How to Understand and Harness the Power of Your Creativity Cycle

Inside: Has your creative inspiration run dry? Learn how understanding your creativity cycle will help you tap into all your potential.

It’s the end of a marathon day at work. You sink into the sofa to watch something brainless on YouTube. A fist-pumping productivity guru blares out in an ad:

“Here’s the secret formula to 10X your productivity, quit your day job, and never work another day! All this in 3 simple steps!“

But you can’t relate to him. You’re not a 30-something single male who wakes up at 5 a.m., takes ice-cold showers, and drinks kombucha. So you let out a huff and fumble for the Skip Ad button (and wonder if you should’ve paid for the ad-free version of YouTube).

Modern productivity advice is sometimes at odds with creativity. The process involves cyclical seasons, rather a linear assembly line that can be “10Xed.” Understanding the phases of the creativity cycle will help you improve your craft.

Let’s examine how. 

What is the Creativity Cycle?

Think back to your last project. Even if the process seemed random, the chances are that we can identify several components. 

In The Art of Thought, British psychologist Graham Wallas laid out his classic model of the creative process. According to his book, the creativity cycle involves four stages: preparation, incubation, illumination, and verification.

1. Preparation: definition of the topic, background research

2. Incubation: putting the topic aside 

3. Illumination: allowing new ideas to surface

4. Verification: implementation of the new ideas

The Missing Element of Rest

While Wallas developed his model in 1926, his book remains relevant today. But I’d add a fifth phase to his list: time for rest. Creative rest will not only give us renewal and refreshment, but it’ll also increase our capacity for future inspiration.

Here’s my version of the creativity cycle. See if you can identify where you’re at in your latest project.

1. Groundwork

The first phase involves researching ideas and gathering facts. We consume in order to create. We lay the foundation for great ideas to be built.

2. Marinating

Here we ponder our topic, either consciously or subconsciously. Our minds continue to make connections even when we work on other things. We need this time to develop fully formed ideas.

3. Insights

During this phase, we have our aha moments of inspiration. Incidentally, we often get these insights during downtime or boredom. These original ideas make our work unique to us, so we don’t want to skimp on time here.

4. Production

But as Thomas Edison once said, “Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration.” Coming up with ideas and being inspired is only a small part of the process. In the production phase, we actively develop and execute our ideas. This stage appears to be the most visibly productive and can take a long time.

5. Rest

At the end, we take a break to renew our resources. Recharging gives us the ability to repeat future cycles without burnout. The better rested we are, the more creative we’ll be.

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When we understand our unique creativity cycle, we can use this knowledge to lean into the process, rather than fight against it. Here are some practical ways to do so:

8 Ways to Harness the Power of Your Creativity Cycle

1. Study yourself.

Your process and mine will look different. You might spend tons of time doing research beforehand. You may mull over ideas during long walks. Or require a Super Big Gulp of Diet Mountain Dew before you sit down to work.

Be a student of your process. Observe it from a third-person point of view without judgment. Journal about your experiences during your next project. 

What supercharges your imagination? What kills your innovation? What increases your motivation? The goal is to increase self-awareness and understand your workflow, so you learn how you produce best.

2. Seek balance in your process. 

We all naturally prefer some phases over others.

If you’re an information junkie like me, you might get lost in the internet rabbit hole regularly. If you’re a dreamer, you love the marinating and insights phase. And if you’re a results-oriented doer, you’d set up a permanent camp in the production phase if you could. 

When we balance our creativity cycle, each phase gets the necessary time, not too much and not too little. We reap the full benefits of each phase and strengthen our skills.

3. Avoid skipping any phase. 

When facing a deadline, it’s tempting to gloss over the “less productive” phases. We jump right to the production phase because it’s the one that produces results. 

But production is only one phase. If we don’t take the time to lay the groundwork, let our ideas marinate, or develop insights, our work will be half-developed. Our ideas won’t be as deep—or original—as they could have been. 

So avoid skipping the first few phases, even when you’re under time pressure. You might even find that you save time by doing so.

4. Maintain momentum.

Studies show that a feeling of progress is the best source of motivation. More manageable goals are better than overly optimistic ambitions. Keep making progress with small wins.

Still, it’s possible to get stuck in the creativity cycle. You might hit a wall of fear and self-doubt. Or take a break—only never to come back. Or spend too long in the production phase because you’re a perfectionist.

When this happens, identify the phase you’re in. Be honest with yourself and figure out why you’re stuck. Deal with the root issue and ask God to help you get unstuck. (It rarely has to do with the work itself.)

RELATED: 13 Things to Do When You Hit a Creative Slump (Or Burnout)

5. Consider your current season of life.

Our creativity cycle doesn’t exist in a vacuum, however. We must also consider the backdrop of our season of life.

Perhaps your plate is fuller than you’d like, or you’re going through a trial you wish you could get out of. Despite your best efforts, you can’t spend as much time in the production phase as you’d like. 

Psalm 139:16 says, “All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be” (NIV). God has predetermined our circumstances, which clues us to where we’re in the creativity cycle. 

Find ways to work within your current season of life, rather than struggle against it. Consider if this season might be used for groundwork, marinating, or insights instead. Or ask God if this time is for creative rest.

6. Stop to rest and celebrate.

In our productivity-minded society, many of us neglect the rest phase. We zip from project to project with no break in between. We convince ourselves that rest is optional, rather than essential.

But neglecting rest is a recipe for burnout. At the end of the creativity process, take a step back to reflect and celebrate your wins. Give thanks to God for your completed work. And then take a break—your creative side needs it.

7. Embrace how God made you.

Do you ever scroll through social media and think, “If I were more like [insert favorite creator here], I could be more prolific, talented, or successful.”

Just as your creativity cycle is unique, you are also uniquely created. In Psalm 139:14, David reminds us of this: “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” 

In addition, God gave us different talents on purpose. He holds us accountable for only what He’s given us. Matthew 25:15 says, “To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag, each according to his ability.” This is good news!

We burn precious creative energy when we try to be like other people. Accept how God made you without comparing yourself to anyone else. No one else is like you.

8. Surrender to the Lord of your time.

Your most immediate concern today might be your seemingly impossible to-do list. The top productivity hacks and the perfect planner won’t make this problem go away. That’s because we—unlike God—are finite creatures with limited time and energy. 

May these constraints serve as a humbling reminder as to who’s in control. Let’s come before God and surrender our plans to Him, especially when our creative seasons don’t match what we desire.

James 4:15 reminds us: “Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” Proverbs 19:21 says, “Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord ’s purpose that prevails.” Offer your work to God to use for His glory. And allow for your creativity cycle to unfold in His timing.

Cultivating Our Creativity

No matter which season you’re in, nurture your abilities. It’s a gift from God to be treasured, a talent to be multiplied for His glory. When we learn to work within the cycle of our creative seasons, we maintain our joy and passion for our work. 

And we won’t need a self-proclaimed guru telling us how to live our best life.

Where are you in the creativity cycle right now? 

For more on this topic:

How You Can Use Creative Rest to Restore Your Creativity

13 Things to Do When You Hit a Creative Slump (Or Burnout)

How to Boost Your Creative Productivity in an Undeniable Way

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Photo by Mike Newbry on Unsplash