Imagination is undeniably important in all professions, but it is certainly not the most important element for success. Imagination and creativity drive innovation, and without innovation, there can be no progress. Knowledge, on the other hand, provides the foundation upon which imagination can be built. Without a foundation of knowledge, innovators may merely dream up new schemes with little chance of success. However, knowledge alone is insufficient to create lasting innovation. The addition of imagination is necessary to complete an innovation and move it from the realm of possibility to reality

The strength of imagination is that it provides the spark needed to create new ideas. A person with a creative imagination can visualize something that might be possible in the mind’s eye, while someone with knowledge can only think about the possible consequences of a given action. Without imagination, a person cannot come up with new ideas. Ideas are worthless until they are put into practice. This inability can lead to stagnation and defeat in any endeavor. For example, a person without imagination might dream of being a great musician, but he or she would never actually practice hard or take on a demanding instrument. The better musician, however, would practice daily, practice with skill, and take on a new challenge. Without imagination, a person cannot hope to create something new, and that reality is why the creativity of imagination is so vital in today’s fast-paced world

In addition, imagination helps a person overcome obstacles and solve problems. Imagine a sculptor who has spent months chiseling away at a block of marble. If he or she is not satisfied with the final piece, he or she must start over. The sculptor’s imagination is his or her greatest tool, because it provides the ability to visualize and reimagine the sculpture. Imagination can help a person see potential flaws in the sculpture, and he or she can then go about correcting them. Imagination also enables a person to see the end product, envision the finished sculpture, and then work backwards to figure out how to complete the project. No amount of knowledge can replace the imaginative processes that give a person the ability to visualize the end product

Imagination is necessary to create the framework upon which knowledge can be applied. Knowledge can teach you the rules of a particular industry, but it cannot teach you how to break those rules. The creative mind, on the other hand, has the ability to visualize possibilities that others have never imagined. This ability can revolutionize an industry, like Uber, that relies on innovation to survive. Without imagination, Uber would not have been able to reinvent the taxi industry, and countless people would still be stuck in traffic. Imagination is necessary to give people the courage to break the status quo and create new solutions, as well as the courage to overcome obstacles, such as government regulations, that stand between them and success. Without imagination, a knowledge-based profession or academic field will be stagnant and unable to adapt to shifting conditions. However, imagination alone is not enough to create new solutions or overcome obstacles; knowledge is required as well

Knowledge and imagination go hand-in-hand. Without knowledge, a person cannot have any ideas at all. Knowledge provides the ability to identify problems or opportunities, and imagination gives people the ability to think outside of the box to create innovative solutions. Imagination and knowledge together enable a person to not only think outside the box, but to transcend the box entirely.