While it may be more obvious to play while brainstorming new ideas, play is also valuable throughout the other phases of the creative process. Play is the trap door into the creative process that plunges us into the hard things before we know they are hard, so that our natural courage shows up when we needed it, and so we could prove to ourselves what we are capable of doing. Ideating isn't the only hard thing. Every part of the creative process poses challenges.

In today's episode, we'll explore strategies for mining the mess that might pile up during a brainstorm with a puzzle-solving mindset to find the gold. Next, we'll use critical thinking tools to figure out where and how those chosen pieces might best fit into your overall project.

Follow the show link to download this week's reflection guide.