signs of extraordinary precocity in some domain or other.But creativity involves changing a way of doing or looking at things and that in turn requiresmastery of the old ways of doing or thinking. No matter how precocious children are, thisthey cannot do. The earlier years provide at best only glimpses of extraordinary ability in thedomain they eventually turned to.Creativity can be boosted through early exposure to the wealth and variety of life. The familyplays an important role. Parents can encourage the pursuit of knowledge, instil intellectualdiscipline, and introduce their children to career opportunities and facilitate access to thefield. They can also play a crucial role in shaping character. In many cases parents are themain source of the curiosity and involvement with life that is so characteristic of these creativeindividuals.Many creative people lost their fathers early in life. But there are also examples of awarm and stimulating family context. So we cannot conclude that hardship or conflicts arenecessary to unleash the creative urge. In fact, creative individuals seem to have had eitherexceptionally supportive childhoods or very deprived and challenging ones. What appears tobe missing is the vast middle ground.It seems schools do not have much impact on the lives of creative people. Schools seemto extinguish the interest and curiosity that the child had discovered outside its walls. Atthe same time, individual teachers often awaken, sustain, or direct a childs interest. Theseteachers take note of the students potential. They give the child extra work to do and providegreater challenges compared to the rest of the class.When we study the lives of creative people we find all kinds of patterns. Some wereprecocious almost prodigious and others had a normal childhood. Some had difficultearly years, lost a parent, or experienced various forms of hardship; others had lost a familymember. A few even had normal childhoods. Some encountered supportive teachers; otherswere ignored and had bad experiences with mentors. There were some who knew early inlife what career they would pursue, while others changed their direction as they matured.Recognition came early to some and late to others.In short, genes or the events of early life alone do not shape the likes of creative people.Rather, over time, creative people make do with whatever came to hand. Instead of beingshaped by events, they shape events to suit their purposes.THE LATER YEARSCuriosity and drive are in many ways the yin and the yang that need to be combined forbecoming creative. Curiosity requires openness to outside stimuli. It is playful and deals withobjects and ideas for their own sake. Drive needs inner focus, seriousness, competitive spiritand achievement orientation. The curiosity and commitment of creative people often directsthem to confront the social and political problems that most people are too content to leavealone.As the fame of creative individuals spreads, they inevitably take on responsibilities beyondthe ones that made them famous. There are two main reasons for this, one internal, the otherexternal. With age, creative persons may run out of steam or challenges, ideas or feel boxedin by the limitations of their specialty or by the shortcomings of their lab and their tools.Famous creative