Sacks sees our ability to adapt as the cornerstone of creativity. Although most of his research has focused on neurological disorders and their relation to creativity, his work gives ordinary individuals insight into their own creativity and a glimpse at places our creativity may come from. It is organic rather than mechanical. Our imaginations are personal and alive, and we have thoughts and ideas that are unique only to our experiences and ourselves. We have moments of dissipating thought contrasted with times of unification and personal enlightenment.
Creativity is the emergence of unprecedented thought.
While our brains grow rapidly before our teen years, they continue to change and adapt as we acquire more information and life experience. Unconscious urges and desires may surface during dreams, bringing forth thoughts and feelings we had not consciously thought about before. Neurologically, the brain is functioning differently during sleep than during waking hours, as different types of brain waves operate. During times of acute crisis or trauma . When we are under intense pressure, our intellect may be stimulated to find a fast, easy and applicable solution that would otherwise go unnoticed.