The 4 Phases of Creativity 

Creativity does not flow in a straight line—it moves through phases. Psychologists call them Preparation, Incubation, Illumination, and Verification. For most people, these stages form a cycle of gathering inspiration, letting ideas simmer, experiencing the “aha!” moment, and then shaping those ideas into reality. But for ADHD brains, the cycle often looks very different: floods of ideas arrive all at once, incubation is fast-tracked or skipped, and the hardest part is usually finishing rather than starting. The good news? Understanding where the sticking points are makes it easier to build tools, habits, and support that help creativity turn into completion.