I am currently writing a textbook that, in its broadest sense, teaches people how to be creative. In over twenty years of mentoring professionals through my work as a music professor, I have found that optimized states of creative expression are more widely accessible than often presumed, and that many people possess advanced aptitudes for creativity without realizing it. Many factors can obstruct both the awareness and expression of this aptitude; such obstruction is often misinterpreted as evidence of the elusiveness or even exclusivity of creativity. While the book is intended for university or conservatory students in professional programmes such as music, visual art, theatre, writing, or dance, the topics are also relevant to general readers interested in developing insights, self-knowledge, and interpersonal skills needed to identify, create, and maintain professional opportunities and relationships aligned with their interests. The book, which can be used both as a traditional textbook or as stand-alone modules, draws on materials I created for three core professional development courses in the Interdisciplinary Music Studies programme at the University of Toronto: Building the Creative Path and Creative Identities in Music I / II. Descriptions of these courses can be seen in my course portfolio.