When my Intuiti Deck arrived by post, I was eager to tap into them immediately. These are gorgeously illustrated cards, each conceived and designed as a veritable tool for Creativity. Born in the Polytechnic University of Milan, the cards have been used in varied ways. We speak to Andrea Binasco from independent publisher Sefirot to know more….
So, get set to tap in your intuition, and let the secrets of creativity unravel for you!
The Intuiti cards merge tarot, gestalt psychology and design. What are the specific elements of Gestalt philosophy that find expression here?
Gestalt’s theories (Psychology of Form) describe the way our feelings are influenced by a specific juxtaposition of elements. I’m referring to simple perceptions – hot/cold, harmony/conflict – the ones that can be used as ingredients for a more complex message. We used colours, forms and elements in order to awaken those perceptions in a particular way. The result is a visual incentive whose emotional description recalls the corresponding archetype.
What are the most common purposes for which people use the cards?
The main purpose of the cards is to help people asking the right questions. Usually people are unsatisfied, they have doubts about what decision to take, or they simply don’t feel in place without knowing the reason. Intuiti helps people identify the problem and stop lying to oneself. They can be used everyday, and we know that some companies use them to manage meetings and interviews.
The relationship between intuition and creativity is a very fascinating one. Tell us more about your research into this very specific aspect of creativity.
I believe that creativity is not a rational thing. It has to be felt, not thought. Intuition is a powerful resource that we have at our own disposition, and it can help us in our everyday life. It helps creativity not just because helps us creating new things, but because it tells us if we are doing what we want, and if the problem we want to solve is really relevant to us.
The design of the cards is breath-taking. I was amazed to know that the designs were first handmade and then digitalized. Can you tell us a bit more about the development of the designs?
Cards were first designed by hand and then digitalized. I wanted to craft personally them and have even more control on the design. It is very important: I tried to identify the archetypes behind every card and to put them on paper, so even one who does not know the meaning of cards can feel and perceive the meaning by intuition.
What kinds of creative fields are the cards more likely to resonate with?
The cards are not made for a specific field, but are meant to ask the right question in every aspect of work and life. We do use them for our business for instance. They help focus on aspects that are not quite working, and they don’t give you the answer. They are just a stimulus to discuss your choices. Often people think they can find a solution to their creative problems by using a tool or a method: they’d like to have an algorithm or equation capable of solving the clearest of all creativity problems (creating something new), but in doing so they forget that this problem merely represents the symptom of a much deeper issue. Using techniques such as brainstorming or mental mapping, which are great for urging yourself to find new ideas, generally results in frustration and generates comfort rather than joy.
For this reason, Intùiti calls for a deeper dialogue. It is not an algorithm that makes you creative nor a scientific method that produces hundreds of brilliant ideas. It is a work tool: it is not an answer, but endless questioning.
Can you share some enlightening feedback from the users on how these cards have made a difference to their lives?
What always happens is that people arrive with a conviction and on using Intuiti they completely change it or they become aware of problems they had no idea about.
In the early stages of Intùiti I genuinely thought that people would find better ideas than the ones they were coming up with on their own through brainstorming. But I was wrong. I worked with more than 4,000 people and not one got an extraordinary idea. They would come to me already dissatisfied – with their job, with the projects they were working on – and they would leave equally disappointed. Looking at the cards archetypes, people weren’t finding solutions… but they realised that what they were doing was in part or fully wrong. Just like a writer looking for ideas to improve a book he doesn’t like, or an employee trying to prove himself in a job environment that he doesn’t ultimately like. Initially I thought I had failed, then I realised I had discovered something more important.
The truth is that people are unaware. We often have jobs we don’t like, we waste time on projects we don’t believe in, we live a generally unsatisfactory life. But why? Because deep down we don’t know what we want and how to get it. So, Creativity is not simply the ability to find ideas and brilliant solutions. Rather, it’s the consequence of having found what we love.
The physical deck is quite handy. However, your online sample trials are also absolutely wonderful! Is there any way someone who buys the physical deck can have access to help with interpreting them as well, besides of course, the detailed manual that accompanies the deck?
The Complete guide to intuiti is downloadable for free from the site www.intuiti.it . We don’t offer courses or trials, but we occasionally organize workshops online with the deck. We have also registered some of them to share it with our buyers!
