Category: Primary Research

New Data, Interviews, Surveys, Exhibits, others

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Day 16 Upside Down World

Day 16

““We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.” ~ George Bernard Shaw

  1. Find a piece of paper and a pencil or pen.
  2. Look at yourself in the mirror
  3. Set your 5 minute timer
  4. Draw a detailed portrait of your face- upside down.
  5. If possible, use a photo you can flip upside down as reference.
  6. Note the areas of struggle to draw most and why the change in perspective make them difficult to draw.

If you are at the beach- draw it in the sand.

Extra points: Share your drawing with me. IG, DM or unpackyourcreativity@gmail.com

When we flip things upside down, our brains have to struggle to spot the features we are used to seeing. Viewing familiar things from a new perspective (like being upside down) is an effective way to help you notice all the details you usually take for granted.

Comments

MON:

What would happen if everyone wore the same clothes?

There would be less shopping, fewer stores, less waste. There might be more space to plant trees. We might all start to look beyond our material personas and start to notice basic shapes and colors, like each other’s pupils. We might begin to connect with each other more, or we might become more creative with other body parts, like our hair. A certain kind or color or hairstyle may suddenly be the defining factor between you and the next person. 

Our minds might be more clear. What would happen if we never had to think about what shirt or skirt or dress to wear? What would happen if we collectively released all clothing-related thoughts and decided to concentrate our attention on something wild, like love? What if we chose to express ourselves through art, using our words and hands and song? 

Or, we might all just get really bored. We may decide to give up clothing all together and go back to being naked. We may start to appreciate what God gave us, stop covering ourselves up and feel shame, start to notice our individuality, our sameness, our beauty.

CECI:

What would happen if there was no gravity?

Without gravity, everything that stands on this Earth would go floating into space, humans, animals, stones, water, etc. Furthermore, the Earth itself could not exist as a planet, nor have an atmosphere.

Grateful to have the pull of gravity 

JESS: What would happen if…
…everybody wore the same clothes.

Andar desnudar seria la única opción para mostrar  algo diferente 
…everybody over 20 could fly,  caminar o nadar seria lo más cool
…all the trees in the world had no leaves. Seria el día más triste de la humanidad 
…no one ever cleaned their house.las casas se parecerían al océano hoy
…all the cars disappeared. Podriamos btrletransportarnos holograficamente a donde quisiéramos con dolo cerrar los ojos
…there was no gravity.llevaría de abajo hacia arriba 

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Day 15 What would happen if…

Day 15
“You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.” – Maya Angelou

Answer any or all of these questions today.

What would happen if…
…everybody wore the same clothes.
…everybody over 20 could fly
…all the trees in the world had no leaves.
…no one ever cleaned their house.
…all the cars disappeared.
…there was no gravity.

Extra Points: Choose one and send me your thoughts….
IG, DM or to unpackyourcreativity@gmail.com

Comments

CECI:

What would happen if there was no gravity?

Without gravity, everything that stands on this Earth would go floating into space, humans, animals, stones, water, etc. Furthermore, the Earth itself could not exist as a planet, nor have an atmosphere.

Grateful to have the pull of gravity 

LAU: If everyone wore the same clothes it would be like taking the color out of the world.

if the over 20’s could fly it would be an injustice to the top 20’s.

if the trees had no leaves it would be a permanent winter.

if we never cleaned the houses it would be as if the Diogenes syndrome had taken over the world and a liberation for women.

If all the cars disappeared, the health of the planet and the living things that live on it would improve and the next evolutionary step would be teleportation or the appearance of wings.

if there were no gravity it would be like living in an amusement park.

REBECCA:

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Day 14 Laugh Out Loud

Day 14
“If you get in the habit of your life being fun, if you move through life believing it’s supposed to be that way, you’ll notice when it’s not.” Humor Seriously -Jen Arker, Naomi Bagdonas

  1. Close your eyes
  2. Extend your mouth from side to side- as a smile. Be sure to show your teeth.
  3. Count in your head to 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 in that position.
  4. In that position…Laugh out loud, like out loud, out loud. At least eight HA, HA, HA.
  5. Repeat.
  6. Repeat.
  7. Repeat.

Extra points: Send me note telling me how that made you feel. DM, IG or email unpackyourcreativity@gmail.com

Comments

JP: Feelings and sensations…
Good energy
Mix of feeling silly and feeling a high
I felt tense at the start and then a soothing , calm sensation.
My body wanted to keep going and I lost myself in my head and just felt heart.

Rocio: My experience with todays’ challenge: First I felt silly, I was alone and feared someone could see me and think I was insane but….it felt better every time I repeated the exercise and I ended up laughing spontaneously instead of forced… It felt great!
Thank you!

ISA:

MON: This happened to be my birthday and i did this with the family before taking a picture…i just started laughing for no reason and everyone started laughing too and we got a great, super natural pic 🙂

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Day 13 – Random Interactions

Day 13
“Fear is not a problem; allowing yourself to be consumed by it is.” Patricia Ryan Madson

Today…. Talk to a stranger.

Connections with human beings make us more creative, believe it or not.

During the day find a person you know little about or even a stranger that you can interact with, someone on the bus, grocery, taxi driver, old lady crossing the street.

Have eye contact
Say Hello.
Introduce yourself
Ask them an open ended question.

Some suggestions of open ended questions:
What has been your favorite part of today?
What is something that makes you happy?
What makes you laugh out loud?
What’s the best piece of advice you have ever received?

Extra points: Share your experience.

Happy Sunday!

Comments

CECI: We are in Sardinia on holidays this week. A handful of salespeople walk the beach selling different things such as hats, sarongs, accessories, coconut water, etc.

Today, I met Dani, a man from Pakistan who sells bracelets along the beach. 

I bought two bracelets for my twins and asked him about his life, after telling him a bit about myself first. Otherwise, it could feel like an interrogatory rather than a genuine conversation.

He told me that he migrated to Italy from Pakistan with his family. He has 2 daughters and his dream is to get his paperwork sorted to move to the UK where he could give his kids a better education.  I wished him good luck and he gave me a bracelet as a present for “being nice”.

Carolina, being Latin-American you know I would have had this exchange anyways, because we easily talk about our family life with strangers, and don’t struggle much starting this kind of random interactions 

Like this, I also learned about Gonzalo, a vet from Argentina who is working as a waiter this summer to make some money
 before going to Barcelona to be part of a research project on  cancer (on animals). His sister leaves there, had a baby, etc etc.

JP: I went to get a pedicure and the person next to me was very smily and I saw she was reading a book in English so although I’m in Madrid I started to talk to her in English. She lives in a residencia next door which is for NYU students, she is doing her PHD and working on her dissertation and they sent her to Madrid for a month. She is a teacher at the new school in NY and a philosophy grad. I asked her what she liked so far about Madrid and it was interesting she said a) everything is soooo cheap, I love that I can fly anywhere with a few hours, the light oh the daylight!
Talking to strangers is something I loved to do in NY and I did it much less here but I have been getting back in the habit, I love the scary first seconds and then the humanity and I was in it !
Thanks for this special treat!

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Day 12 Never Have I Ever…

Day 12
“I’ve learned so much from my mistakes, I’m thinking of making a few more.” Anonymous

  1. Come up with at least 20 things you’ve never done before, that you’ve never really thought about doing.

This is not your bucket list (things you want to do before you die).

It’s an opportunity to think of things you have never considered but would be nice to do…….kitesurfing, becoming president, visiting Iceland – whatever you can think of.

Extra points: Send your list to IG, DM or unpackyourcreativity@gmail.com

Don’t forget to put your timer for 5 minutes! Happy Saturday!

Comments

LAU:

visit iran

learn japanese or german

climb the Himalayas

take a journey through the desert

learn to play the guitar

take a trip on a catamaran

read Ulysses by James Joyce

do paragliding

JP: Jumping out of a plane
Going to the South Pole
Spending a month traveling alone around the US
Being ambassador
Learning to sail
Being a step mom
Living in an ashram for a while
Going on a silent retreat
Writing a book
Sitting with the oldest person of a village and hearing their stories
YouTuber for good
Teaching life skills

Tough creative task! To think opposite bucket list pero still apetecible;)

ISA: Direct an Orquestra
Fly to the moon
Go out of space
Climb beyond 5,000mts
Eaten jellyfish
Drive a boat on my own
Mount a Bufalo
Feed a lion
Make a pond
Paint a car
Plant a coconut tree
Hold a live hyena
Play fagot
Sing an opera at the theater
Go underwater for more than a minute
Play with fire until burned completely
Spend the whole day looking at the phone
Become a clown
Create an app
Register as candidate for elections

MON: Go deep sea diving
Travel to China
Take a skateboarding class
Paint a huge painting and hang it in my living room
Become part of a traveling circus
Learn to cha cha
Become a professional photographer
Mow the lawn
Interview a celebrity
Go sky diving
Go to an escape room
Live without electricity for a week
Live in silence for a week
Tell everyone the truth for a day
A yes day, only for me
Jump off the roof of my house
Befriend someone I find annoying
Go on a moon fast
Visit Canada
Go pole dancing

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Day 11- Looking through Windows

“I discovered windows one afternoon and after that, nothing was ever the same.”
Anne Spollen

Today, during the day, notice all the windows that you come across. In your home, on your way to work, anywhere, all types of windows.

  1. Observe, what is happening in the windows.
  2. How does it make you feel?
  3. What is the story behind each window.
  4. Choose one window and finish these sentences:
    I think….
    I wish….
    I wonder…..

Extra points: Send me a photo of the window with your answers. DM, IG or email unpackyourcreativity@gmail.com

Comments

I think about the rush to move and to always do something

I wish I could stop thinking too much

I wonder if the overwhelming stream of thoughts is a curse or blessing

think about the holiday feelings and the sense of relaxation

I wish I could travel more freely

I wonder if I am missing out by being in London over summer…

Im a huge window watcher, every day I take time in the morning to open the windows in my house and also close them again at night. I meditate in front of two big windows in my office too and I am constantly seeing nature through the windows. Took this picture of the almost full moon out of my favorite window in the house, with the purple flowers, and felt very connected to it. As usual the camera doesn’t do the moon any justice 🙂

As someone who has lived all over , nowhere and everywhere can be home, as my mom
Says, home is where the heart is and I leave behind part of my heart today.

I think I’m going home
I wish I could stay here where it feels like home
I wonder if I will ever know where home is

MAR:

I think that plants sleep in winter, they sleep long and restful dreams so that when spring comes they have the audacity to spread out and grow.

I wish you have beautiful dreams of arms raised, of infinite seeds and of a splendid green.

I wonder if we can ever tell each other our dreams and our longings. I love plants and they love me

My window says I look amazing yet I think I am not ready to show. And very different from the rest.

It appears there is so much going inside, it may feel safer and Free staying closed.

I wish this window could understand the impact to the rest of us if it opens and shares what’s inside.

I wonder if it simply can’t or just don’t want to. Maybe it isn’t ready?

MAR:

I think that plants sleep in winter, they sleep long and restful dreams so that when spring comes they have the audacity to spread out and grow.

I wish you have beautiful dreams of arms raised, of infinite seeds and of a splendid green.

I wonder if we can ever tell each other our dreams and our longings. I love plants and they love me

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Day 10 – Sounds of your day

“To have a great idea, have a lot of them. When you have exhausted all possibilities, remember this: you haven’t”
Thomas Edison

  1. TODAY on one of your errands do not use your headphones, don’t listen to music or take a call or look at your phone.
  2. Instead listen to the sounds of your day for 5-10 minutes.
  3. Try to focus on every sound you hear around you. Try to remember them.
  4. Try to write them down.

If you feel like it, try to make a rhythm out of the sounds you hear or make up a story of what is happening around you. A honk, a bird, people having conversations, etc.

Extra: Send me a message describing one sound that was unexpected, how it made you feel or the story you made up @IG, DM or send to unpackyourcreativity@gmail.com

This activity helps you develop Convergent Thinking.

Comments

LAU: I have done the exercise around leaving the children in tennis. I have turned off the air conditioning and opened the windows.

The first thing I hear is the noise of the engine and immediately birds singing. Then the bell of a cow. First a dog barking loudly as my car passed and then another more subtle bark.

But more than perceiving the sounds, which also caught my attention the intensity of the colors, the reds were redder, in the greens of the field there were more nuances and they were fresher and the sky seemed bluer. The sensation has been that of returning to a brighter place. I was under the influence of the attention drug!!

I’m going to practice this trick more!!!

JP: Súper interesante!
I walk or try to do 10,000 steps a day and today I’m in a special place in portugal and went out in nature instead of city streets and metros to do my steps, I didn’t place my AirPods and just focused on my waking and breathing. I started to feel that all my senses enhanced also I would focus on which leg I moved forward and which arm as well as my posture. I just kept going and tried to feel not think and I started to hear the birds louder, the trees and the leaves with the wind become more poignant and the most surprising thing was that I went way past my goal.

Mar: This morning I was listening to car horns in the distance and I realized that this is the breed that my impatience would make, if I had it.

Later I was out for a walk and a little horner was singing and it made me think of what the sunrise would sound like if it did.

Greetings!!

JP:

 never realized until focusing on it how many sounds go through us and which ones stay, yesterday I got to a point where I couldn’t write down anymore…
Wind..
Birds…
Waves…
Glasses clinking…
Window shutters…
Toilet flushing….
Knock on door….
Water running…
Nespresso machine…
Nices laughter…
Sons calling…

And then the sound that stuck with me was after 25 years of not seeing him my first college love, I see him we talk like it was yesterday remembering the past and bringing ourselves up to speed and he says want me to take you home, of course he still rides motorcycles and 25 years later I get on and I hear, I feel the sound of what we portuguese call saudades. Very surreal.

ISA: Didn’t write them down… but here are a few I could remember:
Alarm
Truck
Gate opening
Birds singing
Bark of a couple dogs
A siren (sounded like an ambulance but could be police too)
Clicks (like chains)
Keys
Steps (so many of them)
A thunder – then many more
An unexpected bang that cause a tremble. – found out two hours later that a big tree (more than 15mts long) fell. Could see its roots down out and it laid flat very close to the power line.

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Day 9 One at a Time

“Nothing in life is to be feared. It is only to be understood.”
Marie Curie

  1. Choose an ordinary activity like brushing your teeth, getting dressed, making breakfast.
  2. Pay attention only to what you are doing while doing this activity.
  3. Avoid multitasking. Look at the steps you take, what comes first, second and third.
  4. Reflect on the task and the objects involved in the task, Ask yourself why?
  5. Reflect on the order you do things.
  6. Reflect on how it feels.
  7. If you wander off, bring it back to what you are doing.

Extra Points: Send me quick note of what you noticed by IG, DM or email unpackyourcreativity@gmail.com

This develops Lateral Thinking…
Lateral Thinking: is a straightforward, logical thinking process that must follow steps in order. It requires that you follow a mode of thinking, one way or another, to end up in a new place. When solving Math problems, you tend to use lateral thinking.

Comments

MON:

this all happened yesterday and today!

How to Close a Pool Cover

1.     It’s summer in Madrid. The kids are complaining because the pool water is too hot. This is ironic, since you just spent 20,000 euros and six months remodeling what was previously referred to as an unusable icebox. 

Thanks to the remodeling, the pool now has: a shallower section, smooth new tiles, a heater system connected to recently installed solar panels, and a 10,000 euro pool cover.

All of which has made the pool water too hot.

2.     Your youngest child is learning to swim. He’s athletic for his age since he was a fetus. In a week of classes he can (mostly) hold his own. 

Your four-year old is also adventurous and has been known to get himself into precarious situations.

3.     It’s summer in Madrid and the thermometer reads a dry 38 degrees Celsius. 

Part of which has made the pool water too hot.

4.     It’s been determined by the family: the most effective way to cool the pool down is to leave the pool cover open overnight.

5.     Earlier this morning, Jose, the gardener, delivered a story:

In a house in a nearby neighborhood, an older sibling opened the pool fence. When he walked out, the fence didn’t close. An unknown amount of time later his younger brother walked through the open gate, fell (or jumped?) into the water, and sank to the bottom of the pool, drowning.

The boy was one and a half years old. 

There were no witnesses.

6.     It’s been determined by the family: despite the horrific story, the most effective way to cool the pool down is to leave the pool cover open overnight.

7.     Reluctantly, you agree, second-guessing this decision about a dozen time.

As you’re about to fall asleep, your husband reminds you again about the boy.

8.     The next morning, you find your four-year-old boy happily playing Playmobil in the living room.

9.     According to the gardener, the child’s mother is still in the hospital.

10.  It is 9:51am and you’re late to your last dance class before summer. You remember how the pool cover is open and decide to close it. Yes, this means sacrificing some dance time, but who needs the warm-up anyway? 

You run to the deep end of the pool and turn the key to the left, which is the wrong direction. Wonder why you always do this, then turn the key right. Hear the motor running. See the cover moving across the pool, guaranteeing everyone’s safety while you dance (presumably). Think about how ironic it is that you have to hold the key all the until the pool cover closes, but not when it opens. The sun is hitting your head. Think about the fact that you’re late to dance class.

11.  In Zielo, the shopping mall where dance class is held, a lady in the elevator laughs while pressing all the buttons. “I never know which floor is mine, and I come here a lot!” she says. Another woman is there and she is laughing too. You are not laughing. The only thing you’re doing is thinking about the fact that you’re late.

12.  Run into dance escool and notice the receptionist there, which seems strange. 

Hear her ask: “where exactly are you going?” 

Discover that adult dance classes ended on june 23rd (last week).

13.  Think about going back home, and how this was all a waste of time. Change your mind and go to a café, where you sip a hot americano.

14.  In the afternoon, play with your kids in the pool. Hear them complain about how the pool water is still too hot.

15.  Picture the boy in the pool, the woman in the hospital. Consider how lucky you all are to be alive, in this very breath.

ISA: Making coffee
Loved this exercise!!!
Systematic way to make coffee that in fact brings pleasure with each step. Enjoyed reflecting on them.

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Day 8 Alternative Uses

Day 7
“Creativity involves breaking out of established patterns in order to look at things in a different way.” Edward de Bono

  1. Look around you.
  2. Choose an object in your range.
  3. List as many possible uses you can for that object. Unusual things….

For example: a book can be used as an umbrella, a hat, a doorstop, a pedestal, a weapon, a tray, etc, etc.

Extra points if you share a photo with the object doing the “unusual” thing.

Comments

LAU: Object: Table -scenery, sled, cradle, shield, balloon slope, ship, costume, Landing track, bonfire, cattle feeder, goal.

MAR: Lanyard – To identify yourself in an event, to carry your keys, to tie something, as a necklace, to carry bags, to tie things together.

MON:
1) to write
2) to draw
3) to color
4) to scribble
5) to demark an imaginary line
6) to use for spells, as a magic wand
7) to use as a pointer, as in “it was her, no me”
8) as a weapon, as in pretend sword-fighting
9) to stick in the middle of a book you’re reading, as in to remember where you are
10) to keep in the car just in case you need to write something, as in a story
11) to hold up the top of a box, as in for no reason in particular other than to find another use for it 
12) to use as a reference for color, say, against a deep purple or dark brown

ISA: Spoon to:
Eat
Drink
Hit
Hold
Carry
Support a case
Lift an ingredient / or any other food
Pass along
Mix
Shoe “calzador”
Music instrument
Reach an object behind or up
Screw
Decorate
Break an egg or something else
Measure
Gift
Water plants

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Day 7 – Say Yes…AND

Day 7

“To say Yes is to make a leap of faith, to risk oneself in a new and often scary relationship.” Patricia Ryan Madson

Choose a person close to you: and for one day agree with all of their ideas. Find something right about everything they say. Look for every opportunity to offer support. Give them the spotlight. Notice the results.

See how often it may not be convenient or easy to do.
Obviously use common sense!!

Use these phrases to help through the day (they count as a YES):
You bet, you are right, I’m with you, Good idea. I support you. I’m here for you. I have your back.

Fenomenal, Estupendo, Estoy contigo, Te apoyo, etc.

Extra points: Share your reflections on how you felt, if the relationship changed for that day.

I know it is more than five minutes…but sometimes we only spend 5 minutes with our loved one….try it for as long as you feel comfortable. Have Fun!

Comments

MON: My intention was to do this with my husband and my response to the first thing he asked me was no!!! i decided to cut myself some slack and start over. it was a pretty intense day today so the yes intention lightened things up and brightened up the house. i told the kids they will each get a yes day on a random day this summer so that was a hit, especially with Carlitos who is always asking when he’s going to have a yes day 🙂 then we talked about watching the movie together 

JP: I am on holiday with my brother and his family we don’t usually get along and so I tried the exercise throughout the day, it was tough to be agreeable, yes and …helped me keep calmer Also being agreeable I think threw him off, I realized by the end of the day it helped the communication. It was tough at first but by mid day it was more natural and helped us reach better communication for sure!

AG: I tried it with my partner. I always say NO to him. It really changed our day. It was hard. He noticed. He did not expect it. I felt different.