Imagination Is Not a Luxury - It’s a Necessity

Chantal Fourie
Jun 2
3 min read

Updated: Jul 1

Creative Thinking Is a Critical Future Skill

“The future belongs to those who can imagine it differently.”

For a very long time, creativity was treated like an elective, something nice to have if you were in the arts, but non-essential in the "real world."

Now, the world has changed.

We're living in an age where automation, disruption, and complexity are rewriting every rule, from how we work to how we relate, learn, and lead. In this evolving landscape, one skill is rising to the surface as universally essential:

Creative thinking.

And yet, it’s the very skill most people were taught to suppress.

The New Economy Demands Creativity

According to the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs report, creative thinking, self-awareness (originality), and curiosity (initiative) rank in the top 5 most critical skills for the global workforce. Not just in design or marketing, but across business, science, technology, education, healthcare.

Why?

Because linear thinking no longer solves non-linear problems. Because innovation demands imagination. Because the most valuable people in any organization today are the ones who can see possibilities others can’t yet see.

Creativity is not just about painting. It’s about problem-solving, perspective-shifting, and paradigm-breaking.

The Brain Science of Creative Thinking

Creativity isn’t an elusive gift granted to a lucky few, it’s a neural process that can be activated, strengthened, and refined.

When we engage in creative thinking, we activate the Default Mode Network (associated with imagination and future planning), the Executive Attention Network (linked to focus and goal-setting), and the Salience Network (which toggles between the two).

In short: creativity flexes multiple brain systems at once, helping us:

Generate original ideas
Make unexpected connections
Navigate uncertainty with flexibility
Respond instead of react

The more we practice creative thinking, the more neuroplastic our brains become - more adaptable, innovative, and resilient.

Life Requires Creative Thinking, Too

Creative thinking isn’t just a workplace skill. It’s a life skill.

When a relationship ends… When retirement begins… When everything familiar dissolves… We need creativity to reimagine ourselves.

We need it to:

Rewrite limiting beliefs
Design a new vision
Pivot with purpose
Reconnect with joy

At Pragshta Collective, we help people reclaim this inner resource, not just as a professional tool, but as a personal superpower.

Our Approach: Rewiring Through Art

Every guided exercise, art prompt, and journal in our offerings is designed to rewire creative thinking pathways.

By engaging in metaphor, visual expression, intuitive mark-making, and non-linear storytelling, participants:

Strengthen their cognitive flexibility
Practice divergent thinking
Learn to tolerate ambiguity (a vital leadership skill)
Expand their sense of what’s possible

It’s not about becoming a better artist. It’s about becoming a more expansive thinker.

From Problem-Solver to Possibility-Maker

Creative thinking shifts us from survival to vision. It invites us to move from:

“How do I fix this?” → “What else might be possible here?”
“What’s the right answer?” → “What’s an unexpected question I haven’t asked yet?”
“What should I do?” → “What could I create?”

This is how we become architects of our own lives.

Reflection Prompt

When was the last time you let yourself imagine something wildly different? What small act today could invite more creativity into your thinking?

Pause. Daydream. Doodle. Journal. Let go of "should" and play in the field of "what if."

A Gentle Next Step

If you feel stuck in old patterns, boxed-in thinking, or fear-based decisions, take heart: your creativity isn’t gone. It’s just dusty.

Our creative thinking practices are designed to gently reawaken that part of your mind and spirit. Whether through our 30-day journals our programmes, or our future-focused workshops, we’ll help you remember: