We are told to use our imagination because it is healthy for us. The definition implies that if we apply any fresh idea in a way that has never been done before, this is creativity. In his study of patients with neurological disorder and dysfunction, Sacks has witnessed extraordinary bursts of creativity. Our imaginations are personal and alive, and we have thoughts and ideas that are unique only to ourselves and our experiences. When one sense is injured, another becomes more perceptive.
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.