Daniel Pink, in his 2005 book A Whole New Mind, repeating arguments posed throughout the 20th century, argues that we are entering a new age where creativity is becoming increasingly important.

In this conceptual age, we will need to foster and encourage right-directed thinking (representing creativity and emotion) over left-directed thinking (representing logical, analytical thought).

Nickerson provides a summary of the various creativity techniques that have been proposed. These include approaches that have been developed by both academia and industry:

Establishing purpose and intention

Building basic skills

Encouraging acquisitions of domain-specific knowledge

Stimulating and rewarding curiosity and exploration

Building motivation, especially internal motivation

Encouraging confidence and a willingness to take risks

Focusing on mastery and self-competition

Promoting supportable beliefs about creativity

Providing opportunities for choice and discovery

Developing self-management (metacognitive skills)

Teaching techniques and strategies for facilitating creative performance

Providing balance