Numbers and letters

It was very clear to me that numbers and letters could have thoughts of their own.

I first put myself in the mind of a number. A sense of logic came over me, I started looking at everything in stark contrast, paying attention to straight lines, pure curves and orderly structures around me. A number would be precise, focused on details, meticulous and wary of anything that intruded on this carefully crafted existence. It craved silence, or at least rhythm. It preferred stillness.

I then switched over and placed myself in the composure of a letter. Strangely enough, I focused on sounds a lot more, taking comfort in the melodious surroundings I found myself in. Colours immediately sprung forward, and movement  became attractive, a symbol of change and therefore of life. I let my imagination drift, looking for ideas to stitch freely together. A letter would prefer that, I felt. Order was not a priority. A letter yearned to move and keep moving.

It was immediately clear to me that numbers and letters would naturally hate each other, out of mere suspicion at something so completely different from themselves. The parallel with bigotry and xenophobia was evident. This prompted in me the question: what would a war between numbers and letters look like? What kind of armies would each side deploy? What tactics would they use? How would they move? And most importantly, what would they each be defending?

This led me to the notion of worlds, separate worlds divided by a clear and prohibited frontier. The numerical world would be the System of Numbers, black and white, rigid and solid. The alphabetical world would be the Land of Letters, colourful and textured, soft and natural. These worlds would be unique, populated by living numbers and letters, with social classes, rules and etiquette, fears, doubts and desires.

I had found my story. I had found ALPHANUMERIC.

I’m convinced we all have moments like I had, where our minds open up to something new and exciting. It’s then up to us to seize the moment and turn it into something more.

I would love to hear about your own stories, moments and ideas. Feel free to share, comment or email me about it.