In recent days I have been following a fascinating discussion between colleagues in the creativity and innovation field around whether or not being creative is a skill that can be learnt and developed, and how long it takes to become a proficient creative thinker.  As you might imagine, there were many viewpoints that followed different paths. 

Some seem adamant that real creativity is a rare occurrence exhibited by rare individuals, while others believe the ability to think in creative ways is a skill that can be developed.  Most agree that real skill development takes focus, time and effort, and a few intangible attributes.  Words like need, desire, passion, motivation, perseverance, commitment and even fun feature when people talk about individuals that are seen to be truly creative and innovative.

Original thinkers like Leonardo, Einstein, Picasso, Deming, Branson, Gates, Jobs and others have an innate intuition in a specific area, and while many did not attend university, all honed the skills needed to excel in their field.

My view? Everyone has an ability to think in creative ways, but the self-patterning nature of the brain means we do best with repetition as a learning mechanism, and so can sometimes become entrenched in how we do things – not because we are not creative, but because it just works better. 

The learning skills that allow us to break the patterns of our thinking in order to create new pathways, can lead us to possibilities and concepts we have not seen before.  And while not guaranteed, when new possibilities appear creativity and innovation might follow.