Pull quote: “What gives card decks this unique power to create new meaning in the world? The basis of visual thinking is the analysis (i.e., disaggregation) of a complex idea into “nodes”, followed by the synthesis (i.e., reintegration) of those “nodes” through “links” into a new meaningful whole. At the most basic level, cards are “nodes” in search of “links.” In personal creative practice, card decks are a powerful problem-solving tool because we often know the parts of a problem or solution, but we don’t yet know how they fit together in an insightful way. Decks are a way for us to hold those nodes in creative tension until a pattern emerges.”