// If you were to teach someone to imagine and create something from nothing, how would you do it?

"imagine, synthesize, prototype" -- is technically equivalent to:

• imagine: random number generation
• synthesize: feature extraction
• prototype: constrained combinatorics

All these things computers can do, and so, I think, the AI will be able to do. However, when it comes to learning, then, what this means, is that, for example, "imagine" part -- is the one that is highly-dependent on the initial conditions (the original experience and unique combination with environment) of that entity (a pseudo-random process) that the imaginator is.

They say -- bring the right people in the right place, and they will create magic. I think, imagination is not teach-able, but nourish-able -- there can be various factors, like eating, activities, communications (questions!), heuristics on how to select the right people and places to spark imagination, etc.

What you call -- "space, pause, mess" -- is probably just natural occurrences in life: explore, relax, engage. Who knows, maybe they associate with those beta, alpha, theta brain waves, the methodology how to change these states could be re-used for this integrative process. For example, it may be that shower, and riding on the trains, seeing landscapes, puts people into a specific brain-waves state, and then different other stimuli put them into other states of mind.

// They say -- bring the right people in the right place, and they will create magic.

I wonder about solo imagination. How can imagination happen on our own? What stimuli is needed to dive inward and start questioning and exploring? Because a human is a living system too, interacting with one's thoughts and environment all the time already (even without a group of people).

// "imagine" part -- is the one that is highly-dependent on the initial conditions (the original experience and unique combination with environment) of that entity (a pseudo-random process) that the imaginator is.

Yes sure. "Know yourself" is still true. Diving into one's personal journey to resolve past challenges can spark imagination. Reconnecting with one's roots to spark fruits.

With my work, I also notice that Synthesis and Prototyping is hard and new for people who dont work in technology or design sectors. Addressing these steps (how to teach these skills) is equally important as imagination training.

The reason I shared this puzzle id because I do work in education/learning facilitation. And so I'm interested to discuss Examples of such "embodied imagination training" and make it better - i.e. discuss how people who also are interested in human development or the activity of nurturing imaginators (teaching, coaching, consulting, knowledge transfer, development, etc) do it or would like to do the activity of nurture imaginators, and then seeing if there are some general patterns, that can be used as a Imagination as a process template that can be explained and shared with people. There is a "lean canvas" template for business planning rapidly. I'm interested in "dream worlds and prototype" template. This way people who even dont have access to consultants, could learn to imagine dream worlds and make it a reality.

This is important (for me) when thinking about inequality and poverty in the world. My assumption is, if more people learn to imagine dream worlds and create, the world would lift up in many places at once.