What is imagination?

What is imagination? I have just watched this brilliant TED talk by Charles Faulkner. He explains that imagination is not what we think, but how we think.

We see things that we already know about, and don’t see things that we don’t know.

We categorise things, and people. When we do this to ourselves, it limits our identity and what we choose to do. When other people do it to us, it influences how they perceive us and how they respond to us.

If something is ambiguous, we unconsciously try to make sense of it, but what we take as real may actually be imagined. The same process applies during creativity and invention. We figure things out by comparing them to other things, and looking for solutions.

There are lots of places where imagination thrives, and those are the places where there is a high degree of uncertainty. Outcomes are not predictable, and as a result you see a lot of superstition and ritual. During times of uncertainty, we rely on these rituals.

Our rational, thinking, System 2 mind uses language to control situations. But language is based on imagination, and we use words to represent things. Words make things what they are, which is why when we label ourselves or other people, we take those words and make them a reality. Words evoke experiences. Stories are an act of imagination, and we can make them reality by turning them into our destiny. The power and persuasiveness of our imagination are more important than knowledge. When technology and science have exceeded our imagination, it is time to reimagine the world, so that our perception and understanding can catch up.

Project 365

I set up this website after deciding that I want to build a more creative life for myself, so I can give up my job and be in control of my own destiny.

I have set myself a goal of publishing an article on my website every day this year, to document my journey from employment to self-employment.

The name I chose was Project 365 because I see this as a year that I have dedicated to learning and self-development, as I countdown to freedom. It started on 1st January 2021, so I have 266 days to go!