Pure Imagination

I took my son to go and see the new Wonka film at the weekend.?

We just made it for the start, as popcorn purchases delayed us. Imagine if they had more staff serving?

For someone that’s four years old, getting him to sit through any film is a small miracle.

But sit he did, hanging onto every word and song. His imagination running away from him in those brief 2 hours. And he's now obsessed with Oompa Loompa's.

It’s a wholesome fairytale (an origin story of sorts) and a far cry from the Gene Wilder and Jonny Depp inspired characters.

With Timothée Chalamet in the lead role and a whole host of glorious characters (as is befits a Roald Dhal adaptation).

Including Keegan-Michael Key, Paterson Joseph, Matt Lucas, Mathew Baynton, Sally Hawkins, Rowan Atkinson, Jim Carter, Tom Davis, Olivia Colman and Hugh Grant.

CHOCOLATY SPOILERS AHEAD?

With dreams of opening a shop in a city renowned for its chocolate, a young and poor Willy Wonka discovers that the industry is run by a cartel of greedy chocolatiers. Slugworth, Prodnose, and Fickelgruber. But he has a dream.

One of my favourite songs in the film (and the original Gene Wilder version) is Pure Imagination.

I’m fascinated by creativity and the simple act of imagination. But where does it come from?

And as adults how can we nurture it more? And why should we?

1. Walk away

If I hit an obstacle I’m working on and find myself up against a mental brick wall. I’ll walk away from it.?

Literally.

I hit the road and allow my brain to switch over to a mode where I’m not consciously trying to tackle the problem.?

I let my subconscious mind take over (this is where the real thinking is done and you already have the ansers to your problem locked away, deep down in there).

Walking allows the subconscious to take over a little bit more.?

Before you know it, you’ll have the solution you need AND you’ll have had a pretty decent workout.?

Did you always want to make chocolate? - Noodle

No. Back when I was your age, I wanted to be a magician - Willy Wonka

2. Doodle

Grabbing a pencil and paper helps your brain do many things.

It stops your brain going into default mode.?

The default mode network is what is active when you are daydreaming, or when you are replaying memories in your head. But sometimes instead of daydreaming, what you need is for your brain to disengage but to still be paying attention to outside stimuli. That is where doodling might come in handy. It prevents your brain from slipping into that state and essentially keeps it on stand-by.?

It can also improve memory function AND doodling is thought to give us a powerful mirror into our sub-conscious (there it is again). This can allow us to tap into other concepts and ideas we might not have otherwise considered. Doodling is also thought to give certain processes in the brain a break, while firing up other, more helpful ones.

3. Listen to music

Research has found that listening to music can help stimulate the brain's right hemisphere, which is responsible for creativity and imagination. Music effectively inspires creativity because it can evoke strong emotions and memories.

4. Engage in others imagination?

Shared imagination is extremely important if building an audience, or digital community.

And we need to understand the difference between shared and singular imagination.?

"Singular imagination is when a person individually imagines their own internal creative ideas. They use their singular imagination when playing by themselves or imagining a fantasy they want to write about, build, or draw. Shared imagination is exclusively used when one person relates to another in the here-and-now, when imagining how other people may interpret one’s written expression (which teachers describe as "writing to an audience"), and imagining what others are thinking and feeling within stories presented on screens or described in text, when depicted in art, etc." Michelle Garcia Winner, MA, CCC-SLP and Pamela Crooke, PhD, CCC-SLP

And shared imagination can be taught, but it requires social cognitive flexibility.?

Close your eyes and count to ten - Willy Wonka?

Great now I have access to all these new ways of accessing my imagination WHY is that important??

Glad you asked. According to Harvard Business Review EXTREMELY.

I've spent the past seven years travelling the world, perfecting my craft. You see I'm something of a magician, inventor, and chocolate maker. So quiet up, and listen down. Nope. Scratch that, reverse it. - Willy Wonka

"With imagination, we can do better than merely adapting to a new environment — we can thrive by shaping it. To do this, we need to strategize across multiple timescales, each requiring a different style of thinking. Duringthe ?Covid-19 crisis, for example: The initial emphasis is on rapid reaction and defense. Then the focus shifts to constructing and implementing plans to endure the likely economic recession to follow. As the recession abates, the focus shifts to rebound — making adjustments to portfolios and channels as we seek to exploit recovering demand. Over time the situation becomes more malleable, and imaginative companies shift their focus to reinventing — seeking opportunity in adversity by applying more creative approaches to strategy. In other words, renewal and adaptive strategies give way to classical planning-based strategies and then to visionary and shaping strategies, which require imagination." - Harvard Business Review

No Daydreaming -?Chief of police

It influences everything we do, think about and create. It leads to elaborate theories, dreams and inventions in any profession from the realms of academia to engineering and the arts. Ultimately, imagination influences everything we do regardless of our profession.

Imagination is the very key to unlocking innovation.?

See you next week for my last Newsletter of 2023. Just imagine what you could build if took the time to imagine.

"There is no life I know. To compare with pure imagination. Living there, you'll be free. If you truly wish to be"?- Willy Wonka