[kenOfYugen]

"Creativity is just connecting things. When you ask creative people how they did something, they feel a little guilty because they didn't really do it, they just saw something. It seemed obvious to them after a while. That's because they were able to connect experiences they've had and synthesize new things." Steve Jobs

Connecting experiences, both positive and negative, and not losing the enthusiasm in the process is key to creativity.

[Sven7]

Well...no hard and fast rules here. Look at Van Gough. He saw and did what everyone else did. Then went off and did what no one else had done. Makes one wonder what effect the environment at Apple or the Googleplex has on a mind like that.