The Significance of Imagination

“Imagination is an essential tool, ’cause what imagination is, is the ability to imagine lots of things.  See, if you can’t imagine things, you only have one choice.  And maybe a good choice but a lot of times it’s not.  If you have imagination you can keep trying things out.  You try this.  ‘Does this work?  Does that work?’  That’s what artists do.  That’s what composers do.  That’s what performers do.”

This was taken from a video called How Does Someone So Young Play So Well? I found this to be a very insightful and powerful idea.  Last time I shared my thoughts on Vengerov’s playing, and this sense of imagination is exactly what I was referring to.  What was most brilliant about his playing was this wonderful understanding of the music fueled by an expansive imagination.  And this idea about the power of imagination illustrates how imagination contributes to such artistry.

In fact, if imagination does allow us to analyze and consider different approaches to problems, I believe this ability would not only drive artists but thinkers of all kinds.  For example, the capacity to consider different approaches to problems is what math requires.  Oftentimes, there are different ways of proving different theorems.  And, when you reach a point when you’re trying to create new ideas and new proofs, you can be sure you will need this same ability that great musicians possess.

I had always considered imagination to be a valuable attribute, but it seems like it’s even more important than I had imagined.

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