Perhaps inventive ideas are buried more deeply in some people than in others, but there are ways to coax them from even the deepest recesses. I grew to adulthood believing that I had no imagination and no artistic ability, in large part due to a grammar school art teacher who laughed at me when I said I wanted to grow up to be a fashion designer. It was another twenty years before I would even consider trying anything to do with art. Even then I was still immensely shy and terrified of asking questions, so my early attempts at needlework and needlepoint design were made on my own by trial and error. Gradually, I learned to observe, to trust my intuition and, finally, to accept the suggestions and criticisms of others.
Attitude is by far the most important.
The need for approval is a part of all of us, but fear of failure, the desire to be right most of the time and a reluctance to take risks are the greatest roadblocks to learning and development. I think this is why so many of us feel that we must follow a purchased pattern to the letter, doing things exactly the way the designer has instructed. For the sake of clarity and space, most patterns do not give alternatives, even though lots of equally good color combinations or stitching possibilities exist for a particular design. Once we learn to give a fair chance to all our thoughts, new avenues open up almost magically. You, as a stitcher, have the freedom to make choices and a solid grounding in good technique will help you, but a willingness to stretch beyond what you know is just as important.