We live in a complex world. We’ve come far in so many ways but we continually face challenges in our everyday lives. We have so much technology and knowledge at our disposal, yet these challenges persist.

We now have hybrid and electric cars but are limited by the availability of charging stations. We have launched privatized space travel, yet people are still going hungry and homeless.

It seems that money and technology are not solving all our challenges. What we really need are creative solutions.

Our primary and secondary education is driven by STEM – science, technology, engineering and math. These are, of course, critical, but the arts community has always been pushing for STEAM, with the inclusion of the arts. The arts challenge our typical right brain thinking and get us to think of solutions that lie outside the box. That’s exactly the kind of thinking that will help solve the challenges of tomorrow, or create new products and companies that will enhance our lives.

We all have the ability to be creative, but if those instincts are not nurtured as a child, then it becomes harder to think creatively as an adult. It’s not impossible, but it is more difficult.

As business owners, we have to challenge our employees to think creatively. We want employees who will find options that solve our challenges—not just bring up problems for management to solve.

Bloomberg Businessweek reports that “recruiters rank creative problem solving as the second most difficult skill to find among job applicants.” Why is that? Why is creativity not harvested more in developing the workforce of tomorrow?

We quoted Steve Jobs at the start of this article and his journey in helping to build one of the most creative companies, with the largest market capitalization in the world, started with a lot of trials and errors and then a calligraphy class in college that helped shape the design used in Apple computers.

Encourage your employees to think more creatively, but provide them with a safe environment in order for them to do so. This involves inspiring them to take risks and make mistakes if necessary. Of course, you don’t want their mistakes to end up costing the company millions of dollars and causing harm to other employees or customers. Just make sure it is a space where the mistake can be fixed and in the process, the employee will learn.

Entrepreneur magazine recommends keeping a journal for creative ideas and states that “from Leonardo da Vinci to Joan Didion, creative geniuses throughout the centuries have discovered a singular truth: Writing in a journal regularly helps settle your mind, and sort through options and ideas for your business, from new service or product lines to outlining your long-term vision for the business.”

Encouraging listening to music, or even better playing a musical instrument is a great creative outlet. There may be several amateur musicians at your company. Why not invite them to form bands to perform at company events? Many companies have employee amateur sports teams, which are a wonderful form of camaraderie. Company bands are another great way to build teamwork and encourage creative activities, including opportunities to improvise solos. Art activities are yet another creative activity for your employees.

It’s never too late to reignite your creativity and the creativity of your employees. It will not only help your business, but your overall mental space will benefit, as well.

“You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.” —Maya Angelou