The Power of Imagination & Creative Play

Creative Spirit & Imagination

Several decades ago my parents gave me an anti-colouring book. I loved it. Instead of line drawings, the book was filled with mostly empty pages of abstract shapes and lines that encouraged you to respond with your imagination. Even better than a blank page, these starting points offered a safe framework to springboard into creative freedom. The book was created in response to the idea that colouring books stifle the imagination and are detrimental to a child’s natural creative spirit.

Some years later, I came across an anti-colouring book in a shop and discovered an explanation of the theory behind its inception. This included an illustration comparing two bird drawings created by children; one at an early stage before repeated exposure to colouring-in books (a very fantastical drawing), and the other at a later stage (a simple curved ‘V’ shape).

This struck me so acutely that I can still remember a visceral feeling of a cognitive shift. It was a recognition of how easily we are duped into some kind of dull, juice-squeezed-out conformity.

Before and After Reconstruction - Characterful Bird vs V-Symbol Bird

Looking back, this was one of those pivotal moments in life. Despite my early apprenticeship in anti-colouring, ‘V’ shaped birds had become perfectly acceptable. I had even been guilty of drawing them that way myself, even though it was quite obvious this did not capture the essence of a bird. Somehow I had ended up with an inner critic who agreed that this simplified ‘V’ symbol of a bird was the pinnacle of avian representation when, in fact, it was tantamount to a summary dismissal of the inherent character and individuality of birds everywhere. Fortunately, I had once again stumbled across anti-colouring as an oppositional force against the larger world-view proposing that birds were satisfactorily represented by a casual flick of a pen.

Note: I am not categorically dismissing simplified forms in art. In Taoist art, distilling the essence of nature into a simplistic form is a sacred art-form, a meditative act, and a different category altogether. In ancient cave art, symbols of birds often have a heart-achingly beautiful clarity and authenticity. Contemporary symbols are designed to make daily life easier to navigate. Yet, I’m pretty sure our Neolithic ancestors, the Taoists, and modern graphic designers would admit to being sorely disappointed by the sad ‘V’ rendition of a bird that has seeped into the culture.

Reclaiming Creative Freedom

So, metaphorically speaking, do you want life to be filled with experiences akin to colouring inside someone else’s pre-drawn lines? Are you willing to accept a world where birds are routinely depicted in a way that renders them indistinguishable from an accidental mark?

If your answer to the above questions is a resounding ‘no!’ then please accept my invitation to unleash your creative spirit and download this free pdf as your imagination-springboard to creating a fantastical imaginal drawing. Alternatively, take a blank piece of paper, draw a random shape or mark, then use this as a starting point for your own imaginal wanderings.