I've posted before about ideas that are covered by Fast Company magazine. The June 2015 issue looks at some of the most creative people in business. Robert Saflan, the Editor, offers twenty lessons of creativity. They aren't restricted to the business world. I offer them and add my own reflections, adapting them for a Christian-based approach to creative energy. That's a slight challenge in a few cases. Perhaps you can use your own creativity to apply some of his lessons to your world.

1. Creativity doesn't discriminate. Our gender, skin colour, nationality, creed, language, personal history, sexual orientation, experience, or academic credentials do not limit creativity. As St. Paul reminds us, there is a great diversity of gifts.

2. Creativity defies expectations. Some of the most creative solutions to seemingly unsolvable problems come from the hard work of little-known people. We have our own examples in the apostles and saints, men and women who are very ordinary, yet do extraordinary things for God. Can we let ourselves be surprised by God?

3. Creativity is improvisational. Saflan says that we have to be willing to break form and take risks. Don't be afraid of change. Many of us flounder in times of change. Those who sail along are those who acknowledge that change is a constant. Heraclitus, a philosopher of change, uttered one of my favourite lines from an Ancient Greek philosopher: "You cannot step twice into the same river." The actress, Amy Poehler, offers another take on this: "It's all about flexibility, about not knowing what's going to happen next. You have to listen and stay in the moment."

4. Creativity starts from scratch. I think of two images. One is a blank piece of paper. When I'm asked to offer a program, I like to start with a blank piece of paper. I'll likely use some old material, but I try to frame it in a new way. Another image is a plot of ground with nothing planted on it. The garden I'm going to be planting doesn't have to come from someone else's idea in a gardening magazine. I have this blank canvas. How will I use it?

5. Fear can't trump imagination. Regardless of any threats to us, no one can take away our imagination. Courageous women and men who refuse to live their lives in fear populate our history. Their life in an uncertain situation motivates them to start organizations and movements that change the lives of others.

6. Aggravation is inspiration. Or, as we know so well, necessity is the mother of invention. Some of the best new endeavours come about because people are exasperated and frustrated by the inefficient ways that are "the way we've always done it." What activities are you engaged in that could be done in a better way?

7. The bigger you are, the faster you can move. This lesson calls to mind the size and power of the Catholic Church and the Jesuits. There are problems with size. But, there are also advantages. When structures as large and global as the Church and the Jesuits decide to take action on an issue, things start happening. To take just one example, we've gotten a lot more effective in areas of Gospel-based social justice work, especially as we've harnessed the power and potential of the Internet.

8. Creativity turns bad into good. So often, those who have experienced difficulties in life have turned their personal struggles into good for other people. Some people who are targets of bullying and abuse respond with creativity rather than a self-pity that turns inward. They create programs or find a way to educate others.

9. Creativity happens in 3-D. I confess that this lesson stumps me. Saflan is referring to inventors who use 3-D printers to facilitate the work and creativity of people. I'm not aware of people in the Church using 3-D technology to evangelize. But, hey, anything is possible.

10. Creativity is ambidextrous. Right-brain and left-brain approaches are both necessary. We know that the history of the Church has been made richer because of the many angles from which we approach issues – through the work of theologians, philosophers, Mystics, scripture scholars, ethicists, scientists, economists, and so on.

11. Creativity can trump partisanship. The Church can be divided into camps such as left and right, progressive and traditionalist. What if we went beyond our biases about the other, and were able to work together? St. Ignatius has a very helpful reminder: "It is necessary to suppose that every good Christian is more ready to put a good interpretation on another's statement than to condemn it as false."

12. Commerce and art are thisclose. The example Saflan offers is an art collective called K-Hole. They started satirizing business trends as social commentary; now they've got a consulting practice for large companies. I wonder if there are illustrations where the Church has learned to make use of her critics.

13. Comic books can be cultural markers. Any thoughts? The point is that we can use comic books to make people re-think popularly-accepted norms. For instance, why are comic book heroes so often male?

14. Science can remake our assumptions. There is certainly a long and rich history of Jesuits and the Church being involved in science, in a very healthy way. We have contributed plenty to changing humanity's assumptions. Click here for more on Jesuits and science.

15. Games can remake education. Yes, we know that there are dangers in the use of social media. But we also have a great tool in social media and the Internet. Recent popes have spoken of the value of social media. What are some challenges for education and evangelization?

16. Bureaucracy is under assault. One of the advantages of the "internet of things" is that everyone has a voice in our world, not just the bureaucrats. That's even true in the Church. Pope Francis seemed to realize that when he wanted ordinary Catholics to add their voices before and during the recent Synod on the Family.

17. Data can shape society … The Church and the Jesuits, like most large entities, are learning plenty from the data that is coming at us: financial, demographics, and so on. How can we continue to grow in this area?

18. … And so can conversation. We have a rich history of conversation. We speak a lot in the Jesuits about spiritual conversation. Conversation is a major ministry of Christians. We listen and we speak to one another.

19. Creativity can bloom early ... Creativity is not limited to the older and more mature. A lot of creative ideas and projects come from the young.

20. … And it's just plain fun. We have fun when creative visions are brought to life. I love exploring with my iPad