Hexaflex Your Mind

A new person I stumbled across online today via a random link is Vi Hart who describes herself as a Mathemusician (right there is a BIG clue to how creative she is.)  Vi posted a video to YouTube sharing thoughts and demonstrating the possibilities of a folded-paper shape called a Hexaflexagon.

If someone had tried to talk to me about this shape as a general concept, my eyes would have glazed over and my mind would have begun travelling to distant lands rather than try and comprehend this seemingly theoretical and useless shape with a funny name.

Enter the power of video, presentation, and personality

Vi created an engaging four minute video that not only explained the Hexaflexagon and did a bit of schooling on the person who uncovered this origamic curiosity, but also managed to delivered the flex-ability of its design in an almost magical method that would challenge Penn & Teller for their level of close-up prestidigitation.

Here’s the video…

Sure, it’s a freaky-cool geometric oddity,
but what do you DO with it?

Consider the ways in which the hexaflexagon might spark your creativity…

• It creatively illustrates there are many unseen sides to a story — revealing many possibilities where you may have originally only perceived one or two.
• What if you created a services brochure for your company where you featured a different benefit of doing business with you on each “side” of the hexaflexagon? It’s certainly cooler than the crappy brochure you’re probably using now!
• Instead of coloring the sides like Vi did, why not use each face of the shape to write down a solution to a problem you are brainstorming?  It would help you get past the “first” right answer and dig deeper into your imagination to come up with an idea that someone else hasn’t already come up with.
• What about creating an interactive business card with each side featuring a way to contact you (phone, email, facebook, twitter, website.)
• How about a creative way to share photographs?  Each side could feature one of your Instagram images, or photos from a special event or dream vacation.
• Here’s one I discovered where the person used the hexaflexagon as a study tool — way more fun than boring old flashcards!

Why not apply this concept to an idea of your own?

You’ve now been exposed to an incredibly flexible, engaging, and interactive content delivery and communication concept.  How would YOU put it into action?

Share your ideas for application in the comments below!

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