There are also tricks to the trade. Humorists have a variety of linguistic tricks, such as confusing one reference with another due to ambiguity, exaggeration, and so on. In this, George Carlin was the master. The laughter is created by a surprising juxtaposition or twisted perspective, thus the delight. Very crafted and deliberate, however. Like magicians, who use a set of few things to create highly disparate effects. This is the power of discrete combinatorial systems; few elements, seeming infinite variety.
Carlin's masterpiece was providing a case of pure linguistic creativity, using, as one would guess, shocking behavior. Nevertheless, he was absolutely correct in assuming he was likely the first person to ever pronounce those words in that order,
ever.
Obscene, yes, but it proved the point.
More broadly, there does seem to be a skill which involves being more capable of projecting conceptual space onto physical space and tracing or sounding out the result. This does seem unique to more highly creative individuals, and cannot be trained. Yet heavy and almost manic-obsessive practice also seems to play a role.
Another realm of things involves using imagining to train motor neurons. This taps into a skill we and other animals have of learning by watching others perform a task. During that time, brain imaging shows that we (or chimps) are mimicking the actions by firing the same neural networks as we would if actually moving. Sometimes we do a little of both, such as armchair quarterbacking.
On another order of things, heightened physical performance may also be traced to entering something akin to game mode. That is, for those who videogame, that flow that occurs somewhere deep in a challenging game in which a very much more difficult section is introduced, and you pass it, or nearly so, but then if you try again, you are hopeless. To wit, when motor neurons and perception are allowed to link, while learned heuristics and not conscious effort is allowed to be in command, voilá. Also why you might indeed pass that hard part the next day on first try, as new heuristics have been burned in during sleep. ETA: This does support a rational variation on the "magical" skills exhibited by a character in the film "A Spiritual Warrior", played by Nick Nolte. To wit, his catching thrown items with seeming little effort can be done when and if one can induce "game mode"; getting out of the way of your conscious brain. It is also an objective in martial arts.
