Florence Scovel Shinn: practice the art of imagining

Before video vision boards and personalized narration, Florence Scovel Shinn wrote about the images people carry in their minds. In “The Game of Life and How to Play It,” published in 1925, she describes imagination as a faculty to train. Her language belongs to the New Thought tradition, which gives thoughts, words, and inner pictures a spiritual role in life.

"So we see, to play successfully the game of life, we must train the imaging faculty."

- Florence Scovel Shinn

The Game of Life and How to Play It · 1925 · chapter 1 ↗

Shinn’s book includes stories and claims about outcomes that should be read in their historical and spiritual context. A vivid image does not establish a guarantee of prosperity or explain why someone experiences hardship. The practical exercise here is narrower: notice the scenes you repeatedly rehearse, and choose a more intentional one.

Notice the movie that is already playing

Many of us can describe an unwanted future in remarkable detail. Before a conversation, we picture rejection. Before a task, we imagine failure. The point is not to blame yourself for those pictures. It is to recognize that imagination is already active, and that you can sometimes direct it toward preparation and possibility.

Take one recurring scene and write down what happens in it. Then ask what a more supportive version would show. You might still face a difficult conversation, but you imagine listening, speaking clearly, and asking for what you need. The new image can include uncertainty while making room for your agency.

Choose symbols that belong to you

A gold cave can evoke plenty, but abundance may mean time with family, tools for creative work, or a comfortable place to rest. A gem garden can suggest growth, but your scene might focus on patiently tending something small. Name what the setting means to you so the film serves your intention rather than becoming a generic catalogue of luxury.

Add a detail that only you would choose. A particular song, the color of a room, a favorite cup, or someone’s familiar laugh makes an imagined experience easier to recognize. You do not need to specify everything at once. Three meaningful details are often more useful than a long inventory.

Words that you can actually receive

Shinn also emphasizes language. In your adaptation, choose a sentence that supports the feeling of the scene. “I can make room for what matters” might feel more usable than an absolute claim you cannot believe. Let narration describe a quality you are practicing: curiosity, steadiness, openness, or care.

1. 1
   Write the unwanted scene you keep replaying in one sentence.
2. 2
   Choose a supportive response you would like to practice.
3. 3
   Pick a world and explain what it symbolizes for you.
4. 4
   Add three sensory details and one believable sentence.
5. 5
   After the movie, take one action that expresses the same intention.

Let the scene stay flexible

Return to your movie when it helps, and change it when your priorities change. A personal story can evolve. If the images begin to feel like pressure to achieve a particular lifestyle, revisit the underlying feeling. Perhaps you wanted ease more than the object, or connection more than the status attached to it.

Shinn’s invitation to train imagination can become a gentle creative practice: author a scene with care, notice what it brings up, and decide what to do next. The usefulness of your movie is something to observe in your own experience, rather than something you have to prove through a dramatic external result.