The performing arts may in fact be especially revealing about creativity because they "externalize it," so to speak, making it happen before your very eyes. The lessons one learns from it are familiar ones: Much preparation and craft, considerable imitation of the past, an aesthetic sense guiding one's taste in innovation, and the ability and inclination to do something worthwhile, convincing and new with the raw material. Before the "creative" and "performing" arts were separated, one might have watched with one's own eyes while a performing poet-minstrel, in the thrall of an inspired moment -- guided by his muse -- elaborated an inherited (prepared) tale in a new and inspired way during an improvisatory performance.

"I believe that a focus on creativity is absolutely essential for current business success. I define creativity as producing novel, workable ideas and solutions to problems; innovation is implementing those ideas within an organizational context. You need novel and useful ideas at all stages of a process, from early idea generation up through successful implementation. I maintain that creativity is possible and desirable in all forms of work, no matter what people are doing. In particular, knowledge workers require creativity."