Imagine That . . .
The power of imagination
by Claire Law
Suitable for Whole School (Sec)
Aims
To consider the different ways in which we can experience and utilize our imagination.
Preparation and materials
- You will need the PowerPoint slides that accompany this assembly (Imagine That . . .) and the means to display them.
- Have available the YouTube video ‘How do our brains imagine things?’ and the means to show it during the assembly. It is 1.29 minutes long and is available at: https://youtu.be/gXR5Z87tsw8
Assembly
- Show Slide 1.
Welcome the students to the assembly. - Show Slide 2.
It’s getting ever closer to the summer holidays, and time away from school. I wonder how many of us here (and I include the staff in this!) find themselves imagining that we are somewhere other than school? Who feels brave enough to put up their hand and admit that they’ve found themselves daydreaming, imagining that they are somewhere else?
Comment on how many students and staff put up their hand! - I wonder where we find ourselves transported to in our daydreams. It might be somewhere like a tropical beach, or a concert or sports event that we have tickets for. If someone notices that we seem to be lost in a daydream, they might comment, ‘Have you gone anywhere nice?’
- Alternatively, we may be people who find that daydreams take the form of a series of pleasant thoughts that distract our attention from the present. For some people, their imagination can take them to a complex puzzle, or make them recall the words and feelings associated with a poem or some song lyrics.
- Daydreaming is one way in which we can use the power of our imagination. This ability to form pictures in our mind is often associated with creativity, enabling us to see the world in new ways and develop original ideas. Throughout history, social reformers, artists, inventors and scientists have relied on their imagination to create theories, ideas and products.
- Show Slide 3.
Albert Einstein, famed for his work in theoretical physics, said, ‘Imagination is more important than knowledge.’ Einstein credited much of his revolutionary scientific work to his imagination. He was able to use his imagination to create and consider new ideas that did not yet exist as knowledge. - Show Slide 4.
The inventor, Nikola Tesla, claimed to have mapped out all of the details of his inventions in his imagination before ever putting pen to paper or doing any work in the lab. In 1931, he famously invented a new form of battery that went on to become the technology that is now used in electric cars. - Show Slide 5.
Throughout history, artists have utilized the power of their imagination to create their art. French painter, Henri Rousseau, is best known for his bold pictures of the jungle, yet he never left his home country. Instead, he relied on trips to the zoo and local botanical gardens as the spark that fired his imagination to create exotic scenes. Here, we see Rousseau’s 1891 painting called Tiger in a Tropical Storm (Surprised!). - Show Slide 6.
Like Rousseau, Banksy uses his imagination to create. The street artist has a talent for taking something mundane and seeing things differently. Here, we see a picture of his 2020 creation, Hula-Hooping Girl. Where many people would see only a battered bike chained to a lamppost, Banksy saw an art opportunity and imagined what that would look like. - Athletes also utilize their imagination to help boost their performance. Imagining the perfect kick, shot, jump or throw can help athletes to visualize the movements that they want to perform in reality.
- So, how do we use our own imagination? That’s a question that Drs Chris and Xand van Tulleken have tried to answer - let’s look at what they have to say.
Show the YouTube video ‘How do our brains imagine things?’ (1.29 minutes long). - It’s clear that we don’t all imagine things in exactly the same way. Drs Chris and Xand gave the example of an elephant, and explained that some people will see an image of an elephant in their mind’s eye, whereas others may be aware of the idea of an elephant, but they’re not really imagining it. This phenomenon is a great example of how diverse and varied we are as humans. And it’s something that we can experiment with today.
- Let me ask you all to imagine an apple. If it helps to close your eyes or lower your gaze, please do so. Let’s all take a few seconds to imagine an apple.
I wonder which of these images resembles most closely what you imagined.
Show Slide 7.
There’s no right or wrong here, and no better or worse answers. But we know that some people’s imagination works by using highly detailed visual representations - as shown in Example 1 on the left here. This condition of having extremely vivid mental imagery is called hyperphantasia, whereas the opposite condition - where people don’t use visual images as part of their imagination - is called aphantasia.
It’s thought that around two per cent of people don’t see visual images as part of their imagination. For them, imagining an apple is more likely to take the form of thoughts and ideas about apples, as the next image shows.
Click to reveal the second image on Slide 7.
Time for reflection
Recognizing the power and importance of imagination, and the different ways in which we experience it, is a helpful reminder of how wonderful and unique we are as humans.
For Christians, our imagination is an example of how we have been created by God, and in the image of God. Christians believe that our ability to imagine, visualize and think through something is a way in which we show something of God to others. Our creative abilities are a reminder that we reflect God in us and through us.
Show Slide 8.
In the Bible, in the Book of Genesis, we read, ‘So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.’ (Genesis 1.27)
In other words, when we use our imagination to help us bring a new idea, skill, invention or creation into existence, we reflect God’s first act of creating our world, and us as humans.
With that in mind, let’s consider how we might flex our imagination muscles this week. Imagination is like a muscle and, like any muscle, it needs exercise. There are plenty of ways in which we can practise using the gift of our imagination - let’s consider three.
As we discuss them, let’s consider which one feels like the best fit for us.
- Idea 1: let’s allow ourselves to daydream. We could spend time unplugged from electronic devices and ride out any boredom to let our mind wander. We may be surprised by how many creative ideas and thoughts rise in us.
- Idea 2: try cloud watching. Look up at the clouds and see what pictures emerge and then disappear. Start a story based on these pictures or, even better, get a friend involved and try passing the tale back and forth between you, one sentence at a time.
- Idea 3: write or draw something. Write or draw whatever ideas or thoughts come into your mind during a short period of time, say five minutes. Your output doesn’t need to make any sense; you don’t even need to review what you have written or drawn. Research has shown that getting our thoughts down on paper on a regular basis can help us to be more creative and imaginative.
So, as we bring our thoughts to a close in prayer, we pause to notice where we are just now, in our imagination. What ideas, thoughts, images or feelings have been stirred up in us today? Are we aware of anything that we wish to pray about as a result? Let’s take a short period of silence to notice this for ourselves.
Pause to allow time for thought.
Prayer
Thank you, God, for the gift of our imagination.
It’s amazing that our imaginations are unique to us, and allow us to tap into our creativity.
Whatever our interests, and whatever our favourite subjects at school, help us to find ways to strengthen our imagination muscles this week.
May we use our imagination in ways that benefit others and our world as a whole.
Amen.
