Explore the five steps of the creative process and how light therapy can inspire innovation and productivity.
The creative process is often described in five stages: preparation, incubation, insight, evaluation, and elaboration. The names alone may not spark inspiration, so below each stage is unpacked to make it easier to recognise and use.
Despite the classroom flavour of the word, preparation is an energising phase where strong ideas begin.
Picture it as an open-ended journey into whichever creative space excites you. Today that might mean following hashtags such as #lighttherapy, #redlight, or #redlighttherapy; reading artists’ autobiographies; browsing online galleries; watching documentaries; listening to music; reading poetry; or simply observing daily life.
Your “materials” needn’t relate directly to your medium: the coffee in your hand or the conversation at the next table can be sources too. Stay curious, take notes, collect colours, sounds, and phrases that resonate.
Step back and let the gathered impressions settle. This stage can feel idle because the subconscious is doing the work, much like steak quietly marinating while flavours slowly penetrate.
The “light-bulb” moment—traditionally called insight or the “Eureka” experience—may arrive after days, weeks, or even years of groundwork. It can be a dramatic flash or a soft, almost whispered suggestion, and it often surfaces during undemanding tasks such as cooking, chatting, or folding laundry, when the mind is free to wander.
Not every idea deserves pursuit. This is the stage to ask, honestly and sometimes painfully, whether the concept is worth further effort.
Instead of seeing it as a threat to your hopes and dreams, treat it as a chance to test your idea rigorously. Can it withstand a wave of critical thinking, honest questions, and, sometimes, peer scrutiny?
Once your project idea has cleared scrutiny, it is time to elaborate. Pick up the pen, the brush, or the clay and start building. This is the phase where you actively create and give your idea tangible form.
For many, this last step of the creative process can take as long as the previous four combined—or longer. Expect long hours of brainstorming, experimenting, and discovering what works and what does not. You might succeed on the first attempt, but it is more likely you will produce something, dislike it, and rewind or restart—perhaps many times—until it feels right. Real sweat, real tears, and real joy emerge here; embrace them.
