Ability to create

Some people can mix together ingredients and create delicious food combinations.  Others, like myself, rely on following a recipe.  Usually, I don't deviate much from the recipe.  I need to follow the directions if I want to create something nice to eat.

Some people can take a pile of Lego bricks and build amazing, creative structures.  Others are not really comfortable doing that and prefer just to follow the building instructions that come with the set.  Personally, I really enjoy putting pieces together, breaking them apart, and seeing what comes out.  Usually, the end product is different than what I had imagined because of the limited set of bricks in front of me; if I can't find the exact piece I imagined, I substitute, and end up with something a little different than originally imagined.  Sometimes I pick up a cool piece that inspires a new offshoot of my creation, something I might not have imagined had that piece not sparked the idea.

I think that the ability to create new things involves understanding fundamentals.  For cooking, it's knowledge about combinations of ingredients that taste good as well as knowledge of nutrition.   For Lego, it's knowledge about assembling little rooms and nooks and windows and how to place the accessory pieces to create interesting and immersive little worlds. 

What is that called?  The knowledge of the basics in order to have capacity for creativity?  Often, having the "directions"  (i.e. recipe or building instructions) can serve as inspiration.  Seeing an example of a completed dish or structure can give ideas for creating your own, moreso than simply having a pile of bricks in front of you or seeing a collection of ingredients at the market.  Then again, simply seeing the unsorted bricks and veggies can be enough to inspire new creations.  I guess it's just that the recipe/directions give more of a push to help the creative process along.  Sometimes the push is needed, other times it might actually limit the creativity.

It's a back and forth process between the mind and the environment.

Update:  I just remembered that the word "scaffolding" is used to describe the structure provided in a learning environment.  So, how do we describe the degree of scaffolding that's provided?  Like a spectrum of  "totally guided the whole way" to "just a subtle hint here and there".   I guess "lots of scaffolding" vs. "minimal scaffolding". 

Is it possible to provide heavy scaffolding without squelching creativity?