Unleash Your Creative Superpower: Pareidolia Explained

What is pareidolia? According to Merrium-Webster, Pareidolia (par ray DOE lee ah) is "the tendency to perceive a specific, often meaningful image in a random or ambiguous visual pattern" or "the human ability to see shapes or make pictures out of randomness." (I don’t think this tendency is limited to humans. I’ve witnessed dogs and cats getting spooked by vague images or hanging articles of clothing that appear to be threatening!)

Pareidolia is that creative superpower you didn’t know you had.

Ever had an inkblot (Rorschach) test? Watched clouds turn into 'things'? How about seeing faces on the surface of the moon or in natural formations like rocks and trees? That's pareidolia.

Sometimes classified as a disorder, I like to think 0f pareidolia as a superpower that gives you childlike perception and permission to enter the realm of the Imagi-Nation where sensibility is treason and logic becomes a lollipop in the mouth of make-believe. Pareidolia allows access to new neural networks of nonsense to help make connections between unrelated elements, encouraging us to rethink beyond what we see at face (pardon the pun) value and explore alternative perspectives.

Practicing pareidolia

Consider pareidolia as part of your creative tool kit and play with it often. Be aware of any tendencies to critique or judge your perceptions when you do.  If you hear yourself say this is silly congratulate yourself.

And if you start caring and comparing, remember those are controls trolling and killing your creativity with thoughts of “Am I doing this right? And “How come I don’t see the same thing you’re seeing?”

Say to yourself, my perceptions and pareidolias are as unique I am. This will help you open your creative eye and behold the extraordinary in the ordinary, finding inspiration in unexpected places and creating mindful meaning.

Release the idea of pareidolia as a disorder or a quirk of perception and embrace its imaginative superpower that enables you to create magic and meaning in the world.

Pareidolia is your superpower. But if you want to get the most out of it, you're going to have to sacrifice your cynicism and start to play and pretend with it. Embrace pareidolia as creative awareness training and let it unlock new realms of imagination within and around you.

Til we Flow again.