“When we were kids, a cardboard box was a spaceship, and a scribble was a masterpiece. But the more we learned how things ‘should’ work, the less we imagined what else they could be.” Upside Down Studios is a creative system designed to help young adults rediscover curiosity, spark playful thinking, and form a habit of imagination in everyday life. Through three playful tools, this project builds a pathway back to wonder.
UPSIDE DOWN STUDIOS
where imagination is routine and rules are optional.
We are targeting 3 key points to bring back imagination through small exercises.
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THE OBJECT OF MISBEHAVE
rewire your thinking
THE BOOK OF MAYBES
break mental patterns
THE BOX OF WHY NOT
build a habit of curiosity
1.
when we were kids a box was a spaceship. Imagination was automatic.
BOX
SPACESHIP
we used to imagine all the time!
the more answers we got, less creative we became.
That's not a magic potion, it's just grape juice!
No, your goldfish didn't go to live in the ocean- it died, sweetie.
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1.
The Book of Maybes challenges traditional ways of thinking through nonlinear exercises and visual experimentation. It pushes users to explore without goals or judgment—reintroducing play as a tool for original thought.
Edward de Bono’s book “Lateral Thinking” explains this as Our minds are trained to follow familiar paths Lateral thinking is about disrupting those patterns to find unexpected alternatives. That is what the Book of Maybes is offering.
illustrate what your dreams look like in a physical form
create an enchanted forest with magical abilities.
THE BOX OF WHY NOT
2.
This is the Box of Why Not — a gentle invitation to curiosity. Once a week, it prints a small prompt, like a message from another world. It nudges you to notice, to imagine, to make something just because.
7 DAYS
Hi there!
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This week's air smells like stories waiting to happen.
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Your task: Invent a secret backstory for three strangers you pass by. Write it, draw it, voice-note it.
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Upside Down Studios
This was backed by research in “Atomic Habits”by James clear, frequent micro-interactions—especially when framed positively—are key to rewiring behavior and mindset.
Hi there!
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This week's air smells like stories to happen.
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Your task: Invent a secret backstory for three strangers you pass by. Write it, draw it, voice-note it.
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Hello hello!
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It looks like a good week for wondering.
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Your task: Take a different route than usual - to class, to the store, anywhere. On the way, collect a sound, a texture, and a weird shape. Let them become something.
Good day to you!
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The light has been doing little dances lately.
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Your task: Find five shadows and trace them. On paper, in your sketchbook, with your phone camera. Then turn those outlines into creatures.
Upside Down Studios
Upside Down Studios
Upside Down Studios
3.
THE OBJECT OF MISBEHAVE
As we grow, we're taught how things work—and subtly, how they must work. The more we're told objects have fixed purposes and right answers, the more imagination is boxed. Object of Misbehave is a playful act of resistance: a workshop inviting users to forget function, reject the familiar, and invent freely. By reimagining the ordinary, participants break mental routines and tap back into the boundless creativity.
Forget what you learned.
WRONG ANSWERS ONLY!
This process mirrors research on “functional fixedness” in psychology (Duncker, 1945), which shows that unlearning assumed use, is essential for creative problem-solving.
object - paint
purpose - to paint
the object of misbehave - door stopper
Bookmark
Desk Paperweight
Secret Compartment