Creativity and imaginative thinking can't be scheduled, forced, or planned. They just happen. They are spontaneous.
I am fascinated by Amy Chua's article, but haven't had time to post until now, so my apologies for the barge. Also, I am no expert, but I wonder if there are not multiple facets to creativity. And while I am not endorsing all the tactics in the article, a routine of intense practice may bring some important elements of creativity - in addition to mastery it brings a rhythm that can put you in "the zone" where creativity flows.
I am reading Keith Richard's autobiography - he describes the origin of the Rolling Stones. I found it interesting that he said they never set out to become the sensation they did. Their ambition in the early '60s was to become the ultimate cover band of American blues, enough to make ends meet. And they were obsessive students of the blues - it was a full time job to decipher and reproduce the blues music on the records they could get. It took me by surprise for some reason to hear that there was years of focused effort involved, with no greater ambition than to be a cover band. But it was that intense effort and resulting mastery that led to the band's creativity - adapting the blues to the context of their own experiences.
The difference is that Keith's mom was not there cracking the whip. In this case, his discipline came from his own passion for the music he was listening to, but I'd venture a guess that there are a few creative geniuses out there who got their start under the watch of a tiger mother....
