Serendipity Strikes warmup
by Jess Henderson
The following things are required for this warmup.
- Blank paper (A4 or A3) – you might want to have multiple pieces of paper handy
- Pens, markers, pencils – whichever you choose and prefer
- Access to a range of books, magazines, or newspapers. Even three will do.
Instructions
- Away from a computer screen, perhaps laying on the floor, prepare your blank paper and pens before you.
- Close your eyes and doodle on the page. Think in numbers, which numbers come to you? Do this for the duration of time that feels natural and stop when you’re ready.
- Open your eyes and look at the page. Which number jumps out? Maybe it is even an abstract scribble that reminds you of a number.
- With this number in mind (we will call it ‘your number’), head to your books. Use your intuition to a select whichever book you are drawn to.
- Turn the book to the page of your number.
- Here you are meeting your serendipity. Something drew you to that number, that book, that page.
- Read the page or look at the image on it. Notice what jumps out, what resonates.
- Now with that open page by your side, return to your paper and pens and set a countdown time for 10 minutes. Begin automatic writing or sketching (free flowing, no objective) for those 10 minutes, non-stop until the time is up.
- Notice what these moments of serendipity provoked, contemplate if they would have come up otherwise. See what new pathways they may have opened.
- Set aside the writing/sketching and get ready for the post-warmup task you have at hand. Revisit your serendipity page again tomorrow and see how it makes you feel or what it conjures.