How does understanding the instrument of your choice help you with your
playing or understanding of the creativity cycle?

choosing an instrument that you  will work with.and finding one that suits you is a pretty hard job.I know I have been in that situation and it is stressful but believe me it is worth it.you have to find a instrument that you really like and love at first sight.because once you start getting the idea of the whole thing of the music. you will notice the weakness and strnghts that you have with it.later ya can discover how to fix the issues together. and if something were to happen to the instrument you use and you will have to use another instrument it will feel really weird because it is not your instrument because every instrument is different.

where is the image at? ?

soft,hard and rough for soft would be a pillow or a stuffed animal hard wood floor or a table rough paint