People have horrible notions about what it is to be "creative" that really just serve to prevent them from attempting something. Linus Pauling said that when h

People have horrible notions about what it is to be "creative" that really just serve to prevent them from attempting something. Linus Pauling said that when he is asked how he comes up with so many great ideas, he says he just comes up with a lot of ideas and then throws away the bad ones. People are discouraged when they sit down to a blank sheet of paper and their first few efforts seem like crap. The truth is that many "creative" people started younger, when their first crappy efforts weren't so stinging. You can start something new when you are older. But you have to tolerate your errors, and you have to bother to identify your problems and fix them. Also: you don't have to be Mozart to be creative. Garden-variety creativity is pretty much available to most people who are willing to brave the slog and self-embarrassment.