In this very short (2:21) animated video, Jonah Lehrer makes a case that criticism is an important driver of creativity:
If we want to come up with new and better ideas, we need to interrupt our most comfortable and efficient (but lazy) way of thinking. So, in order to be innovative, we should actively seek out disagreement and criticism by others.
I would add to this: if we manage to adapt this attitude genuinely, and if we keep practicing it, I believe that we can become masters not only in creative thinking, but in social gracefulness and in building respectful, enriching and diverse relationships.