I've been trying to think about exactly what my creative process is. It seems to go two ways: the easy way or the hard way.
The easy way feels like cheating. You know that one. It usually happens in the shower or during a long drive somewhere boring. When the idea just finds its way into your brain and there's no work. You're thinking that you may have stolen the idea from someone else, or that something about it is too simple. I like that one.
The hard way is when you take 4 showers a day and make excuses to take long drives to force the idea to pop into your head. Any research you do feels like the "right" answer, until you realize copying something else isn't a good way to go. I hate that way. I like to sketch a lot when I'm working through that. I'm not good at it, but something about forcing every possible stupid failure of an idea through my brain, out my fingers, and onto paper allows me to really see an idea come to life.
Once I have some sketches down, one will usually stick out as having potential. Then I move to more research and start designing on the computer. I go through a lot of drafts in the very rough stage before moving on to actually taking one all the way. Designing on the computer takes me a lot longer and I don't think my brain works as well there so I try to stay away until I have a pretty good idea of what I'm looking to do.
