To me, collaboration isn't about finding just the right group of people. Don't get me wrong, bringing together just the right type of talent can make great things happen. But it's not exactly a sure thing, and it doesn't do much for creativity on its own. To me, collaboration is about making connections. The truth is, we're all talented. But all in different ways. Just like some people are really good with money, or really good at building things, we all have our own unique talents when it comes to creativity.
We can all have our own creative ideas, but there's no way for each of us to be on the same page unless everyone is open to it. We don't get to see those things really come out unless we're connecting. The less we connect, the more frustrated we get. Our ideas start to get backed up. But when we "get it", we start to understand where everyone else is coming from. "Our" ideas and "their" ideas start to line up in ways they couldn't before. To me, this is what makes collaboration work.
When I think of things like "magic" or "trapping lightning in a bottle", this is what I think of. And in that sense, I think the expression is all wrong. You're not trying to trap anything. You're coaxing something out that nobody has seen before. The capturing is more like taking a photo. It's "observing". This is how we get magic to happen.