Bright sparks

It was a cloudy summer's day in ManchesterEngland's second city, with a population of 2.8 million in its metropolitan area. It was an important industrial centre during the Industrial Revolution.. But there was still one glowing orb looking down on the city: the shaven head of Manchester City FC manager Pep Guardiola. He waved down from an open top bus as his team celebrated winning the treble.¹

Known popularly as Pep, Josep Guardiola is the best manager in football. Everywhere Pep goes, glory follows.²

Last week saw the release of a BBC documentary about Pep, Chasing Perfection, as well as a new four-part podcast on BBC Sounds exploring his life and career.

It contains surprising details. In 2012, Pep suddenly resigned and spent a year in New York. There he attended economics lectures at Columbia University given by his friend Xavier Sala-i-Martin.

He was an engaged student. Sala-i-Martin recalls: "His main source of success is his creativity. You cannot innovate unless you are curious - unless you ask questions."

Pep's success comes from his curiosity and creativity, which has allowed him to quickly adapt to new situations. As a manager, he transformed Barcelona's line-up. He took them from struggle to glory in his first season, earning 14 trophies in just four years.

Curiosity and creativity is the secret fuel behind many of the world's greatest minds. Renaissance polymathSomeone with a wide range of knowledge and learning. Leonardo da VinciAn Italian artist and inventor (1452 - 1519), considered to be one of the world's greatest geniuses. He painted the Mona Lisa and designed an early flying machine. is celebrated for applying his genius to whatever field took his fancy.³ Scientific genius Albert EinsteinA German-born physicist, whose work in the early 20th Century revolutionised scientific understanding of the world. said: "The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing."

Geniuses are often seen as exceptional, with a creative power beyond the average. Many think that some people are born with it. In his 1869 study Hereditary Genius, the Victorian geneticistSomebody who studies genes and family traits. Francis Galton even argued that great intelligence was passed down through families.

In the 20th Century, however, psychologists began to believe that we can learn to be inventive. Historian Yuval Noah Harari has suggested that schools should teach the "four Cs", which include creativity.⁴ Only by thinking creatively will they be able to deal with the problems of our rapidly-changing world. If we do not get creative we are doomed.

Can anyone learn creativity?

Yes: We can all think deeply about the world around us. The philosopher Edmund Burke called curiosity "the first and simplest emotion." The correct education system can unlock the creative genius in all of us.

No: The poet John Dryden wrote: "Genius must be born, and never can be taught." He is right. If creativity could be passed through teaching, we would live in a world of towering creatives. But we do not.

Or... Creativity is a complex term. Everyone can be creative, but in different, difficult-to-compare ways. You can be inventive at solving problems, a remarkable wit or, like Pep, a sporting genius.