Don’t Let Your Perceptions Limit Your Creativity
Posted by Plish on December 1, 2008
Which Square is Darker, A or B?
Which square in the image above is darker, A or B?
Everyday we’re confronted with images and sounds that shape our perspectives of what is black, what is white, what sounds loud, what sounds soft. Once the brain gets used to experiencing things a certain way, it uses those experiences as a the filter through which future experiences get triaged. More importantly, it creates expectations of how the world is supposed to be; how things are supposed to sound, look, act, taste, etc. This is good and bad. Good because it allows us to make quick decisions and survive as a species. Bad because it’s easier to just trust our senses and move on without questioning.
The correct answer is neither. Both squares are the same color.
For proof go to this wonderful blog entry here. It is an experiential reality check. It reminds us that limits in our thinking can limit our creativity…
…which ultimately limits our future.
ZenStorming 
creativeherb said
Nice blog! I am a huge fan of unlimiting creativity, so I’m looking forward to more posts from here.
Funny thing, I was just going to comment and ask you whether you got it wrong by saying the box are the same colors, and whether you meant the letters in the box. Because I even blocked off the side colors, and also made binoculars with my hands to isolate those colors.
Then when I used a browser based color eyedrop tool, it informed me that I was completely and absolutely wrong. Of course the perfectionist in me demanded I take the picture and analyze it inside Photoshop. So I came up with this image. http://i38.tinypic.com/n7192a.jpg
If you look at the whole picture, the color equalizes and you can tell that they are the same shade. However, if you block out left of the line with your hand, and close your eyes for a while to ‘reset’ your visual memory… then the shade difference appears again. Weird. =)
Plish said
Very cool analysis in Photoshop! Thanks for sharing and for stopping by!