Necessity

Necessity is the mother of invention - and the sister of creativity. Necessity is a form of vacuum, an awareness of "not" -- not working, not pleasant, not available -- not something important.

As such it is a precondition of learning, and creativity can be thought of as learning that comes from within. (That's why it is called inspiration at times).

A young man went to the old Confucian master and said he wanted to be his student. The master politely agreed and told him to come to his house the next morning at tea time. When they sat down, the master began to fill the younger man's cup. But after the cup was full, he kept on pouring. When the young man protested, the older man said, "Well, this is like our situation. You come to me for wisdom, but you are already so full of yourself that there is no room for me to give you anything."

But when we are in pain or confused or consciously ignorant--some kind of emptiness-- then we feel the necessity that is the mother of invention and the sister of creativity. I have learned that this necessity comes from two directions: a pull into something new or a kick, strategically placed, to suggest I leave something old. From either direction, I feel a certain urgency - a necessity.
So where are you empty? Your Enneagram style, with it's tight focus on one thing, usually omits looking or sensing other areas. Look at the "low side" of your enneagram style and you will see your empty area - a source of creativity.