Powering Up Your Imagination

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We can help empower ourselves in many different kinds of endeavors by learning how to better use our imagination.

Academia

Employment of the imagination can enhance our learning.

For enhanced reading comprehension, readers can create memorable scenes in their imagination regarding what they are reading, including “point of view” scenes in which they are one of the characters in the scene. Some people do this naturally, while others need to make more of an effort to do so.

To improve the efficiency of studying, students can imagine taking notes and working out problems on an imaginary whiteboard (Anbar, 2021).

For better test performance, students can rehearse taking a test in their imagination, including how they can remain calm, easily recall learned material, and feel good during and after an examination. During a test, students can help themselves recall information better by imagining receiving guidance from an inner librarian, teacher, or guru.

Acting

An actor needs to learn how to embody a character in a way that leads the audience to believe they are watching the actual character. There are several ways to do so.

To project emotions that are felt by the character, actors can use their imagination to recall a time when they experienced the emotion in question, which they can then demonstrate physically while acting.

Alternatively, actors can imagine that the scene in which they are playing is real, and allow their emotions to be triggered by the scene's circumstances. For instance, an actor who imagines a serial killer is standing behind a door on the set can feel and thereafter act truly frightened.

Another useful technique for actors, which can also be employed by people engaged in many different vocations, is to play out entire scenes in their imagination, including rehearsing their acting in their minds before an actual performance.

Actors can use their subconscious to portray a scene, which can help them learn new ways to play the character (Stanislavski, 1989). One way to elicit subconscious input is when actors allow themselves to feel fully immersed in a scene, and to "go with the flow." For those trained in the use of hypnosis, and who are gifted with its application, a helpful rehearsal method is to allow the subconscious to portray a scene from which the conscious can learn.

Infrequently, the subconscious can even take over a scene during a performance. When this occurs, the actor often does not recall the acting, even when reviewing it later on video.

Athletics

Baseball player and manager Yogi Berra said, “Ninety percent of baseball is mental, and the other half is physical.” While Yogi didn’t do math well, he was half right. Many athletes agree that 90 percent of the game is mental.

Baseball players and athletes engaged in other sports can use imagery to help improve their play. For example, they can imagine how they want to hit or throw a ball before doing so, and this will help them achieve their aim better. Athletes can also imagine that they are stronger, and this can help increase their strength. This can be demonstrated easily during weightlifting, as they become better able to lift heavier weights (Slimani, et al, 2016).

Like actors, athletes can imagine playing an entire practice or game in their minds as a way of practicing. Some athletes find benefit by imagining that they have asked a familiar or famous coach for advice, and following the advice given by this imagined coach. Alternatively, they can ask their subconscious for tips regarding how to improve their game.

Creating Music

Composer Ludwig von Beethoven wrote his famous Ninth Symphony while he was deaf. He did so through his ability to hear music in his imagination.

Singer Paul McCartney reported that the melody for the Beatles’ famous song Yesterday came to him in a dream.

These are but two examples of how the imagination can be involved in the creation of music. Another direct way of invoking the imagination for musical composition is to imagine being at a musical performance involving a group you have never heard before, which may involve an orchestra, band, and/or vocalists. Listening to the performance can serve as an inspiration for an original composition.

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Many composers learn to imagine hearing their musical compositions and tweaking them in their minds before singing, humming, or playing them on an instrument.

Finally, some composers describe the process of channeling music as if it comes from external sources, such as muses, divine inspiration, or even a collective unconscious. To achieve such a “flow” channeling state, the imagination can be tasked with creating an inspiring metaphor, such as imagining yourself flowing down a stream in a comfortable boat, skiing easily down a snowy mountain, or playing an instrument effortlessly.

Prayer

Prayer can be defined as a form of communication with a divine or spiritual entity, such as God, the universe, or other spiritual beings, including deceased people, or even directed at living beings. Prayers can be used to express thoughts, feelings, gratitude, requests, or concerns.

There are various forms of prayer including spoken words, silent contemplation, meditation, singing hymns or chants, and enacting rituals. Specific forms of prayers are sometimes dictated by a spiritual tradition.

The imagination can be used to augment a prayer experience. For instance, through detailed visualization of the target of the prayer, the nature of the prayer may change. That being said, in some traditions visualization of a divine being is forbidden, and therefore this method should not be used in such a setting.

Imagining oneself in a location that augments spiritual focus can be helpful. For example, people might imagine themselves praying in solitude, or within a small or large group of people, on top of a mountain, in a forest, or at the shore of a large body of water.

Another form of prayer can involve imagining conversations with a spiritual guide, such as an angel, ancestor, animal spirit, or nature spirit, such as trees, water, or earth. The imagined location for these conversations can change their nature. For example, conversations may be different if they are held in an imagined house of worship, nature, or at a burial location.

Writing

Fiction writing requires good use of the imagination. Several imagination tools can be used to enhance the process of writing.

For instance, a writer can imagine the world that serves as the setting for their story. As part of this imaginary world, the writer can imagine interviewing the characters who will be featured in a story, as well as characters who might just provide background information about the story.

You can also imagine being in your setting, walking around, and observing what might be perceived with all your senses. This can help you reach insights that make the world you're creating feel more real to you (and your reader).

Another use of imagination in developing ideas for a story is to consult with the subconscious. This can be done simply by asking the subconscious to write some ideas on an imaginary whiteboard. A more elaborate use of the subconscious involves asking it to set up a scene related to a potential story behind a closed curtain or door. Once the scene is revealed a writer can experience “aha” moments when presented with some novel ideas.

Similar to an athlete’s consultation with an imaginary coach, writers can consult with imaginary writing instructors or even famous authors, who can help the writer develop new perspectives regarding their stories.

These exercises may seem a little awkward at first, but the more you do them and the more you write about your fictional world, the more your subconscious will start working on it, even when you're not actively writing. Many fiction writers report having been surprised by something that appears, or something a character does or says, as a scene is being written. Those moments are evidence of a subconscious that's engaged in helping your creative process.

Takeaway

The extent to which you can help yourself perform better in various life activities is only limited by your imagination.