If creativity is gold, we are all on a rush. We all have veins of creative gold running through our minds, some of us are just better at mining it.The problem isn’t usually ability, but rather technique. We see the riches that others have collected and believe creativity is a hit or miss opportunity: either you strike it rich with a big find, or come up empty-handed. But the truth is, most people who find fortune in creativity don’t just pluck a big brick out of the intellectual landscape. Panning for gold requires patience and persistence; you have to sift through millions of gallons of mud to pick out tiny particles of gold. Most of us seem to think we can pop a squat by the side of the river and wait for a brick of gold to float by. And when we don’t see any floating gold bars after a couple hours, we think it must be because the river is devoid of the Au element. Creativity is a process, not an occurrence. You have to understand how that final product, that final brick of creative gold, is made: it doesn’t just occur naturally; it’s the product of hours, weeks, and years of effort.
