10 Check Your Knowledge: Stage 3 – Illumination

Illumination is the third stage of the creative process. It is the “eureka!” moment, or the moment when the lightbulb comes on. It’s the sudden arrival of an insightful idea or creative approach to the problem being addressed.

Illumination is caused by the brain’s ability to form previously unmade connections through new neural pathways. This is a concept known as synaptic plasticity.

Illumination usually comes about spontaneously while the mind is involved with something else.

When the new creative connection is made, the creator usually has a burst of energy to focus on the creative work at hand.

This intense period of work after Illumination is known as the Action phase.

Well-regulated Action can result in the creative mind finding a state of Flow, in which they work calmly and steadily, losing track of time and other responsibilities, and stay in a creative dream-state for some time.