Why We’re Wired to Imagine: Evolution, Survival, and the Future of Creativity

Part 3 of the "Creativity Spark" Series (read part one and/or part two)

Creativity has shaped our survival—from the time early humans gathered around fires to share stories of the hunt and preserving them with prehistoric cave paintings that offer vivid and mysterious windows into the earliest days of humanity. While other species evolved fangs, claws, or wings, we evolved imagination.

It was never the strongest, fastest, or fiercest creatures that conquered the Earth... it was the most adaptable. Our ancestors were physically outmatched by the beasts that roamed beside them, but they imagined tools, crafted language, built shelters, and invented new ways to pass on lessons across generations. Creativity wasn’t a luxury. It was our lifeline.

Imagination as an Evolutionary Superpower

Every breakthrough in human history... fire, farming, flight, the internet... began as a creative leap. A “what if?” that turned into a “why not?” When faced with uncertainty, our brains are wired not just to survive, but to improvise.

We’ve danced through disaster, navigated pandemics, adapted to climate shifts, and disrupted empires—all through the force of idea generation. We have transformed dreams into reality!

What has changed?

Survival and adaption has been the common thread woven into our story, but now we face challenges of a new kind;

• Artificial Intelligence: Once the stuff of science fiction, AI is now reshaping everything from work to warfare. It's forcing us to redefine what intelligence means—and what it might become.

• Environmental Collapse: From record-breaking heat to vanishing species, nature is warning us that old ways won’t work in a fragile world. Survival now depends on how creatively we adapt and regenerate.

• Social and Political Division: Misinformation, fear, and tribal thinking are widening the cracks in our societies. We need imagination not just for invention—but for empathy, inclusion, and common ground.

The pace of change has never been faster. The problems we face have never been more complex. Muscle won’t save us now. Creativity will. If imagination helped us survive the Ice Age, maybe it can help us survive the Digital Age.

We're Still Around the Fire 🔥

Thousands of years ago, we told stories with smoke and stone—gathered around fires, painting our thoughts on cave walls. Today? We craft digital art, launch podcasts, remix ideas, and broadcast our stories into the cloud. The fire hasn’t gone out... it has grown exponentially and mediums for expression have evolved!

Creativity is still what connects us, teaches us, and moves us forward. And it may be our most important skill yet surviving and even thriving in a world that is changing faster than ever.

Creative Thinking Now

Here are two brief exercises you can do today:

1. Spot the Shortcut: What’s one assumption you made today without even realizing it? Trace it back to its source. What are the roots or basis for that assumption?

2. Reframe a Habit: Take something you do every day... your commute, your morning routine, a conversation... and ask, “Why is this my 'norm'? "How might I do this differently or... not at all?”

Every time you stretch your perspective, respectfully challenging paradigms, you’re not just being creative. You're keeping the fire of creativity alive.

Coming September 1, 2025 from RPM-Academy

For creatives everywhere, we’re launching something built for this moment in time. A way to;

• Spark curiosity

• Flex your imagination

• Fuel your growth

• Not only survive but... THRIVE!

Daily. Simple. Powerful. Because evolution rewards the creative.

To make sure you don't miss out on announcements leading up to the September 1 launch, go to the RPM-Academy LinkedIn page and follow us.