How Your Creativity Fluctuates During Your Cycle & The Best Times To Channel It

Whether you spend your 9 to 5 in a creative job or express yourself through hobbies like visual art or music, we all have a creative side. At times, creative inspiration flows effortlessly, akin to a river, while on other occasions, it might seem as if a dam is impeding the flow of your brilliant ideas.

This is true for everyone—it's just the nature of the brain. When you're tired, mentally preoccupied, or stressed, your creative output will likely suffer because of it. Even the most successful songwriters and artists out there need to take a break every now and again.

Encyclopaedia Britannica defines creativity as, "The ability to make or otherwise bring into existence something new, whether a new solution to a problem, a new method or device, or a new artistic object or form."

This gets at the idea that, without any glitz or glam, a creative endeavor is, at its core, a task. It just tends to be a more pleasurable one.

"Fluctuations in estrogen and progesterone throughout the cycle can impact energy levels and motivation," says board-certified OB/GYN and reproductive endocrinologist Anate Brauer, M.D.

Both hormones are depleted during your period, so you may feel less motivated to engage in creative pursuits during this time. 

As you can imagine, your motivation will also depend on your menstrual symptoms (some women have breezy periods, others horrible weeklong menses). But either way, your hormones aren't exactly setting you up for a creative awakening during this time. Take any time you need to rest and recharge accordingly. 

Once your period is over (the follicular phase), estrogen is at its peak and progesterone is rising simultaneously, dialing up your energy and motivation. During this phase, you may also experience better sleep, less anxiety, and more energy for movement and exercise. 

Some studies show that movement can spark innovative thinking1, and your follicular phase is ripe for exercise—be it lifting heavier weights, running farther distances, or trying more intense workout classes. 

After the follicular phase, we move into the luteal phase. "Toward the end of the luteal phase, just before the next menses, estrogen is at its lowest. This often contributes to feelings of stress, depression, and insomnia," Brauer says. If this is the case and you experience PMS symptoms, it's certainly not the time to try to force yourself to be creative. 

In fact, holding yourself to an unrealistic standard while dealing with lack of sleep, mood swings, and anxiety can make you feel even worse. 

Instead, focus on what you know makes you feel good. Take a long walk outside, spend more time winding down than you usually do, enjoy a warm bath, etc. The goal during the latter half of the luteal phase is just to get through and treat yourself with compassion. 

If you know that you tend to have fairly strong PMS symptoms during this time, consider trying to schedule your creative projects around it. This isn't always possible, but if you can swing it, you may save yourself from a day of frustration trying to squeeze ideas from a tired brain. 

Plus, you can spend this time admiring the work of others and finding inspiration in the world around you. By the time you reach your peak energy levels, you'll have a steady base of inspiration to help you create something new.

Women on combination birth control receive a steady dose of hormones throughout the month. Because of this, they may not feel the strong fluctuations of progesterone and estrogen impacting their energy and motivation. 

However, those on tri-phasic pills that vary in hormone levels to mimic a natural cycle may resonate more with the traditional fluctuations covered above. 

During menopause, women experience a drop in all hormones, including estrogen and progesterone. This doesn't mean that creativity will be at an all-time low by any means, but you may feel more mental and physical fatigue getting in the way of it.

So here we are, knowing that hormones directly impact motivation, energy, and thus creativity, but left wondering if the only way to deal is by scheduling in creative projects for the best two weeks of the month (an unrealistic wish for most folks). 

Creativity is undeniably impacted by motivation and energy, both of which fluctuate with hormones like estrogen and progesterone. After your period and before ovulation is when you'll likely feel the most creative, and the second half of the luteal phase is likely when your creativity will be at its lowest. No matter the phase, it's important to work with your personal rhythms instead of trying to resist the natural ebbs and flows of your body.