Be sure to visit our ABOUT page, to get a sense of what crucial elements are in play when using Mixtum.

INSTRUCTIONS Mixtum is comprised of three concentric rings of symbols. Each ring is numbered according to size; the smallest ring is number one, middle ring is two and the large ring is three. The dots on the spinners correspond with the ring numbers. Stack the three spinners and spin them together. When they have stopped spinning, follow each one to the symbol it is pointing to in the corresponding ring. These are the three symbols you will play with. If a spinner lands on a line, move the spinner clockwise.

PLAY
Using your own interpretation, combine all three symbols into one new idea in the form of a drawing. If you prefer, drawing can be substituted with speaking, writing, movement, music.

Group Setting: Comparing the different approaches to interpreting the symbols can reveal people’s varying thought processes and can be very entertaining.

Educational Setting: This can be an easy and fruitful way to stimulate students creativity, whether as a quick exercise at the beginning of class or to help come up with ideas for long term projects.

Personal Setting: For an artist, writer, poet or inventor, this method can be a good way to introduce external ideas to grapple with and to help sprout new connections.

VARIATIONS
Mixtum is meant to be used and adapted for various settings. There are infinite ways to play!

One common alternative way to play is to create a narrative: create a short story using the three selected symbols. The symbols can be given specific roles. For example the outer ring contains the main character, the middle ring contains the conflict, the inner ring contains resolution.

Mixtum has also been used for generating analogy puzzles, reading one’s fortune, prompting symbolic musical ideas and creating new inventions. View all variations…

Below is the drawing of the instructions that comes with the board: