Jenni Corbett – 16th May 2011

Something popped into my head the other day at SCA when we were talking about the two kinds of knowledge we apply when looking at creative briefs.
Informed knowledge is about facts and research and experienced is the knowledge we acquire as we live life.
The Little Prince – a book by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry is a story written from the perspective of the narrator as he describes an encounter with The Little Prince, a being from another planet who shares his own tales of his wanderings and discoveries. As the Prince is not from Earth, he is unfamiliar with the way the world works.
The Little Prince is a book that was read to my brothers and I when we were young. Unfortunately I barely recall much of its contents. (Apologies to those who know it well) However perhaps because I am quite a visual person in the sense that an image might have a greater impact on me than text or the spoken word I vividly recall the illustration of the hat / boa constrictor having eaten an elephant.

The example above explored how if you asked most adults what the first picture was of they would say a hat, however an alternate explanation is seen in the second picture.
The narrator of the book expresses his displeasure when talking to adults, as they are very factual and linear where as children, they are playful, curious, and excitable.
What else could the image be of?
In another example, the Little Prince asks the narrator to draw a sheep. The narrator tries, but fails to draw a decent sheep so instead draws a box.
Which he then explains contains the sheep

It is this playful curiosity and child like exploration, which creates this alternative original answer.
So what’s with the book report about? What am I trying to say?
I think need to take a leaf out of the Little Princes book when working on creative briefs – to look at the product for the first time, to really examine and experience it. Use this playfulness to unlock uniqueness and originality before applying gained knowledge.
A sort of anti – knowledge, a clear mind before the addition of context and situation.

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