[Heinleinian]

Relevant: "Putting creativity on a pedestal can also be an excuse for laziness. There is a lot of cultural belief that creativity comes from inspiration, and can't be rushed. Not true. Inspiration is just your subconscious putting things together, and that can be made into an active process with a little introspection.

Focused, hard work is the real key to success. Keep your eyes on the goal, and just keep taking the next step towards completing it. If you aren't sure which way to do something, do it both ways and see which works better." -John Carmack

[bermanoid]

If you're a mortal, don't put too much weight in the advice of the gods.

People at the top of their game are usually too prone to attribute their success to hard work. People at the bottom are too prone to write it off as a question of genius.

The reality is somewhere in between: Carmack wouldn't be Carmack without a lot of hard work, but most people could never be Carmack no matter how hard they work.

[soup10]

I don't disagree with you, but it's funny that you quoted Carmack, because his game's are always criticized for their lack of creativity.

[sehugg]

Carmack develops technology, not games. He invented the modern FPS and is still advancing the state of the art 20 years later -- I wish I were that creative.