Actually, I believe intelligence can be defined as the ability to patternize - to notice patterns in our world, while using your memories as the source to it. That means - as a painter, you would do best by practicing, and looking at other people painting (Since painting has a physical measure). As a mathematician, you best be seeing how other theorems have been proved and learn from it. As an architect, you best see buildings in all levels of construction - so that you know, based on what you see, how a building could look.
Of course, this is nothing more than my view of it, but I would still like to make my point clear.
Creativity, however, is a bit different, though essentialy the same: Creativity is creating patterns that you don’t think exist. Creativity can be forced, I believe - and when forced right, it might flow naturally, just as in your example with the frog and airplane. Creativity happens when you apply patterns that are not quite related to a subject, and by using only little information on that subject. Creativity is essentialy a way to create patterns (You might notice that with artists - they generally don’t create new arts when they are old - instead, they repeat what they already know, and create similar things)
The theory is that you can’t change your ability to pattern, however you can change the “databse of patterns” about a certain subject: A painter who had learnt how to draw from different perspectives (Either by creating a pattern, IE experimenting, or by learning it from someone else) would have such bigger “database”, and might even be able to apply that “database” to another subject (Making analogies) in the future.
Eventually, you learn to patternise when only parts of the information are availible - For instance
Well, that was rather long! Anyhow, I would like to finish by saying that I approve (Hehe. I mean that I think they are useful…) of your ways to increase creativity.
I also think that the best way to learn both creativity and understand your ability to patternize, though, is cold reading. I rather like this practice - It is about realizing as much as you can about a person while that person tells you as little as possible - sometimes using outer looks, sometimes using other methods.
One important thing to keep notice, though, is that cold reading is never 100% accurate - and that you can’t realize the details (Such as: When you were 8 you went to the circus), since you don’t need them. You need to learn of that person’s personality - Sometimes even as far as what they like and what they hate.
This practice is also useful if you wish to change yourself, or mask your identity from others - Since you learn the patterns behind your and their actions, and you might therfore change them.
Anyhow, while cold reading, you must keep all options availible - Such as if you see a bagger on the street, explore as many possible ways for that bagger to become homeless and poor - Perhaps a mental illness? Perhaps some old debts? Perhaps he likes it?
Anyway, That is a rather long rant - I hope you bear through it. I started talking about intelligence and creativity and ended up praising cold reading - Oh well! Hope you find it useful, and keep it in mind those are simply my thoughts of the matter - It isn’t a universal, cosmic truth - just the ponderings of a human.
As a post script - When I say pattern I mean to all kinds of stuff: There are patterns in sound, which makes us percieve some sounds as harmonic; There are patterns in math, which can deal with everything mathematical; There are patterns in sensations - Such as whenever I do a certain action, the object I hold is thrown; There are patterns in the physical world, such as whenever I enter a cafe, I sit at the same table, if possible. There are also abstract patterns, such as every some time I wish to change something in my surroundings (Such as redecorating). To name a few, those are just examples that come to my head.