DO you build castles in the air ? If yes, do not demolish them. Instead, put foundations under them now. This habit reveals that you are creative and can enrich your life substantially.

Originality in thinking is not dependent on high intelligence. The "average" man has his share of creative ideas, too. In other words, an ordinary man can be an extraordinary man !

How many times have you said to yourself after reading an article, "Why, I had the same idea myself"?

The fact is that you have many good ideas but you do not cash in on them. You let them run away.

Imagine that you are on a mythical planet and then put yourself to work on problems that are not of this world. The ingenuity displayed by you will astonish you and also cross-fertilise your mind.

If you are working in an environment that favours or offers incentives for being creative then it becomes easier for you to have this ‘art of imagination’ without much help from others.

If help is available, so much the better. It will spur your imagination. Once you are started, ideas come in abundance. One young bright girl who did a freelancing stint with me persistently worked at "getting ideas". A prolific feature writer now, her very first "exercise" on teachers’ strike had brought her a byline in a newspaper.

It may not be possible to identify the distinguishing characteristics of a creative mind. The difficulty arises from the fact that a highly original thinker is an exceedingly complex person whose mental gymnastics are hard to follow. Yet, one thing is certain: his mind is ever buzzing like a bee-hive.

The person with creativity, in addition to his preference for complexity, is often a dominant individual. He is also usually a non-conformist and impulsive in nature.

He has a fine sensitivity to problems, is flexible in his thinking, and often can be spotted by the imaginative expressions which pepper his conversations. In short, he has a touch of eccentricity in his make-up.

Think twice before smothering any of your ideas. Stick to them even if they look stupid and impracticable. Remember that Gillette of razor fame was told by experts that it would be impossible to machine a piece of steel down so fine that it could shave a man’s face.