My primary source of decisions and ideas is the surrounding environment and my reactions to it. When I go for a walk, I usually engage in cognitive exercises. For example, I look for complex textures with an Eastern motif, everything that is blue, or objects that resemble the sound “ef.”
I often walk around and mentally “like” buildings, urban furniture, fonts, and phrases. For instance, I can’t stand when balconies and windows in brick residential buildings are painted in technical blue or bright yellow. The dissonance between the toxic technical colour and the soft earthy tones of the brick irritates me. My task is to find a similar combination but without the irritating effect.
Оказывается, технические сочетания прекрасно смотрятся на вокзалах, доках, мостах, перронах, иногда в паркингах, что наводит на мысль, что мое раздражение глубоко контекстуально.
Go outside and start paying attention to everything round (or spherical). Ideally, accompany it with a mental comment and an associative link:
Round windows, coins, discs, wheels, shadows—we focus only on round things. The next day, we increase the difficulty and look for star-shaped objects.
The brain learns to focus on a task, build associative connections, and develop inner resources. In the future, when we have a project, we simply replace “round” with something else.
Think of a word and go outside to find random forms that resemble its letters. A bicycle wheel, of course, looks like an “O,” so don’t take shortcuts—search for more complex combinations. Take photos and assemble the word in the evening.
