Our ability to be creative is one of the main traits that makes us human. But while this trait may be inherently our own, scientists are thus far unable to locate the precise part of our brain that controls it.

Today, the very concept of creativity is in something of a golden age, unlike any since the Renaissance. As the inventor Ray Kurzweil writes, “The means of creativity have now been democratized. For example, anyone with an inexpensive high-definition video camera and a personal computer can create a high-quality, full-length motion picture. A musician in her dorm room commands the resources once available only in a multimillion-dollar recording studio. Individuals now have the tools to break new ground in every field.”

But it takes far more than tools and equipment for true creativity to exist. There must be an initial spark. “Creativity is a fragile phenomenon, easily crushed,” says Braindeis University psychologist Teresa Amabile.

It has become easy and often cliche to say, “I don’t have a creative bone in my body,” but not necessarily true. Instead of a lack of creativity, more often than not it is a suppression of it (caused most often by the pressures and stresses dealt with in daily life). Hounded by everyday requirements and demands, it seems that we never quite have time for invention, imagination and innovation. As such, many who don't believe they have the capacity for creativity, may simply be selling themselves short.

Ultimately, there are keys to unlocking this creativity. To truly be creative, one must be in a creative state of mind - or, in other words, a state of though more receptive to alternative ideas. For some, that requires listening to music, or seeing a powerful film or a work of art. For others, it's sewing, or doodling or cooking.

In the end, there is no be-all, end-all answer for creativity. It is, in essence, many things to many people. But the simple fact remains: we all have the capacity to find it. It's what makes us human. We just have to know where to look.