Research - The First Step to Creative Processing?

I was recently asked what the first step to the creation process is for me and I didn't know what to say.  I thought about recent things I had created and the steps I had taken, but all I could think about was a Pinboard I had looked at before beginning the piece.  I thought about coffee I'd drank and the gummy bears I had eaten.  Not wanting to reveal any of these secret (mundane) sources I didn't say much at all.
Today, I know what to say because before writing, this time, I didn't consult Pinterest, but rather history and it all became clear.  The first step to my novel writing - I am not ashamed to say - is Research.  Once I have an idea or an inkling, I research it.  Sure there might be coffee and gummy bears involved, and, I do think that Pinterest is a form of research - for visuals and imaginative tangents - but historical research and fact-finding are also involved.
Here's Proof! Before writing The Faerie Ring Dance, although knowing I was going to write about faeries due to experiences in the great northwest, I consulted ancient, Irish, faerie legend which motivated me to write 'an actual account' of occurrences inside the faerie's ring.  Leadville: 300 Days Away was first born from research, Chagall, naturally, although again the research was visual - at a gallery show of his work.
As I embark on the upcoming NaNoWriMo Summer Camp, I have on my list today: Research.  The research of - as usual for me - the dead and historical.  Which also might explain the interest in immortal status of vampires - novel series. Maybe most children's book authors purely invent the characters and worlds among their pages, but I find much more creativity to my process when I start with a snippet of truth. Hopefully, I won't be in the uncrafty, boring camp cabin for this admission!!