There are so many misconceptions about creativity it’s hard to know where to begin. The general trope is that creativity is some kind of arty feeling of free expression. Make a chaotic mess and you’re being ‘creative’. The problem with this generalisation is that it belies what creativity actually is. To be creative, you need:

Knowledge, expertise, skill

Resilience, patience, tenacity, methodical, repetition 

Collaboration, teamwork, group effort

Trial & error, failure, learning from mistakes

Insight, fresh perspective, unique angle

But also:

Serendipity, playfulness, observation, visualisation 

In short, creativity is hard work, that takes an enormous amount of knowledge and skill. But here’s the thing. Creativity isn’t the same in music as it is in maths or science. Creativity alters, depending on which discipline you’re working in. You can have less knowledge in pop music and make an enormously influential contribution, but you can’t do that in maths because you really have to know your onions just to have a seat at the table. 

Creativity is hugely important then, but until it is understood better, we are unlikely to get better at it. There are specialist exercises you can do, and I’ve written about them in my book Drawing for Science, Invention & Discovery, but it takes practice and a willingness to have an open mind.