Imagination
Why imagining is so important.......
Recently, after a volleyball match, I was talking about school, education and children. Nothing special you might think, after all, my co-player and interlocutor was a school teacher. But during that conversation, my heart was touched. It was about the fact that it is so important that children are allowed to be creative, with paint, drama, music or with writing.
And then also really creative, from your own mind, soul, experience and not from the imposed rules that may ensure that you go home with a beautiful (read appropriate, expected, counterfeit) drawing. Certainly it is fun to make beautiful things, people often respond to that in a rewarding way.
But after a while, boredom really starts to strike and before you know it you are doing a trick and a disembodied instead of an inspired piece of work arises. And in my opinion, real beautiful things only arise if they are made with heart and soul, out of complete passion and with dedication.
So where is our passion? What is imagination and what is it actually intended for? And when will you get around to that in this busy expectant, producing, consuming society? Gosh what an artistry is a wonderful profession, every day is the challenge for me to connect with my imagination. I am an image thinker and also have a profession that fits seamlessly with that. But it's not just for artists, is it?
According to the dictionary, imagination means fantasy or the ability to evoke images, ideas and/or feelings without perceiving them sensory.
So imagination is inside, it's the sights, sounds, smells that you feel, see, smell when you turn inward. Coincidentally, I just listened to a podcast in which the maker indicates that to turn inwards you can use good breathing and you in addition, it is best to close your eyes because you can then close yourself off from the outside world for 80%. What a chance that alone gives, because that 80% can be used nicely for increasing your inner world. Perhaps also one of the reasons why you can get so many good ideas in the shower, in your dreams or when you just sit away.
Imagining, then, is the ability to imagine something in your mind that does not yet exist. It is very powerful and I think it is a beautiful way and a first step to make something happen in the sensory world. Albert Einstein too, once said that his imagination during the development of the theory of relativity was more useful to him than his ability to absorb knowledge. He imagined what it would be like to travel through space on a beam of light at the speed of light.
So imagination... it can help you make decisions, co-create your future. You imagine, you fantasize about what your new job will look like, design of a garment or what ever. This blog was created in this way before I have even typed a letter on paper. And actually we all use it, you also imagine what that wonderful holiday on Crete looks like or your new sofa in the living room and whether it should be green or yellow .....
Imagination is therefore one of the basic skills of creativity. And actually, we can appeal to that at any time and in any situation if necessary. And that is exactly what I need at the moment, to imagine how I would like to develop this imagination in children, sometimes to remember in adults and what workshops I am going to make for that .... or that I am going to write a book, or a very beautiful painting or ......
I'm curious how your imagination is doing and what you use it for!