ADVENTure #17

Graham Wallas' Creativity Step 2: Incubation


By Chris Dunmire | Posted 3/10/24 | Updated 8/6/24


EggsIn Graham Wallas' four stages of creativity, the Incubation stage follows the Preparation stage and represents a period of unconscious processing and idea generation.

During the Incubation stage:

  1. The individual stops actively focusing on the problem or challenge at hand, allowing their subconscious mind to work on it in the background.
  2. The brain processes, sorts, and combines the information gathered during the Preparation stage, connecting it with other knowledge, experiences, and ideas stored in one's memory.
  3. The individual might engage in other activities or take a break from problem-solving, giving their mind a chance to rest and recover.

The Incubation stage often leads to moments of insight or "aha" moments when ideas emerge seemingly out of nowhere. This occurs because the subconscious mind continues to work on the problem, even when the individual is not consciously thinking about it.

The break from active problem-solving allows the brain to make novel connections and generate creative ideas, which can then be explored and evaluated during the Illumination and Verification stages.


Eggs and Coffee

Dr. Lucas D. Shallua, President of Mount Eagle College and University, has a thoughtful take on the unfolding of dreams, likening it to the egg-hatching process of an eagle.1 I like the parallels his "dreams" have with Wallas' steps of the creative process.

He says, "Every dream, like an eagle's egg, has three phases;

  1. incubation (brooding) period where all the facts about the dream are collected and carefully analyzed;
  2. nurturing period where much is invested initially and very little may be realized immediately; and
  3. flying period where the dream has broken loose and it becomes a reality to the dreamer."

What do you think?


Coffee PercolatorWallas' Incubation step is the "percolating" stage where collected information is milled over to allow ideas to filter and bubble forth.

A helpful visual for how this works is the coffee percolator. Coffee percolators are stove-top pots used to brew coffee through a continual cycle of boiling the water through the grounds until the desired brew is reached.

Yes, you can watch the pot boil as the coffee cooks, seeing the liquid continually cycle through the grounds filter as it gets darker (stronger) with each round (see diagram).2

Likewise, in the creative process, Wallas notes that after the research stage of collecting information and data has occurred, allowing a few cycles of "percolation" to brew allows ideas to filter or bubble forth.

Similar words to incubate:

  • ponder
  • reflect
  • mull over
  • contemplate
  • process

Can you think of any others?


Incubation


Hatching a Plan

Incubating Ideas

Smart Cookie

Your challenge: Now that you've done research into your new, low-carb cookie recipe, see what happens when you sit for a bit and allow ideas to incubate.

Remember, incubation, like the process of allowing a baby chick in an egg to grow and hatch, is a hands-off process that happens naturally without forcing.

Allow this process to take its course for a bit — now's a great time for a coffee break! We'll regroup after a few more ADVENTures to see what kind of ideas might brew for you.


Next Step: Step 3: Illumination


References:

  1. Dr. Lucas D. Shallua. (2024). Retrieved from https://shallua.com/
  2. Ara Azzurro. (2007). Web Archive. About Coffee. Retrieved from https://web.archive.org/web/20071226131437/http://www.araazzurro.ca/about_coffee.aspx#Coffee_percolator
  3. UnknownFerret. (2008). Cross-section of a coffee percolator. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coffee_percolator#/media/File:Coffee_Percolator_Cutaway_Diagram.svg

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