Deconstructing Creativity: The 4 Roles You Need to Play to be Fully Creative

1. The Explorer. Ideas do not come out of the blue. In order to build them you first need to gather the raw materials: facts, concepts etc. How to Develop Your Explorer. Be curious and alert. Poke around in unknown areas. Be like a child, by paying attention to the world and being receptive to it. Rediscover the fun in finding things out.
2. The Artist. The artist has ideas. He takes the raw materials from the Explorer and combines them in novel ways. When people say someone's "creative", they're usually referring to the Artist. How to Develop Your Artist. Write down new ideas as they come to you; it stimulates your brain to generate more and more ideas. 
3. The Judge. The Judge is all about "getting real". His job is to analyze the Artist's wild ideas and assess if they're practical — in the real world. How to Develop Your Judge. Develop critical thinking.  Be real. 
4. The Warrior. The Warrior's job is to make ideas happen. For that, you'll need not only a strategy and plan of action but to put in the hours — fight the daily fight. How to Develop Your Warrior. Overcome resistance. Be courageous. 

Awareness and Timing are Critical Too

• The lesson is: make sure not only to develop the skill set for each role, but also to play each one at the appropriate time.