# incubation This is a stage in the creative process when you take a break from the work to let your subconscious mind explore the ideas in its own way. You do the [[preparation]] first. You fatigue your brain with ideas and possibilities and then walk away from the problem for awhile. Work hard enough to find some roadblocks and challenges that prevent forward progress. Then [[take a break]]: go for a walk, take a shower, do the dishes, work in the garden, [[sleep on it]]. Let yourself do something that allows your mind to roam aimlessly. It helps to give your body something to do too. That's why doing the dishes or going for a walk can be so productive. While you are supposedly goofing off, your subconscious mind is still plugging away on the problem. The hope is that when you least expect it, BAM, inspiration hits with strong [[insight]] into the solutions. The answers seemingly come out of the blue. Sometimes the ideas arrive completely formed, sometimes the ideas are incomplete, but just enough for you to see things in a new light so you can keep moving forward. You can't always expect the incubation process will lead to inspiration, just as you can't force the timing. This is definitely something you can't will into being. That being said, you can create attitudes and mindsets that may help the ideas to flow. There are techniques that I've found that work well for me. I've found that it is best avoid distractions like television and the dreaded endless scroll of social media. Even spending time with other people can be a distraction to the wandering mind. Instead, let yourself [[daydream]]. Watch the clouds go by. Swing in your hammock. Do something consciously aimless. Actually, watching tv with the sound off can be fun, especially if you are watching something you've never seen before. For visual artists, spend time looking at magazines upside-down. You don't read the magazine so much as look for patterns in the layouts. You can also [[change your environment]] to get the ideas stirred up. Get away from the space you are working in to effectively tell your brain you are literally walking away from the work. Go make make a snack and consciously eat it slowly. Go outside and play. [[try something new|Try something new]]. Go to a store just to look at stuff with no intention of buying anything. Go somewhere you can do some people watching from a distance. Bookstores are good for both of those. The funny thing is, sometimes being in a new environment helps you to see new relationships or make new connections. Seeing products on a shelf or the contrast of nature vs. the built environment can inspire the solution you are looking for. On a more cerebral level, look for [[good metaphors]] that have an abstract correlation to your problem. This is harder to explain, but I hope I can make you understand. Think about the big ideas of your [[wicked problem]] and then try to find an appropriate metaphor or alternative way of explaining it. _I need to figure out how to explain this one._ I like to think of this as [[procrastination]] with a purpose. Letting your mind work on the project while you are doing something else can be a necessary part of the creative process. You have to be careful to not fall into the trap of using procrastination as a way of avoiding the work because you are lost, confused, or scared. It is far too easy to tell yourself that you are incubating when you are really just avoiding. Alternatively and definitely not recommended, sometimes the [[illumination]] comes when you are sick. T.S. Eliot noted that when you are sick, there is a “lifting of the burden of anxiety and fear which presses upon our daily life so steadily that we are unaware of it…the breaking down of strong habitual barriers”. Interesting ideas come when those barriers break down. I think this is why drugs and alcohol are also often used to seek alternatives mindsets. Again, remember that you can't jump into the incubation stage right away. There are no shortcuts, you have to do the hard work of exploring ideas _before_ you can walk away from the work. Similarly, after the inspiration hits, you still have to [[get to work]] to prove the ideas are valid. You still have to [[make the thing]]. Additional resources: - [the science of eureka moments from ness labs](https://nesslabs.com/eureka-moments) - [incubation, ideation, and editing on the marginalian](https://www.themarginalian.org/2018/11/25/beethoven-on-creativity/) --- tags: #creativity #process #stage home: [[! creative process]]