Imagination & Reality

Imagination Is The Only Weapon In The War Against Reality.

Fantasizing Fotos Fridays #9

Remember to think about the picture and imagine what is going on

before looking at what I wrote. No two people will imagine the same thing.

That would be weird.

~~~~~

I'm embarrassed. I had the advantage of knowing the picture's title, "Perfect Vacuum"* and I still got it wrong. I'd plead my lack of physics-training if I hadn't seen a bunch of SF films, both imaginary & true accounts, where air is pulled into the vacuum of space, through a tiny hole in the ship's hull.

I assumed that the little girl was being pulled out of her bedroom window by, well, something. When I saw the books, especially the open book with its many pictures, I thought...
That she had been reading the book a moment earlier.
That one picture in the book had awakened her imagination.
And that inspired by it she imagined the barrier of her windows breaking, allowing her to enter a different world. A world brought into being by her own creative thoughts.

Just the kind of scenario I love!

Except for the vacuum. Still being very dim bulb and not yet thinking about the picture's title, I began wondering why the windows were breaking loose in such a strange fashion. That pigeon appears to be pressed to the glass of the left frame because it's being pulled as well.

Vacuum. Nuts.

Based on the direction in which the windows are flying, her room was the vacuum. Did that make it empty in a way other than lacking oxygen? She had to have been outside when the windows broke. Otherwise she wouldn't be flying across her very empty room.

Is she returning to her home after an adventure?

What next? Will the windows defy physics and reassemble themselves? Physics says no way--our imaginations answer why not? Once back in her room, will the little girl be back in a vacuum? That would be totally unsatisfactory. Her experiences, her dreams, anything she imagined has to be coming back with her--filling her thoughts and every corner of her once-familiar room as well.

~~~~~

How many of us thought about a vacuum, either to use it or ignore it as we fantasized about the foto? How many of us never thought about a vacuum at all? I wonder how much our stories vary  in FFF #9. I'm guessing more than usual. (Remember: you can leave comments)

*Picture title and its creator:
"Perfect Vacuum--Jeremy Geddes (craft in service of imagination)."

~~~~~

Craft in the Service of Imagination

Cool.

Imagination-Exercising #7

Advice from Ernest Hemingway

Write the truest sentence that you know

Consider your options carefully. I mean don't settle for: 

"The earth orbits the sun." 

or 

"I have two noses  eyes, one nose, two ears and one mouth."

~~~~~

Stuck? Here's a few ideas that may inspire you to create one that is better.

Your choice, as always.

Compose a sentence to convey a truth about which you feel strongly.

Have you have observed something about a person or a group of friends which always holds true for them? That "something" may inspire your truest sentence. 

(Just think before sharing)

Ironic statements sometimes point to a truth but do they qualify as the truest sentence?

It may depend on your wording.

Take time to dig deep inside yourself. What is true about you?

~~~~~

Got it? Good
You've done what Ernest Hemingway recommended!


Can you do what SherryT recommends?

"Write the falsest sentence that you can."

As in the Hemingway exercise, don't settle for:
"Everyone on Earth lives a mile above the Grand Canyon."
or
Coffee is just a cup of tea brewed backwards.


Here's a better effort.
Can you create a sentence falser than the following one?
"Painstaking research has demonstrated that everyone on Earth is honest."

~~~~~

Mine? Eh. See below.
"I've always thought my brain contained Fig Newton crumps
but now I see that was just a fignewton of my amalgamation."

I'm not satisfied with mine yet but I'm out of time for now.


Fantasizing Fotos Fridays #9 will be up soon!

"The Author"

Imagination-Exercising #6

Disqualified:  Remembering

...situations from your past, a family member's past or a friend's past.

Illustration by Julia Gamolina

Imagine someone you don't know having a plan you have never had. 

Hint: Get to know your imaginary person before you do anything else. Make sure you stay within your person's thoughts (in character) throughout.

Now imagine their goal as clearly as you can.

Using at least three steps, create a scenario in which the person's original plan ends up resembling the tangled graph.

How does this person react?

Reverse Graphs 

(different plan, different person, different results)

A different person expects their plan to result in the situation we see represented by the tangled graph. For whatever reason (your choice) they must still make the attempt. 

Again, be sure to keep yourself immersed in this second person's thoughts.

Create a scenario--in at least three steps--where things work out in spite of the difficulties your person foresaw.

How does this person react?

"Observe Less. Imagine More."

“Imagination is the key to creativity. Take all the possibilities you’ve ever noticed and weave them together.”

“If you are able to imagine it, it is not “unrealistic”.

 “Inspiration comes forth from within. It’s what the light burning within you is about, as opposed to motivation, which is doing it because if you don’t do it, there will be negative repercussions."                                                                 ~ all quotations, Abraham Hicks*

Alice Rhyslynn*

Observationalist extraordinaire

Folktale and Fantasy Artist

Seeker of the Deep Magic

Welcome to Here at the Studio

Here At the Studio:Transformation

Freedom’s Realm Studios

Haida Gwaii, British Columbia

Canada

~~~~~

*Why this entry exists

Saw a picture on FB I liked.
Wanted to post it here but I wasn't sure who the artist was.
Did a Google search for the one name on the picture.
He wasn't the artist. Perhaps a "prosperity & happiness now" guru?
Saved three of his phrases that happen to mention Imagination, Creativity & Inspiration.
Redid my search using Google Image.
Bumped my nose on several paintings, none of them the one with which I started.
Pinned a couple of them, chiefly cats both big and small.
Remembered why I was scanning images.
Fell down a fascinating rabbit hole called "Here At The Studio"
Read Alice Rhyslynn's absorbing account of her adventures beginning in Haida Gwaii, British Columbia and--months or years later--ending in Haida Gwaii.
Based on her web logo, decided that Alice Rhyslynn created the picture I saw on FB.
Wanted to like her or fan her somewhere or other, but couldn't find a place to do it.
Wanted to have (low-priced) "Narenta Tumults" cover art painted by her.
As if.
Settled for bookmarking her website and posting this entry.

This Old House (Montreal's 94.7 Hits' pseudo-contest)

I stole this picture of a house and the accompanying $1,000,000 pseudo-challenge from David James" FaceBook page, because parts of the ensuing conversation thread reminded me of our Imagination-Exercising blog entries.

I don't see this photograph of an old house as useful Imagination-Exercising raw material because of the text all over it. Specifying "No-WiFi" limits the range of our imaginations since we know the photograph can be no older than the invention of WiFi.

In my opinion, you will get more practice and fun from this photo if you forget the rules of Montreal's 94.7 hits' pseudo contest and about all that print. Just think about the house and its surroundings. If you happen to think about living in the house, that's fine. If not, go with the flow in whatever direction your imagination leads you.

I will post Imagination-Exercising #6 in a few days. In the meantime, I hope you try immersing yourself in this photograph on your own.

Then, if you like, read some of the Comments from Davis James' FaceBook page. I had fun envisioning what each person imagined about the house from their comments.

~~~~~

94.7 Hits FM - Montreal's Hit Music Channel 

This isn't a real contest, but if it were.... Would you do it?!!       

Like

•    CH   Yep
     ES    Nope.
• DW   Could I still get a wired connection?
• ST     For a million dollars? Almost certainly. Except for these caveats--Is there electricity? Does the roof leak? Is there running water? Something reasonably comfortable to sit and to sleep on? Is the house infested with anything? Is the a fairly modern kitchen--even one as far back as my mom's?
• ST    P.S. Lack of WiFi wouldn't be fun but I bet I'd write a lot more!
• RDP   Yes I would
• RG   CERTAINLY and with no reservation. Let's see, no wireless, no internet, no phone, no kids... It would be like a vacation. Heck, if it is haunted, unlike kids, I could at least exorcize the home!
• MP   I like ST's caveats and I'd add two more, I want a boomstick and a particle accelerator....
• MP   I also want to know if I'm allowed to roam woods too or if I have to stay indoors 24/7
• MP   Cause I'd definitely like to wander those woods. *AWRRRRROOOOO!!!!*
• ST    MP, I'm totally with you about woods roaming! I have sort of a crush on trees. "boomstick"? shotgun or witch's single seat aircraft?
• MP   ST~ shotgun. Was a reference to all the Army of Darkness memes I've seen with Bruce Campbell. He carried a double barrel and used it to fight...the army of darkness.
• ST   It would have been a darn shame if he had fought wolf-zombies instead.
• SN   Of course
• LH   1) can I bring my camera?
          2) can I bring a friend?
• LH   MP- I really do need to see those movies, don't I?
• MP   Well, I haven't seen them yet. (my movie budget is non-existant at the moment, and has been for a while)
• ST   I saw the first a long time ago--or am I thinking about something else?
• ST   LH: Why not? I think we're making up the rules as we go here. ;-D     But about that friend... Human? Or more like human-ghost, human-witch/warlock, human undead, alien humanoid? --- Animal? Superintelligent dog/cat/horse, were-something, toothy reptile, radioactive reptile, pegasus? (Oh, please let Lisa's friend be a sentient pegasus!)
• 
  
  

  
  

With thanks to David James!

Fantasizing Fotos Fridays #8

This Friday, I offer you --us-- two portraits of rather different people.

Feel free to work with either of them or both.

Before you begin, you might want to review parts 6, 9, 12 of "The How To Be An Explorer Of The World" (August 28 entry, near the end) and this past Wednesday's entry on "Interpreting What You See". Summaries of both may be found just below today's pictures.

@ Michael C Hayes

@ Joseph Dolderer

Summaries for August 28 and September 17 entries

This past Wednesday's entry was titled, "Interpreting What You See When Observing People".   A few points relevant to today’s FFF challenge follow, for those who "skipped school” on Wednesday.

I wrote, "Interpreting What You See describes techniques similar to those we've been practicing on Fantasizing Fotos Fridays...”

From the extract:  "Don't Be In A Hurry"; "Look Closely At Facial Expressions"; "Using your imagination to connect the dots is the next step."

Do you remember the “How to be an explorer of the world" list?

The 6^th suggestion on the list was, “Notice the stories going on around you.”

Followed literally, this bit of advice may or not be useful. If we're making only a conscious effort to see a pattern, we'll gather only surface information. Once we allow our imaginations freedom to create stories based loosely on our observations, our stories will be more creative i.e. unique imaginings rather than data captured on video.

The 9^th suggestion was “Incorporate Indeterminacy"

("the apparent necessary incompleteness in the description of a physical system")

...No matter how much you stare at a person, study a photograph, try to analyze a strange sound or scent, or otherwise seek to document --everything-- , you will inevitably miss something... For those of us who are strengthening our imaginations and developing our creativity the gaps in our observations are a gift.

The 12th was "Trace Things Back To Their Origins" 

One suggestion I offered for practicing #12 was,  Ever wonder why one elderly person smiles frequently while another frowns? If we don't know someone well enough to ask them about this, our imaginations can delve into a past that we've created so that we can find an answer that suits us.

(I decided to offer pictures of two people for today's FFF while I was writing this practice scenario.) 

~~~~~

Remember to think about the picture and imagine what is going on before looking at what I wrote. No two people will imagine the same thing.
That would be weird.

~~~~~

Michael C Hayes portrait
I've been all over the imagination map when it comes to this man. 
When I chose the picture, I had the impression that he was a helmeted warrior from ages past.
Then the helmet reminded me of a fireman's helmet. I'm not sure why. It took some time to shake that idea. Time--and remembering that firemen's helmets typically have a light in the front and a long brim(?) in the back.

Back to ... well, nothing. The three ridges grabbed my attention next. Art Deco! But why would a man be wearing an art deco-styled helmet?
Would any period of ancient warriors wear a helmet that heavy? It really looks heavy! Conquistadore? Eh... Probably not. The helmet's the wrong shape. The more I look at the helmet, the heavier it gets.

I'm feeling guilty for studying the helmet and ignoring the man. I rather like his beard, I think because it's in a style that men have worn many times in history. Pseudo-history too. Didn't all the villains in Errol Flynn era movies wear a similar beard?
More wool-gathering! Back to his face. He looks strong, weathered(?) Old before his time... Rough work... A leader's experience.

Wait a minute! Where are his eyes?!? I see the bags under his eyes. Maybe the darkness above them are his eyes? The shadow from the helmet makes it hard to be sure.

All I'm sure of? I rather liked him at first. Now I'm wary. He's been through a lot. He's seen--and done--a lot. And as St Paul wrote, he doesn't suffer fools gladly.

Except Paul wrote about people who did suffer fools gladly. Who didn't...?

Wow! I'm way off track! I'm sticking with the tough, experienced leader. But, from who knows what period of history. Could be a fantasy world...*

~~~~~

Joseph Dolderer portrait

I'm out of time for now but I will get back to the young woman. I was sure of a couple of things as soon as I saw the picture. Something scared her recently. Maybe even traumatized her. She's in a safe place but she's afraid to trust its safety. Someone may be talking to her. She's trying to put up a brave front. It's working. And not. If the person talking to her can't read faces, she may keep up appearances. More likely not.

What's going on with her right arm? Is her right hand clutching her shoulder or something else? Or is part of her arm in a cast? The shape is odd, even allowing for the cloth draped over it. I suppose a cast might look strange if partially concealed.

I don't think the blue material is a coat. Not even a cloak. The pattern is very small and intricate. Maybe it's a bedspread? Something she snatched up as she was... Well, fleeing something No. Getting away just before she would have been discovered? But then, there's the maybe cast...

I hope she's safe and stays safe for a long time.

~~~~~

* Note to self. He'd be great in a Narenta novel. Sure that he's right with all that experience. And maybe he is. Or dead wrong, and following the lead of someone clever and manipulative. Okay, this is not good! I can't have yet another Narenta story premise murmuring, "Write me. Write me." Why does this guy have to be so mysterious in the intriguing sort of way? No! Do NOT come up with backstory!

Muse, I know you're here. If you want to help, help with something on which I'm already stalled! Where are ... Oops! Great! Probably pissed her off. Again.

Did you know when they leave in a huff like that, it feels like a black hole pulling all the prose out of your brain?