the challenge
Our weekend creative exploration challenge is focused on Fingerprints. As often happens, what starts with a metaphorical line of thought, ends up with a very concrete Insight, which is why it is often very surprising.
The Insight I captured today was indeed surprisingly literal!
my insight
When you think of a Fingerprint, you can take it to many different directions. Anything that can uniquely identify something can qualify as an association to the Seed. But remember the instruction on the Exploration Prism? “Don’t try to make sense of it — just look around you”? This is where the surprise potential is. And this is where I found myself surprised today.
I found this paper bag hung on a wall near a bakery. In fact, it is a paper bag of the bakery, and the shape at its center is supposed to be a bread. But when you look closely at it you realize it is in fact a fingerprint (surprise #1!), probably designed to reflect that the bread is handmade.
Now, it was the time to take a step back and see the bigger picture. Then, I saw these wooden boards. Together with the fingerprint association, my first thought was of a police lineup, or at least the “decoration” on the wall behind the people standing in a lineup. Which made surprise #2! And (guess what…) an idea for a new Seed.
reflection
Clearing your mind from thoughts is not an easy task. But sometimes this is exactly what you need to make real discoveries.
I have to admit, one of the less trivial things in a creative exploration as we are practicing is to avoid thinking about what I might find in advance. When I am thinking about something specific, it usually blinds me, and I tend to miss other, sometimes more surprising things.
I should note that some Prisms are designed for deliberate thinking before you do the creative work. These are mainly Maker Prisms. But the beauty of creative exploration is just that — the exploration: looking without any prejudice or plan and just being open to whatever we’ll meet along the way.
mental notes
- Clear your mind to make room for surprising discoveries.
- The beauty of creative exploration is the exploration.
now it is your turn… be creative!