Welcome back to all you sharp creatives! Last week, we whittled our focus by exploring the surprising creative potential of the little ol' toothpick. Did you construct a toothpick Eiffel Tower that rivals the one in Vegas, or perhaps create a pointillist masterpiece that captured the essence of summer moving into fall? Maybe you even embarked on a flavor adventure, translating taste bud tremors into a poetic flash fiction symphony of syllables.
This week, we're building upon our creative foundation with an object of substance and heft. This week's creative nudge can be formed out of just about any material, but really, only one shape comes to mind: a brick. Solid and squared off, often associated with construction and structure, bricks will pave a path for us today to a multi-sensory exploration of creativity.
While the notion that people have five basic human senses is often considered a universal truth and can be traced back to Aristotle, modern-day philosophers, and neuroscientists are now debating whether we may have upwards of 30 or more different senses coursing through (and between) our bodies.
Special for this week's edition, we'll engage not just our sight and touch but also our interoception (sense of internal bodily sensations), thermoception (sense of temperature), proprioception (sense of body position and movement), and vestibular sense (sense of balance and spatial orientation).
So, find a brick – perhaps in your garden, a construction site (with permission!), or even bake your own like a TikTok influencer. Let its weight ground you, its texture intrigue you, and its possibilities inspire you to try a few of these reflexive exercises:
Interoceptive Awareness: Hold the brick in your hands, close your eyes, and focus on the sensations it evokes within your body. Notice the pressure on your palms, the weight in your arms, and any subtle shifts in your balance. Write a short reflection on how the brick's physical presence influences your internal state.
Thermoceptive Exploration: Leave a brick in the sun for a while, then pick it up and feel its warmth. Contrast this with the coolness of a brick that's been in the shade. Consider making a series of sketches or paintings that capture the brick's changing thermal landscape.
Proprioceptive Play: Experiment with different ways of holding and moving the brick. Balance it on your head, carry it in your arms, or even try playing catch with a friend—just not in the house! Pay attention to how your body coordinates with the brick's shape, weight, and speed. Keep the Band-Aids handy.
Vestibular Challenge: Build a small obstacle course using bricks. Walk, hop, or balance your way through the course, engaging your sense of balance as you navigate the changing terrain. This activity encourages you to explore your relationship with space and movement.
As we engage with these creative exercises, let's appreciate the brick's ability to ground, challenge, and inspire us. This week, we reminded ourselves that even our five senses are just a limit we can think ourselves out of with a little creative nudge. Creativity is found in the simplest of objects; our senses are powerful tools for exploration and expression; our senses continue to grow.
Speaking of growth and inspiring partnerships, this column was written using Google's Gemini Advanced, a powerful generative AI writing tool.
