Through his studies, E. Paul Torrance, Ph.D., discovered that one of the measurable characteristics of highly creative people was their tendency to see and add rich and colorful detail. This does not mean that all creative people do but some did. He and I both believe that we can enrich, expand and enlargen our creative abilities and strengths by exercising and practising the characteristics often found in the studies of highly creative people.

Your challenge this week is to take an object and spend 15 minutes seeing and recording rich and colorful detail about it. Use each of your senses: separately and jointly in pairs, threesomes, foursomes, totally integratedly.

i.e.: pick up a standard children's block ( 1 1/2" x 1 1/2" wood carved block with a mix of numbers, letters and symbols on the six faces, generally with differently painted edges

1. pick up the object think about and experience it using your various senses
2. recording your thoughts is suggested in words, symbols, sketches, movements.....
3. then think about what the real details suggest about the metaphorical or the mystical
4. then think about hidden meanings
5. then think about imaginery meanings
6. then think about meanings other's might have (different people from different cultures, aliens, people from the past, the future, famous people, infamous people)
7. describe the object as your favorite mystery writer or romance writer might
8. describe the object as a highly creative advertising person might today
9. change the object using your various senses

Have fun this week. Enjoy the richness of your real universe. Enjoy the richness of your imaginery universe. Enjoy the richness of the universe that is your's to create.

© 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2006 Robert Alan Black, Ph.D. CSP