Beg, Borrow, Steal: The Brilliance of Creativity (10)

In school, we were once asked to make cardboard pyramids.  While others cut and glued random shapes, I pulled out a pre-cut template, folded it neatly, and unveiled a perfect pyramid!  "Creative!" my teacher exclaimed.

That word stuck.  Years later, I discovered, I'd used a "pattern-drawing" technique from sheet metal fabrication.  That moment taught me - creativity isn’t about inventing from scratch.   It’s about connecting unexpected dots.

In our careers, creativity is problem-solving with flair, turning limits into leverage, and routine into opportunity.  Many see it as a rare gift, but it’s actually a skill.  It fades without use, and sharpens with practice.

So, how do we unlock it?

• Cross-pollinate.  Borrow across disciplines.
• Ask questions:  “What if we flipped this?”
• Let failures show you new roads.
• Play like a child.  Experiments spark magic.
• Keep asking “why” until the rules loosen.

Creativity isn’t a lightning bolt.  It’s a slow burn, lit by curiosity, fueled by imagination, and fanned by action.  Look sideways, dig deeper, and reshape the ordinary into the extraordinary.

As Nassim Nicholas Taleb said:

 “The enemy of creativity is the illusion of originality.”

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