CREATIVE THINKING + PUZZLES
Puzzles have been a hobby since the beginning of the 19th century and since then have thousands of images been puzzled together. Behind jigsaw puzzles are the creators who write the only rule puzzlers need to follow. This rule has been implanted in our brain since most of us started doing puzzles as children, and the rule is to connect the right piece into its lost neighbours in order to create a pre-decided visual. This book was created because I wanted to challenge creative thinking through breaking rules we never thought could be broken. The method to demonstrate this through jigsaw puzzles was chosen not only because of how simple and universal the rule to puzzles is, but also because this set rule has been with us since we were children. I have always found puzzles interesting because uncreative people can create beautiful images while only using their logical thinking. At the same time completing jigsaw puzzles has endless possibilities for the creative minded. I want to challenge and inspire both personality types throughout this book. There are endless ways to create, but this book will be divided into two parts that explore different ways to create puzzle pieces. The first part will demonstrate examples of concrete visuals that everyone can see. The second part will explore how we can build an interpretation within us through seeing something abstract.
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PA R T 1
We have been building with our hands ever since we were little. We have built sandcastles, snowmen and towers out of legos. We are capable of building. I have made a small collection of things that I have built out of puzzle pieces, some more abstract than others. Occasionally I have used glue or added materials when I did my small creations. I encourage you to explore what you can build with the puzzle pieces that came with the book, but be mindful that you might want to save some pieces for the second part.
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HOUSE
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TO W E R
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TO W E R S
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FA L L E N TO W E R S
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BRIDGES
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S TA N D I N G A N D FA L L E N
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W AV E 1
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W AV E 2
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PA R T 2
Our minds are something that sets us apart from other people. We carry our own experiences and memories that have shaped us to the person we are, but also the way that we think. Abstract art makes people see and feel different things that the artist can not predict. It is also possible to see and feel things in abstract visuals that are created by puzzles. I have created a number of abstract visuals by attaching puzzle pieces together with pieces that previously have not been put together. Your mission is to look at these pages and use your imagination, mind and experiences in order to create an interpretation of what is seen on the pages. I have written down 8 examples of my interpretations and I have provided an explanation of how I see it in the puzzle pieces at the end of the book. I want to emphasise that there is no right or wrong answer in this part. It is also okay if you do not see anything. Here I encourage you to use the puzzle pieces and create your own abstract visuals.
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I only feel connected to you through other people. If they disappear, would we still be friends?
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You are a surprise, I did not expect the two of us to become good friends.
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I don’t think I fit in here.
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I am the glue holding everything together.
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I want to fit in here but where?
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Maybe we will become close again later in life.
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People say they connect easily with me.
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It was close but not close enough.
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E X P L A N AT I O N S
1, I only feel connected to you through other people. If they disappear, would we still be friends?
Explanation: One of the puzzle pieces does not connect and they are only one because of the other two pieces. If the two pieces on the left side disappear would the two pieces not be connected together and therefore not have a “friendship”. 2, You are a surprise, I did not expect the two of us to become good friends.
Explanation: The two puzzle pieces are not supposed to be connected together so it is surprising how they feel they fit together. 3, I don’t think I fit in here.
Explanation: every puzzle piece is at its right place except for one which makes me think that puzzle piece does not fit in with the others. 4, I am the glue holding everything together.
Explanation: The corner piece is connecting the two lines, which is why it makes me think of something that holds everything together.
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5, I want to fit in here but where?
Explanation: One puzzle piece is different and can’t connect to the other pieces, I decided the puzzle piece wants to fit in because that is what I saw based on my own life experiences. 6, Maybe we will become close again later in life.
Explanation: I see the two lines as two people’s different timelines that at first are connected but later on drift apart because they do not share a bond anymore. 7, People say they connect easily with me.
Explanation: Every piece can connect to the piece in the middle, it is a piece that is easy to connect to. 8, It was close but not close enough.
Explanation: All the pieces look similar and are almost in their right place, but not completely.
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