Some people believe they have a mental block when it comes to creativity. “I’m aesthetically impaired.” And they might be correct.
You don’t have to be an “artist” to make art. Sure, it comes more naturally to certain people than others. Knowing the principles behind good art, and practicing, is enough for most to get good. But let’s say that doesn’t work. Maybe you read my articles on how to become more creative, or artistic composition, and somehow can’t internalize the principles.
You wouldn’t be alone—because some people literally can’t think visually. So don’t worry about your abilities. You can always hire out for anything artistic, like interior design or graphics work, and focus on what works best for you.
I don’t think 80% is the correct number. A recent study said less than 5% of the population has little to no mental imagery. In either case, this is an understudied phenomenon, so numbers can vary. The concept is relatively new.
Aphantasia, or “mind blindness,” is the term for these people without a visual imagination. The Conversation writes “...aphantasic participants indicate that while they are able to remember things from their past, they don’t experience these memories in the same way…. They often describe them as a conceptual list of things that occurred rather than a movie reel playing in their mind.”
Conversely, “hyperphantasics” are people with extremely vivid mental imagery. They’re thought to be less than 3% of the population.
It’s likely that imagination exists on a spectrum. I’d assume 20% of people are on the extreme ends, with 80% of people in the “normal” range, in accordance with the Pareto Principle (80/20 rule).
But even within the normal range, there are mixed results when it comes to visuals. Here’s an experiment where people drew the Apple logo from memory. One of the most memorable logos in the world, and a minimalist one at that. Only one person succeeded and “fewer than half of all participants correctly identified the logo.”
Experiments with drawing bicycles and horses are even harder. Try to draw either from memory—it’s deceptively difficult.
We also have tests like Piaget’s “water-level task.” This isn’t specifically art-oriented, although it does involve perception and some level of imagination.
Or maybe a person’s imagination works fine, yet there’s interference or confounding factors. Everyone is different.
One more interesting phenomenon is “synesthesia,” where senses are linked together. Numbers or sounds could have color associations, for example. Maybe D is blue and E is yellow. Or D is a square while E is a triangle.
There are many different types of combinations and all of the senses can potentially become involved. Canadian musician Devin Townsend is one popular contemporary figure with sound-color synesthesia (“chromesthesia”).
So if art and design don’t come naturally to you… you might’ve just gotten unlucky in the genetics department. You’ll have to pursue other ventures and work with what you have.
I wouldn’t recommend trying to brute-force it, unless you get pure enjoyment from art. In that case, carry on; art can be a great hobby. You don’t have to be “good” to enjoy hobbies like painting or playing music.
People aren’t created equal. What they CAN do, however, is play to their strengths. Everyone is good at something.
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