My first Magazine Creative Minds | Page 20

Preparatio For example, a writer working on a book may write for 3 days straight and then not even write for months. After incubating, go back to your problem and began crafting a solution or idea. At the end of this stage, the idea, which has been incubating, is more clearly de ned than it would have been in the beginning. It is ok to have the stages of preparation incubation overlapping. This is the research phase, where our minds collect information either subconsciously or consciously, where we actively scan our environment, books, Internet, and people for tidbits, data, sensory input, and experiences. This preparation can be task-oriented or simply draw on all that has gone before in our own lives. Incubatio You need to stop thinking about the problem and instead focus your attention on something else. Try going on a walk, a run, read, or maybe even nish your house chores. Do anything which will stimulate your mind, but something that does not involve solving the problem at hand. You need to give time to your unconscious mind time to digest all the material which you gathered in the preparation stage. This same principle is used to resolve mental blocks or writers block. The incubation stage can last from a few minutes to years. - FOUR CREA PROC