Here is Kant’s “Togetherness Principle”:
Thoughts without content are empty, intuitions without concepts are blind.
Kant
Although this is usually considered part of Kant’s theory of cognitive dualism about sensibility and understanding, I think it also has something to say about creativity.
For example, consider architecture. Intuition and ideas are not sufficient to create something substantial. You need hard materials and structure.
Now consider writing. Ideas for a great story have little substance by themselves. They are insubstantial. You need words, sentences, paragraphs—on paper, written down—all fitting together into one piece of work to be meaningful.
A purposeful, creative life isn’t simply about thinking; it’s about doing.