The Art of Pareidolia

Art is often considered the greatest therapy as a means to balance right and left sides of the brain to make for a more balanced life. In psychology there is a cognitive process known as Pareidolia and it’s one that artists are very familiar with. Here is a focused exercise on developing that area of the brain which will help to access the creative side using the exact same piece of linoleum I found many images.

Linoleum Art

5-step guide to the art of perception

1. Find a piece of well-used gold-veined linoleum…an old style, once very common. Or save and print out this jpeg for now. You may see the shark and old man.
2. Get into a relaxed state in a quiet corner or room.
3. Explore the area and notice what shapes and/or images stand out for you by allowing your eyes to go out of focus and letting your mind be drawn into it.
4. Circle your find with a pencil and copy/scan it onto paper or into an imaging program…a simple one is MS Paint that comes with Windows.
5. Add color and texture with image editing software like Photoshop or Corel.

This also works well with bedroom closet doors and bathtub tile, as those are places you are already relaxed. Take photos of these areas and allow your imagination to see wonderful images in the grains and veins that maybe other people can’t.

Old Man and Shark