Creativity. It comes at the most unexpected times. Did you know (according to studies), you have your most creative thoughts in the shower? I certainly can relate to this. In copywriting, this is part of the process. You learn about the topic at hand and submerge yourself in research about it. Then you start your first draft based on what you learned from both internal and external sources. But what is most fascinating about the creative process, is when the ideas marinate in the subconscious; you’ve absorbed all this information in your brain and now you sit back and focus on other things. This is when the most creative ideas come. Because if you sit down and try to have a creative thought intentionally, you usually get nothing. And this is backed by research. According to psychologists at Cleveland Clinic, when you’re not thinking about something, parts of the brain that process information become more active. health.clevelandclinic.org/why-downtime-is-essential-for-brain-health/
So by allowing yourself to focus on other things, you are helping the creative process move along. This time could be spent taking a walk outside or listening to music. Really any task that doesn’t require much thinking. This does not include social media, because as you scroll through your feed, you are bombarded with new information which your brain is then forced to process. For me, I like exploring new places or being out in nature (particularly near water). And the old adage sleep on it actually has some truth to it. Sleeping helps reinforce new memories you learned that day and connects old memories with new ones.
A lack of sleep affects an area of the brain called the hippocampus, which is responsible for processing new memories. newsinhealth.nih.gov/2013/04/sleep-it The REM and non-REM stages of sleep play a crucial role in memory solidification as well. But without getting too technical, the bottom line is, if you want creative ideas, give your brain time to process new information and get good sleep.
