Are Your Wildest Ideas Hiding in Your Dreams?

Written by Kelli Binnings, Brand Expert & Entrepreneur

Kelli Binnings is a multi-disciplined creative who loves talking and writing about brands, psychology, and leadership. She is the founder and chief brand strategist at Build Smart Brands and is the soon-to-be author of The Breakout Creative, which is set for release in late '25. She is also in the process of completing her Master’s from Goldsmiths University in London in the Psychology of Arts, Neuroaesthetics, and Creativity. 

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Ever had a brilliant idea pop into your head just before falling asleep? Or woken up with the perfect solution to a problem that stumped you all day? You’re not alone, and you’re definitely not imagining things.

Some of the most creative minds in history, like Salvador Dalí, Thomas Edison, and Albert Einstein, knew how to use the creative power of sleep to dream up the most innovative and surreal ideas. When we let go, rest, or dream, our brains spring into action in ways we can’t always explain, but science certainly can. These “altered states of consciousness” create the perfect playground for our minds to connect and explore the depths of our creativity.

Let’s dive into what’s really going on in that dreamy space between wake and sleep and how you can actually leverage it to become a better creative thinker.

Why we should let our minds wander

Contrary to what hustle culture might tell you, nonstop grinding isn’t the most effective path to creative breakthroughs. Honestly, I should have this printed on a coffee cup as a daily reminder.

Why? Because some of our best ideas are likely being developed behind the scenes while we’re folding laundry, walking the dog, or nodding off during a podcast.

Our unconscious mind thrives in states of rest or distraction. According to something called Unconscious Thought Theory, the brain continues processing complex information even when we’re not actively focused on it. The trick? We need the right amount of unconscious downtime. One study found that a moderate 3 minutes of “mental distraction” led to more creative ideas for a simple creative task over 1 or 5 minutes, suggesting there’s a sweet spot to activating our creative potential.

Try finding yours

Introduce or review a task → actively think about it for 15-20 mins → perform a mind-wandering activity (go for a short walk, take a nap, cook a meal, etc.) for 15-20 mins → consciously return to the task → write down all your thoughts.

Do this enough times, and you’ll find the ideal creative formula for maximizing your brainstorming potential.

Sleep: The unexpected fuel for creativity

Sleeping well is part of thinking well.

There have been countless studies on the regenerative power of sleep for both our minds and bodies, making rest one of the most effective and ironically, productive things we can do for our long-term health.

These regenerative benefits mainly refer to our conscious performances and our wakened states, but what’s potentially even more fascinating is what’s happening while we sleep: the subconscious brilliance we experience between the stages of sleep.

Sleep isn’t just restorative; it’s a goldmine for creativity. While we’re snoozing, our brains are busy connecting dots between memories, reorganizing information, and forging completely new, often unexpected, associations between the familiar and our imaginations. So that “aha” moment you had after a nap wasn’t just a coincidence.

There are five key sleep stages, but two of them are especially ripe for creative thinking

See here.

• REM sleep (the dream-rich phase): This is when your brain becomes an information architect, combining the familiar with the imaginative, often leading to wild dreams, original ideas, and unique yet meaningful narratives.

• N1 or Hypnagogia (the in-between phase): This is the real creative sweet spot, where you’re not fully awake but not fully asleep. Where the twilight state of dreaming is beginning and logic is loosening. Your imagination takes over, and the most surprising connections start to form. This magical state, if used correctly, can be your greatest asset to increasing creative performance.

Where genius lives

Ah, the genius of hypnagogia. This sometimes hallucinogenic, highly sensational in-between state allows us to exist within our conscious and unconscious worlds, but only for a few seconds to several minutes if we’re lucky. Capturing its power can be fleeting if we’re not primed and prepared for its results.

In this half-asleep state, our brains are relaxed but still aware, like lucid dreamers in a surreal museum of our own minds deep, I know. Artists like Dalí and inventors like Edison used it intentionally, by holding objects in their hands as they drifted off so they’d wake as soon as they dropped them, snapping them out of the dream with fresh ideas ready to explore.

More recently, scientists have tested something called Targeted Dream Incubation, prompting people to think about specific themes right before sleep. Those who hit the hypnagogic stage came up with richer, more original stories than those who just stayed awake and brainstormed. Wild, right?

So how do you “catch” these dreamy, creative insights?

Keeping a dream journal or recorder by your bed is a popular tactic. While I was writing my book, I personally tried this. However, I found that trying to read my thoughts the next morning was a bit challenging, so do consider a recorder if legibility could be a concern. The point is to find the best way for you to capture these dream-inspired insights right away. Otherwise, they vanish as quickly as they appear.

5 ways to turn your dreams Into breakthroughs

No matter your industry or career path, creativity is a necessity and a superpower of humanity. If we can experience creative genius in our wakeful state, why not try to tap into this dreamy creative power with purpose?

Here’s how to get started:

1. Take short naps: Aim for 15–20 minutes. Long enough to enter N1, but not so long that you slip into deep sleep.

2. Set an intention before you rest: Think about the creative problem you want to solve or the idea you’re exploring. Instead of scrolling through your phone while lying in bed, intentionally ask yourself a question to prime your thoughts and tap into the potential productivity of your sleep.

3. Use sensory prompts: Studies show that auditory (sound) and/or olfactory (smell) cues introduced during tasks or while learning new information can trigger richer recall and idea generation if exposure continues during your restful states. Try pairing essential oils and ambient music playlists with your learning and incubation phases to enhance your creative exploration.

4. Capture everything: Keep a journal or voice note handy. Those fleeting fragments just might be your next big idea!

5. Hydrate: Sleep can dehydrate you, which impacts memory and mental clarity. Water fuels your brain just as much as your body.

Sleep is the new creative superpower

In a world obsessed with output and productivity, slowing down might feel counterintuitive. But your unconscious mind and the mysterious, magical world of dreams is often where the real creative gold is hiding.

So, the next time you feel stuck, don’t push harder. Go for a walk, take a nap, stare out the window. Let your subconscious do what it does best: connect, create, and surprise you with something you didn’t even know you had in you.

Whether you’re struggling with an idea, making a big decision, or needing a spark of originality, try to disconnect, distract, and declutter your mind. Let your thoughts simmer in the background and maybe let your mind well “sleep on it.”

Want more?

Creativity is one of the most desired traits in both our personal and professional lives. Learning how to optimize it and tap into it successfully can be a secret weapon for us to expand our ideas and business goals and enrich our relationships. If you want more on this topic, check out this amazing book by Deidre Barret, PhD, “The Committee of Sleep: How Artists, Scientists, and Atheletes Use Dreams for Creative Problem-Solving–and How You Can Too.”

If you like this take on creative exploration and you’re a business owner or solopreneur, try applying it to your next marketing campaign or brand-related project. Introducing a new, creative perspective to your message or making small behavior changes to better reach your audience can make a huge difference. So start dreaming of all the possibilities, and if you need some guidance on some brand-building strategies, check out my ebook, Transforming Brand Perception: 7 Actions to Change the Way People See Your Brand. In this ebook, I discuss 7 behavior-focused efforts that can improve your brand value and audience perception.

Download it here and find out how you can start implementing some of these strategies. If you’re curious about learning how to build a smart brand, my course offers a self-guided deep dive into the psychology behind building an authentic brand.

This is an adapted article from research performed for a Creativity-focused course project: “The Altered States of Creativity: How Dreams and the Unconscious Spark Creative Thinking” at Goldsmiths University in London."

Connect with me on LinkedIn, Instagram or visit Build Smart Brands

Read more from Kelli Binnings

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Kelli Binnings, Brand Expert & Entrepreneur

Kelli Binnings is a fearless thinking, multi-disciplined creative who loves talking and writing about brands, psychology, work culture, and leadership. As a life-long learner and "design your life" believer, she thrives on bringing ideas to life and joy to others through her work. Outside of her brand business and love of writing, she’s a published music photographer, wellness athlete, and soon-to-be author of her first book, titled The Breakout Creative, set for late '25. She is also in the process of completing her Master’s from Goldsmiths University in London in the Psychology of Arts, Neuroaesthetics, and Creativity. Her mission is to reframe the way people think and apply positive psychology to their professional lives.