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What is it like to have an imagination?
8 years ago
General
I'm just curious how others think about it. I'm sure it's something that a lot of you take for granted.
It's a serious question for me though due to my inability to actually picture things in my head. It's something I've never really thought about until recently but it's something that affects me.
So to give some backstory, I have a condition called aphantasia. It's a condition that makes it to where I can not picture things in my head and as a result, it has affected my life in some ways and I didn't even realize as to why until recently.
I've talked to a few people about it but lately I've been thinking more and more about it and it really makes for a somewhat lonely existence in some ways. To give you an idea, I want to try this.
Imagine a sunset or a beach, a snow covered mountain top or maybe the faces of your friends or loved ones. Is it easy for you to do so? Are the images you see clear like you are there?
All those things I just described, I can not do. When i close my eyes, all I see is static. If I try to bring up an image, like my boyfriends face or a place I've been to, I can't. I literally see nothing.
Now, I do recognize things and know in my own ways what things look like, but to actually picture them is something I can't just do. I don't see anything.
And I think it's part of the reason I don't do art as much or write. It's hard to put something onto paper or screen when you literally can't imagine something to put down. I've heard people talk about their work, that it doesn't look like what they imagined it to look like. For me, it's never about that cause I never had an actual image to start out with in my mind.
I feel like I'm a creative person and want to be so. But I feel like I'm held back because of this condition. So it's why I've been asking others what is it like to be able to picture things in their head. Maybe if I get an idea of what it's like, my brain will compensate in a way for me to be able to do so even if I'm unable to actually do it.
It's a serious question for me though due to my inability to actually picture things in my head. It's something I've never really thought about until recently but it's something that affects me.
So to give some backstory, I have a condition called aphantasia. It's a condition that makes it to where I can not picture things in my head and as a result, it has affected my life in some ways and I didn't even realize as to why until recently.
I've talked to a few people about it but lately I've been thinking more and more about it and it really makes for a somewhat lonely existence in some ways. To give you an idea, I want to try this.
Imagine a sunset or a beach, a snow covered mountain top or maybe the faces of your friends or loved ones. Is it easy for you to do so? Are the images you see clear like you are there?
All those things I just described, I can not do. When i close my eyes, all I see is static. If I try to bring up an image, like my boyfriends face or a place I've been to, I can't. I literally see nothing.
Now, I do recognize things and know in my own ways what things look like, but to actually picture them is something I can't just do. I don't see anything.
And I think it's part of the reason I don't do art as much or write. It's hard to put something onto paper or screen when you literally can't imagine something to put down. I've heard people talk about their work, that it doesn't look like what they imagined it to look like. For me, it's never about that cause I never had an actual image to start out with in my mind.
I feel like I'm a creative person and want to be so. But I feel like I'm held back because of this condition. So it's why I've been asking others what is it like to be able to picture things in their head. Maybe if I get an idea of what it's like, my brain will compensate in a way for me to be able to do so even if I'm unable to actually do it.
