Have you ever thought about where you get creative? Is it in the shower? When you’re lying in bed trying to fall asleep? When you’re sitting at a coffee shop staring out the window? For most, creativity seems to come out of the blue.

For me, creativity happens in the shower, and I was interested to discover that there is actually a scientific reason for this. Melodie Pinola, an editor for lifehacker.com writes about this creative phenonmon in her article “Science Explains Why Our Best Ideas Come in the Shower.”

Creativity can be an abstract idea and seemingly vague. At times it can seem daunting, and it is something we struggle to find. But science tells us that creativity is in fact triggered by several specific conditions. Pinola, the author of the article above, refers to Leo Widrich, who explains the science of creativity on his blog.

Pinola summarizes that creativity is influenced by the following three factors: dopamine, relaxation, and distraction. Creativity requires dopamine, which is a chemical in the brain. Pinola says that, “Triggers like exercising, listening to music, and, yes, taking a warm shower, contribute to increased dopamine flow.”

She then goes onto discuss relaxation. Creativity requires a relaxed state of being because we need to be able to “…turn attention inwards and make insightful connections”. This means that being slightly drunk or sleepy are even recommended for being creative. This surprised me — I usually associate being drunk or sleepy with being groggy or having little focus.

But when you think about, it makes sense; being relaxed lets our brains rest and put forth that energy into creativity. This may be subconscious, but when you can capture these moments in can be extremely valuable. Lastly, Pinola explains that you need to be somewhat distracted in order to be creative. This “…gives our brains a break so our subconscious can work on a problem more creatively”. If you want to explore more research about these factors, check out the links Pinola provides in her article online.

Clearly taking a shower can be the perfect solution to a problem requiring a creative solution. The shower, listening to music, running or other similar tasks all help you release dopamine, be relaxed and be distracted, which apparently are the three key ingredients for a creative brain.

And if you, like me, find that the shower is your best place for creativity, I recommend what Pinola suggests — Aqua Notes. The most important thing to remember is how vital is to capture these bursts of creativity when they hit you. Jotting down your notes or ideas like this can help you approach and solve your problem at a later time.

Another interesting article on optimizing creativity that Pinola recommends is “How to Find Your Creative Sweet Spot.” This article explains a number of studies and methods that have been researched on how to find your “creative sweet spot.” This involves learning more about what affects the creative process and then taking that information and applying it to your daily schedule, so that you may utilize your creative powers to their fullest.

Personally, I can say that I am need of some serious creativity boosts during the next week with midterms looming. I have plenty of papers to write and projects to manage that require plenty of creativity. And I am happy to say that learning that relaxation and distraction are welcome for the creative process. So slow down and take some time to simply be and think. Don’t worry about solving your issues immediately, I’m sure that with the right setting and state of mind, the creative solutions you need will find you.

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Kristen Daily is a junior in English from Orange City, Iowa.