How to blend the five traditional senses to push your creativity

Difficulty: Explorer (Level 1)

Did you know? Some people can hear colours or see music. This is because they experience something called synaesthesia. It bridges any two or more of the five traditional senses: sight, smell, touch, taste and hearing.

Your brain has certain signals for each sense. But for some people, when they experience one sense, the brain lights up the pathway for another sense. As a result, the senses blend.

Paint a song

Listen closely and paint what a song makes you think of. Photo: Shutterstock

Materials

• paper

• watercolour or acrylic paint

• paintbrushes

• a phone or speaker

Instructions

1. First, choose your favourite song. Play it aloud on repeat using a phone or a speaker. You can choose to look up the lyrics for reference later on.

2. Now, as you listen to the song, think about the colours or objects it brings to mind. Maybe a slow song makes you think of warm colours and comfy pillows in a bedroom, while an energetic song makes you imagine sharp shapes and a racetrack. If you can’t think of anything, try taking a look at the lyrics for some inspiration. Do you see any words that stand out?

3. Once you have chosen a colour and object, keep the music on and begin painting your scene. Don’t focus too hard on making it look perfect – go with the flow. For example, if the song suddenly speeds up, one half of the painting can look completely different to the other half!

4. Finally, share your painting with friends and family. If possible, let them listen to the song while they are looking at it. Do they think the painting matches the song? Why or why not?

Hearing movements

Mime out these sound words! Photo: Shutterstock

Materials

• one or more friends

• a timer

Instructions

1. Some people see things move when they experience sound. We’ll use this to play a game. You’ll need at least one other person to play with you.

2. Pick one of the sound words listed here: whoosh, swish, crash, boom, buzz, splash, hiss, vroom and sizzle.

3. Start a timer. Without making any noises, use your hands and body to act out the sound word you’ve chosen. The other person needs to guess the sound word. Stop the timer once the other person has guessed correctly. Write down how long it took you to act out the sound.

4. Then have your opponent choose a sound word for you to guess. Compare your times – who was faster?