The reason why it is futile for me to talk about creativity is that it simply cannot be explained...It is literally inexplicable.

The very essence of playfulness is an openness to anything that may happen. The feeling that whatever happens, it's ok. So you cannot be playful if you're frightened that moving in some direction will be “wrong” — something you “shouldn't have done.”

In fact, the only thing from the research that I could tell you about how to be creative is the sort of childhood that you should have had..

So you've got risk saying things that are silly and illogical and wrong, and the best way to get the confidence to do that is to know that while you're being creative, nothing is wrong. There's no such thing as a mistake, and any drivel may lead to the break-through.

Creativity is not a talent. It is not a talent, it is a way of operating.

the “closed mode”... It's a mode in which we're very purposeful, and it's a mode in which we can get very stressed and even a bit manic, but not creative.

“Play is distinct from ordinary life, both as to locality and duration. This is its main characteristic: its secludedness, its limitedness. Play begins and then (at a certain moment) it is over. Otherwise, it's not play.” ~ Johan Huizinga

The third factor that facilitates creativity is time, giving your mind as long as possible to come up with something original.

Having an idea, a new idea, is exactly the same thing. It's connecting two hitherto separate ideas in a way that generates new meaning.