“Many people subscribe to the conventional wisdom that there are two types of people: creative people and everyone else. Others view creativity as a universal trait; for them, it's practically impossible to get through a day without making creative choices. The TG 2009 Annual Training Conference offered a variation of this debate with a thought-provoking Creativity Workshop.

Using various real-life examples, including artist Joan Míro and author Herman Melville, Fogel illustrated the unique nature of human thought — humans are considered to be the only creatures who think in metaphor — and how failing can be a critical component of success. Berc discussed the unique ability of humans to empathize with others, or put ourselves in another creature's shoes. In the financial aid office, this important skill can be key for providing creative responses to problems and designing customer service approaches that work.”