Digital Illustration (WK2) - Creativity Exercise: "Explain it Wrong"

The “Explain It Wrong” Exercise

Time: 2 minutes
Materials: None

Steps

  1. Pick something ordinary. An object, action, or concept.
  2. Explain what it is, incorrectly. Describe its purpose in a way that’s clearly wrong but kind of makes sense.
  3. Ask: “If this wrong explanation were true, what would change?”
  4. Write one sentence describing the new idea that comes from the wrong explanation.
When I tried this exercise, this was my result:
 
Thing: Mirror
Wrong explanation: “A device that lets your face check in on you.”
What changes: The mirror reacts
One sentence: “A mirror that subtly changes based on your mood, like it’s responding to you.”

What I learned: By explaining something incorrectly, I was able to break away from how the thing is supposed to be used.  It gave me the chance to think from a new perspective and come up with outrageous explanations, which, in turn, helped me develop something entirely new. 

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