On the other hand...Creativity CAN be lost. Creativity CAN be ignored, shunned, unused and distrusted. Creativity treated this way will be exorcised.
It frustrates me when someone says that they just aren't creative. These people act as if creativity is like brown eyes or dimples. Either you were blessed with them at birth or you are just out of luck.
Exercise your creative muscles regularly and you will be surprised at how powerful they can get. Practicing creative thinking is no different than practicing any other skill. You do it often enough and you will build up strength and skill. You repeat creativity often enough that you lose your self-conciousness and develop your creative "muscle memory."And the thing is that it is practice. It doesn't matter if the pictures you take are compabable to Alfred Stieglitz or Ansel Adams. It doesn't matter if the short stories you write aren't publishable. It doesn't matter if no one can tell what you are drawing! It is practice.
Michael Jordon whiffed on thousands of jump shots so that he could make bakets when the game was on the line. Henri Matisse did sketches and field studies so he could try out different things, most of which he painted over or threw out, so that his finished work would be unique and perfect. Robin Williams told a lot of jokes that didn't even get a chuckle so that he would get belly laughs on stage.
Stephen King writes several hours per day, every day of the year. He does it to keep his creative muscle in shape. He turns out a lot of very popular books along the way, but he has indicated that he does it more for fundamentals than for results.
Just like Mike, Henri, Stephen and Robin, you need to practice your creative muscles so they are ready when you need them. And it really isn't that hard. Keep your camera with you and be on the lookout for interesting images. Write a poem or a letter in the morning before work or in the evening after dinner. Write a blog.
At first it is a slog. At first you creative muscles hurt from all of the exercise. But bit by bit, it gets easier. The ideas flow faster; the images seem more obvious to your well exercised creative mind. Before you know it, you will be ready to run a creative marathon!
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