Where does creativity come from? Is everyone endowed with it? Or has it been relegated to a select few? How do we define that which is “creative” compared to that which is not? More importantly, is creativity a nonrenewable resource?

The implications of your answer to this final question are larger than we may realize. If creativity is relegated to a few, at least we know who to turn to and who to hire. We can begin formulating excuses for why we don’t have any good ideas. But what if creativity is not only limited to a few, but only in limited quantities? This is terrifying and creates a very unbalanced supply/demand curve. But maybe that’s what we have? I think the guy who ran the patent office believed this when, over 100 years ago, said, “everything that can be invented, has.” Boy, was he wrong. I hope we can be wrong about this too.
Instead I choose to believe that creativity is, by its very nature, limitless. In fact, I believe that creativity breeds more creativity. Innovation begets innovation. But far too often, we want to bridle and control it. We don’t want to let creativity manifest and become the wild, untamed beast that it desires to be. We want to make sure that it fits into nice, neat boxes and only at the times we want to call on it. No wonder we don’t “feel” creative except in spurts. If creativity is limitless, then that means there is more than enough to go around. In fact, the more we exercise it, the more there is to share. Our idea might spark a new idea in someone else, but only if we speak up. Only if we embrace it. This also means that creativity cannot possibly be left to a select few. Everyone is creative. Everyone has genius inside of them. Everyone has that potential. School, work, politics, and more may try to beat it out of us, turning us into rank-and-file citizens, but if we listen, we can still hear its voice. We can still hear it calling out, hoping that we will let it out of the cage.

Creativity is a choice. You must decide to embrace creativity in all its forms whenever it arises. You cannot let fear dictate your life anymore. Innovation is a skill, like a muscle, that must be developed. The more you practice, the better you get.
Be. Creative.
—Greg Garner