Inspiration and Elaboration

 
Reverie is crucial to the creative mind, says this Observer article from a few years back. Creative people, it says, naturally know when to let the mind wander and when to concentrate on getting stuff done. A mix of inspiration and elaboration--or as I call it, creative generalism--is the ideal way to both generate an inspired idea and then to refine it for practical application.

...the 'inspiration and elaboration phases' of the creative process. That is the ability to be receptive to ideas and inspiration, and then to be able to focus and work on those ideas. While all participants - both creative and non-creative - were able to apply themselves to the elaboration phase, only the creative people were able to relax their minds enough to dream and let things come to them during the inspiration phase. Part of the trick of creativity is being able to move backwards and forwards between these two states of mind.