Cyclic Creativity

I have found that creativity ebbs and flows like the waves on a beach. Wouldn’t it be great to be creative all the time, but probably even artists and musicians go through creative cycles.

My level of creativity often tends to be inversely correlated with the level of thinking I need to do at work. The more complex thinking I need to do on a topic at work, the less cycles I seem to have for creative ideas.

Airplanes however, are an anomaly for me, since this typically means I am traveling for work, putting in longer days and hours, but for some reason, when I read/think in the air I tend to get better idea flow than if I am reading at work or on my front porch at home – hence I tend to scribble many thoughts in the margins, on drink napkins or whatever I happen to have.

A friend of mine says that he has creative ‘seasons’ – times of the year when he tends to be more creative – typically in the spring and early summer for him. I haven’t been able to find if this is true for me. My creativity seems more sporadic, and is something that I just started to really tap into as I begin to covet entrepreneurialism but I also feel like it is something that can be honed, and improved.

It even seems to change day to day… My business partner often knows when my creative juices are flowing. On a high flow day, he may get half dozen ideas or thoughts emailed to him within the span of the morning. Usually if I get one or two – I get a bunch, by often playing off on previous streams of thought.

Cyclic creativity is a good reason for working on ideas collaboratively, since everyone isn’t always ‘up’ at the same time. When all parties are up, it is truly magic or chaotic, but since this is less likely to occur, collaboration can ensure that progress is still happening.