You have a super power in yourself, the ability to imagine! Imagination is a magical gift of God to mankind. And the designers who have mastered this imagination are blessed with creativity. It is due to imagination that great works of design, engineering and artwork happen.
How to master imagination for use in your line of design? While 1st year class of basic design is still relevant, I am going to tell you 3 secrets of enhancing imagination..
1. Observe things - Your eyes are far superior to a digital camera and your brain has much more storage capacity than a super computer. Practice seeing existing things in details, vivid colour and have a mental appreciation or analysis of the things you see. Taking notes is not necessarily an option but observe things of your interests in a keen manner. Your mind is able to retain your observations for a life time. What you observe, see and experience forms the basic database your imagination. And thats also sets the limit to your imagination. You mind will only process what it has absorbed. Observe even when you read a book and make mental graphics of what you read.
2. Cut yourself away from noise and distraction - Even if you are in a crowded noisy place train your mind to concentrate on what you want to do without getting disturbed by surroundings. When you practice this a time comes when you and your mind s focussed on the task at hand and you cannot even get affected by noise. This makes your mind recall things and weave the information in a creative way. Dont let your mind be filled with clutter and noise, train it to be free from distractions so that ideas can find a right place to stay.
3. Be child like and play with your thoughts - Let your creative instincts at play. Imagination is minds way of throwing up images based on your observations, experiences and a creative play of collage like combinations of information. Let your mind throw various permutations and combinations of the creative weaves of imagination. Record these and do optioneering of this mental pictures created.
They never taught you this in college but you have this power within you waiting to be harnessed to its full potential.
Try it.... for example think you have to design a new entry structure to a station. Close your eyes and see what mental pictures your mind sends you. These will start coming one by one what you have seen, read and observed. Rest is to be developed through creativity as you refine the imagination process.
Satyakam Garg