Graphic Design Theory (WK2): Creativity Exercise: "What if?" Chain Exercise

 Hey y'all! Welcome back for another blog post AND another creativity exercise. I wanted to do something a little different and give my imagination a workout, so I tried the "What If?" chain exercise. It starts with something ordinary, then you just keep asking yourself questions that transform it into something new.

Objective: Push your imagination past its most predictable idea and see how far you can stretch the thought.

How it works and my example:

1. Start with something ordinary: Pick an object, event, or situation (ex: a lamp, a party, or making breakfast).

2. Ask “What if…?” Write down the first strange twist that comes to mind. (ex: "What if the lamp never turned off?")

3. Keep chaining “What ifs.” - Each new question must build on the last.

   1. What if the lamp turned on by itself, even when it wasn’t plugged in?

   2. What if it only turned on when someone in the room was telling the truth?

   3. What if the light grew brighter the more honest the conversation became?

   4. What if secrets made the bulb flicker, like it couldn’t hold them in?

   5. What if every person who owned it added their own story to the light somehow?

   6. What if it had been passed down for generations, carrying decades of confessions?

   7. What if the lamp whispered things it had overheard from past owners?

4. Stop after 5–10 steps. Take note of how far you've moved from the starting thought! 

This exercise is fun because it forces you to move past the obvious ideas. It gives you a weird seed that could grow into a story or concept. Through this exercise, I learned that creativity really doesn't need to be sensical; it just needs to get your brain moving in a way that breaks you out of the box. Creativity doesn't need a plan; sometimes it's just about starting small and seeing where your mind takes you. What object did you choose? What was your story? 

Until next time!