What flares creativity ? Large question. But no need to over-think this here. A walk by Brainpickings blog will make clear the combinatorial nature of creativity. And lately, a review of a book about getting out of the creative block featured one interesting creative booster : random combination. Open a magazine, pick a picture. Launch Spotify, choose a song. Take a pen, start doodling and mix the 3. The picture, the song and that childiah sketch. And your mind awakens as if you opened a door shut for too lomg. Another work-around creativity however is to read all your little random notes again. Another form of random combination. Reading through your parsed ideas will spark a new one. And for many authors, the eternal side booklet has probably been a salvation in times of mental hardship and creative drought. There lies my argument. For back to the point about what flares creativity and looking at the importance of that booklet, one grasps the importance of jotting down these ideas whenever they occur. And for one to pull out his phone or booklet each time one has an idea, there is a pre-condition : taking oneself seriously. Ego. Ego flares creativity.