The Momentum of Making:

What Research Tells Us About How Creativity Actually Works

Creativity rarely begins with clarity. Many people assume it begins with inspiration—the idea arrives, energy follows, and the work unfolds. Research suggests something far less romantic and far more useful: creativity usually begins with action. Not a lightning strike, but a practical process.

Creativity generates momentum.  

Or more specifically, fake it till you make it.

Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, known for his research on Flow (psychology), described creativity as a state in which challenge and skill meet in productive tension.  At this point of deep engagement, attention sharpens, time seems to become inconsequential, and the work itself becomes rewarding. What is often misunderstood, however, is how flow begins.

Flow rarely appears before we start working. More often, it emerges after we have already begun.

The mind also responds to rhythm and routine. When creative work becomes part of a pattern—writing in the morning, sketching in the evening, tending a garden after work—the brain begins anticipating the activity. Cognitive systems associated with creative thinking start to activate even before we sit down. The mind begins preparing for the work ahead of time, moving into creative mode in anticipation of being creative. 

How cool is your brain?

Many people wait for inspiration to begin. In reality, the act of starting is often what creates it. Research suggests that starting the work is what generates motivation. Once we begin, attention organizes itself around the task. Ideas begin to connect. Small adjustments suggest new possibilities. Momentum builds.

There is also strong evidence that creative activity strengthens broader cognitive functioning. Research in Cognitive Psychology and Neuroscience shows that creative practices—writing, drawing, improvising, building—activate networks in the brain linked with problem-solving, emotional regulation, and flexible thinking. These novel connections are exactly what innovation requires.

Organizations increasingly see creativity not as an artistic luxury but as a core professional skill. In rapidly changing environments, the ability to generate possibilities, test ideas, and rethink problems has real value.

Many people quietly opt out of creativity, imagining it requires talent, originality, or a special identity—artist, writer, designer—when in reality, creativity is far more inclusive.   At its core, creativity is simply the practice of making something that did not exist before.

A list can be creative.

A question can be creative.

A new way of structuring a meeting can be creative.

Creativity lives in iteration.

The novelist Anne Lamott famously encouraged writers to begin with “shitty first drafts”—an idea that resonates far beyond writing. The first version of anything is rarely elegant, but it creates something invaluable: a starting point. Once something exists on the page or in the world, the mind has something to respond to, revise, question, or extend.

This is the quiet engine of creativity: production.

Research from Stanford University and other institutions studying idea generation consistently shows that producing a large number of ideas increases the likelihood of strong ones emerging. Quantity, somewhat counterintuitively, often precedes quality. The more attempts we make, the more material our thinking has to work with.

Creative work is not about waiting for the perfect idea. It is about starting anyway. Trust the process.  Those conditions do not have to be elaborate. A notebook that stays open on the table. Ten minutes of sketching in the morning. Writing a paragraph before checking email. Rearranging plants in the garden and behold.

Small acts accumulate.

What begins as a small experiment often grows into something more sustained. When we make something—even something imperfect—we see proof that an idea can move from thought into the world. That small shift changes how we approach the next piece of work. Instead of wondering whether we should begin, we simply begin again.

Some days the work will pull you forward. When that happens, follow it. Stay with it longer than you planned. Creative momentum is worth honoring when it appears. Other days the work will feel stubborn. On those days, step away. Take a walk. Wash the dishes. Rearrange the bookshelf. Research suggests that brief periods of mental rest allow the brain’s default networks to continue processing problems in the background.

But then return.

Sit down again and write the rough paragraph. Sketch the imperfect line. Start the crappy first draft.  

Creativity is not a single act of inspiration. It is an ongoing conversation with possibility.

And the conversation always begins the same way: 

Make something today.

If starting is the key, here are eleven small ways to begin.

Eleven Small Ways to Kick-Start Creativity

(Anyone can create a list of Ten)

1. Write daily—and badly on purpose.

Set a timer for ten minutes and write anything: ideas, complaints, fragments of sentences. The goal is not quality. The goal is motion.

2. Ask better questions.

Take a problem you’re thinking about and frame it into questions. Start with open-ended questions. Then move to closed questions. Notice how the framing changes what you see.

3. Make a list of twenty ideas.

They can be good, bad, impossible, or strange. The first five will feel obvious. The interesting ones usually appear after ten.

4. Collect small sparks.

Save a line from a book, a photo, a piece of music, or a quote—anything that catches your attention. Creativity grows from what we notice.

5. Ask a question before bed.

Write down a problem, idea, or topic and leave it there overnight. Your mind will continue working on it while you sleep.

6. Walk with intention.

Take a fifteen-minute walk and notice five things you have never paid attention to before: textures, sounds, colors, patterns.

7. Combine two unrelated things.

Pick two random words—“garden” and “calendar,” or “poetry” and “architecture.” Ask what happens if they belong together and illustrate.

8. Rewrite something you admire.

Take a paragraph or poem you love and rewrite it in your own words. It’s a quiet way to study how creative thinking works.

9. Start a tiny project.

Write a four-line poem. Design a new meeting agenda. Plan a small garden bed. Momentum grows from small beginnings.

10. Follow the next interesting thought.

When something sparks curiosity, don’t dismiss it. Write it down and explore where it leads for five minutes.

11. Experiment with constraints. 

Set small limits—a 100-word story, a one-color sketch, or a ten-minute brainstorm. Constraints often unlock surprising ideas.

Created by Winnie O'Leary

February 2026