The Permission to Be Absurd

When children draw a fish flying through the sky, nobody asks:

"Does that make sense?"

They simply keep drawing.

Then school arrives.

Suddenly there are correct answers.

Correct methods.

Correct interpretations.

Correct conclusions.

Little by little, absurd ideas become mistakes.

The problem is that many creative breakthroughs begin with something that makes no sense.

A fish flying.

A humanized bear.

A door in the middle of a cloud.

A mountain inside a coffee cup.

At first, they look ridiculous.

Then they become interesting.

Then they become original.

One of the biggest obstacles I see when teaching visual metaphors isn't drawing skill.

It's permission.
Permission to create something absurd before knowing where it will lead.

School didn't teach me this:
Absurdity is not the enemy of creativity.
It is the starting point.

Dario Paniagua
Visual Thinkers Coach