I accidentally bumped into 624 PECULIAR PROMPTS recently (thanks Swiss Miss for the hat tip) and honestly think it’s a great resource to keep yourself busy if you’re stuck all alone amidst all the chaos. (Even if you’re one of those who never seems to have time!) It’s a 27-page PDF that you can download from here.
And while you’re at it, consider donating what you can to support the authors who put this out. Why? Because I honestly think this could be ones of those innocent ideas that go around the world to change lives. Also the prompts are “informed by scientific insights from the American Psychological Association, and inspired by the personality traits of some of the world’s most creative people.” That’s something, ain’t it?
In addition to the prompts, I found this introduction below so captivating that I must have read it a dozen times already! I think it’s worth a mention and a share.
WHEN WE LEARN TO BE CONTENT WITH OURSELVES, WE CAN COME CLOSER TO IDENTIFYING OUR PECULIARITY. OUR WEIRDNESS.
Oftentimes, this peculiarity is something that has been with us for our entire life, but has been “unlearned” due to the pressures of society.
WHEN WE UNCOVER THAT PECULIARITY, WE HAVE A CHANCE TO MEET OUR TRUE SELVES FOR THE FIRST TIME.
Peculiarity allows us to challenge the way in which we approach creative problem solving while also building a new kind of appreciation for our day-to-day life and work.
BE PECULIAR.
“Peculiar Thinking” is a critical skill that lives at the intersection of weirdness, naiveté, openness, and, in the spirit of “social distancing”, …solitude.
WEIRDNESS: The futurist, Jim Dator, states, “any useful statement about the future should at first seem ridiculous.” When we welcome and elevate the “weirdness” of our day-to-day, we grow better prepared for the unpredictable.
NAIVETÉ: Media theorist and philosopher Marshall McCluhan famously said, “we don’t know who discovered water, but we know it wasn’t the fish.” Sometimes the most incredible ideas come from a suspension of our bias and expertise.
OPENNESS: When we are caught in a routine or silo, we lose our ability to be spontaneous, and collaborate with other places, people, or things. This expanded outlook on collaboration is central to building capacity for creativity.
SOLITUDE: By creating the time and space for ourselves to get lost in our own thoughts and work, we can uncover and explore interests that may otherwise go ignored. Besides, Isaac Newton invented calculus while in isolation during the Plague.
624 PECULIAR PROMPTS
Like it? Pass it on and don’t forget to support the authors.
P.S. Reminder, I (still) don’t have any affiliation whatsoever to the products/artists/professionals I recommend on my blog.