It happens to anyone totally absorbed in what they are doing, whether surgeon, artist or rock climber. Concentration and interest become so great that they lose all sense of time and enter a new level of consciousness. It is at this moment, some psychologists believe, that creativity happens.
For creativity to ignite, challenge and skill must be carefully balanced, according to Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi's 'flow' theory of innovation and discovery. If the challenge surpasses the skill, the rock climber will lose nerve and fail - or fall. If there is no challenge, the result is boredom.
The same, apparently, goes for students, said British Council assistant director David Foster, who has organised Go Creative, a new exhibition and education project now under way. 'Most people exist in the boredom zone, where they have too much skill but not enough challenge,' he said.
Hong Kong is striving to make its schools less boring and turn them into places where creativity thrives. But many did not understand what being creative was, often confusing it with artistic, said Mr Foster.
While few parents see a financially viable future in their children becoming artists, being creative should be regarded as essential for career success and for the future of Hong Kong.
This weekend, and over the coming weeks, the council sets out first to help families and then to help teachers explore the nature of creativity. On Thursday, it unveiled Go Creative at Festival Walk, Kowloon Tong. The exhibition runs until tomorrow there, before moving to the British Council in Admiralty, where it will run for a month.