bang!—a brilliant idea appears, fully formed and perfect. If you can't produce a stream of such ideas on command, you must not be a creative person. Not a genius. This belief traps many in a painful cycle, swinging wildly from the elation of "I am a genius!" to the despair of "I am worthless" with every attempt. It's an exhausting way to live.

But what if this entire premise is wrong? What if you are, in fact, creative every single day without even realizing it? You might think, “I don’t create anything; I just copy what others do.” But that is precisely where the creative process begins. Truly original ideas may be a relic of the distant past. Today, what we call "new" is almost always a thoughtful reinterpretation of something old. The real question is not about pure originality, but about the quality of the transformation. Those who learn to do it well are the ones who succeed. And yes, this is a skill that can be learned.

Your Brain, the Ultimate Database

From a neurological perspective, creativity is a magnificent act of synthesis. When we try to generate a new idea, the brain’s prefrontal cortex doesn't invent from thin air. Instead, it accesses information already stored in our memory—the vast library of sights, sounds, and experiences held in the parietal, temporal, and occipital lobes. The cortex then combines these existing pieces of information in novel ways. In essence, even our own minds are constantly remixing and repurposing.

This is why taking two separate ideas and merging them always produces a third, new entity. Imagine two parallel lines on a page. You see one line, then the second. But you also see a third element: the empty space between them. It exists only because the other two are present. In this way, $1 + 1$ can equal $3$. The true originality is not in the lines themselves, but in the unique way you brought them together to create a new perception.

Redefining Originality: Homage vs. Plagiarism

When an idea seems completely unique, it often just means we haven't yet identified its sources of inspiration. Telegram, the hydrogen bomb, and countless other innovations are, at their core, adaptations of pre-existing concepts. One of the most powerful things you can do is to consciously copy and compile from the world around you—from nature, from the experiences of others, from art and science.

Consider the story of the inventor Percy Shaw, who was driving on a dark road one night. The beams of his headlights caught the eyes of a cat sitting by the roadside, which reflected the light straight back at him. This simple observation, copied from a biological design perfected long ago by nature, led to the invention of "cat's eye" road reflectors. Today, that same principle is used on road signs, clothing, and shoes.

We all stand on the shoulders of those who came before us. We compile and we reassemble. The crucial distinction lies in intent and execution. A plagiarist steals one idea from one source and passes it off as their own. This is dishonest and lacks imagination. A true creator, however, borrows from many sources, mixes them into something new, and honors the foundations they built upon. This high-quality synthesis and refinement is a deep and rewarding process.

The Power of the Brainstorm

If you expect a perfect idea to arrive instantly, you are setting yourself up for frustration. Brainstorming is a powerful tool to break this mental block, but it is often misunderstood. For a brainstorm to be truly effective, it must follow two simple but non-negotiable rules.

First, all criticism is forbidden. At the initial stage, every idea must be given a chance to exist, no matter how absurd it may seem—even an idea about spherical dwarfs in a vacuum. The goal is not to judge feasibility, quality, or deadlines. The goal is simply to generate as much raw material as possible.

Second, quantity breeds quality. The more ideas you have, the higher the probability that some of them will be good. During the brainstorming process, ideas should be refined, combined, and built upon. A truly brilliant solution often emerges not from a single thought, but from the fusion of several different, initially unrelated, ones. Brainstorming with a team can be especially fruitful, as you can build on each other's thoughts in real time—as long as you remember the first rule.

A Practical Guide to Cultivating Creativity

After the storm of ideas, you need to bring order to the chaos. This isn't easy, but a few guiding principles can help you find that creative solution you’re looking for.

1. Make a Rough Draft. The most difficult part of any creative endeavor is starting. The desire for immediate perfection can be paralyzing, but perfection is never the starting point. The key is to simply begin and improve your work iteratively. Whether you are writing an article, organizing a closet, or painting a picture, just take the first step.
2. Forget Perfectionism. You cannot be creative until you learn to let go. Your job is not to produce a masterpiece on the first try, but to get everything out of your head while the inspiration flows. Give yourself permission to have bad ideas. This freedom will allow you to get started much faster.
3. Surround Yourself with the Right People. Creativity thrives in dialogue. Having a team, or even just one trusted person to bounce ideas off of, is invaluable. A single well-posed question can shift your entire perspective and get a stalled project moving again. Even a conversation with an AI can serve as a decent creative partner to break a mental logjam.
4. Save Your Ideas. Every idea that seems even remotely worthwhile should be captured. Write it in a notebook, save it in a digital folder, or record an audio message to yourself. Creativity is a fickle thing. An idea that seems useless today might be the missing piece to a puzzle tomorrow, or a year from now.
5. Change Your Route. To generate new combinations, your brain needs new inputs. Eat something you've never tried. Walk down a street you've never seen. Travel to a place you've never been. Creativity loves a good shake-up.
6. Always Expand Your Horizons. The more you have seen, read, and experienced, the richer your mental database will be. Be open to new influences. Collect inspiration from everywhere—notes on napkins, images on Pinterest, snippets of conversations with friends. These are the building blocks for your future ideas.

No one creates something from nothing. Shakespeare borrowed his plots from the ancient Greeks, and Elon Musk was inspired by the science fiction he read as a child. Take what catches your eye, what fascinates you, and let it sink in. Allow it to be transformed by your unique perspective, and then present it to the world in a way that only you can.

References

• Kleon, A. (2012). Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative. Workman Publishing Company.

  This book directly supports the article's central thesis that creativity is born from influence, not from a vacuum. Kleon argues that all creative work builds on what came before it and encourages readers to collect good ideas and remix them into their own work. The concepts discussed in the article, such as differentiating between good and bad theft (homage vs. plagiarism) and the importance of starting before you feel ready, are thoroughly explored, particularly in Chapter 1 ("Steal like an artist") and Chapter 2 ("Don’t wait until you know who you are to get started").

• Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1996). Creativity: Flow and the Psychology of Discovery and Invention. Harper Perennial.

  This foundational text in psychology provides academic backing for the article's claims about the creative process. Csikszentmihalyi’s research, based on interviews with dozens of eminent creative individuals, confirms that creativity is not just a momentary flash of insight but a sustained process involving deep immersion and the synthesis of existing knowledge. The book's discussion on the "creative personality" (Part II, pp. 51-76) aligns with the article's practical tips, highlighting traits like openness to experience and the ability to connect seemingly unrelated domains of knowledge.