Meet the real me .... she looks awfully like the fandom obsessed me
*drum roll*
Ok, for those who haven't been following along, I've been working with this website which helps you find your given talent. It's like finding this core skill you have, that you don't realize you have. It's a skill you've used all your life, often unconsciously. It's also a skill that brings you pleasure and energy.
For more details check out http://www.stuckinarut.com/ or their twitter http://twitter.com/StuckInARutLLC By the way, on the random chance that anyone decides to give them a try, give them my name. They like referrals. *g* Not that I'm sharing for that reason. It's one of those things you can't not share. (Oh, and if you don't know my full name, or want the email address I used, just ask.)
Ok, my talent. I'll give it to you in my own words first, then I'll show you the more rigid terms they gave me, and I tweaked for accuracy.
I like to find novel group dynamics, either in fiction or in real life. And by novel I mean out of the ordinary and, to some extent, unpredictable. I like studying those group dynamics, usually from the perspective of a given person within the group. Then there is this cyclic part where I like to learn more about the individuals in the group and I study the relationships between the group members. And I use the relationships to better define the individuals I know less about. Like saying, I know my friend Amy is friends with you, therefore I can assume certain details about your character from the fact that Amy likes you.
Anyway, there is, in a sense, an endgame where I feel like I know the group members to a degree that I think I can predict what they may do in a given situation. Since I picked an unpredictable group, this isn't perfect, but it's fun. *g*
Ok, now I'll give you the more step by step version, then I'll give you two examples. Wouldn't you know it, my two biggest fandoms fit perfectly. 30STM and the Anita Blake books.
Read both if you like. Read one or the other, if that better suits you. Either should prove a good introduction to my "other" fandom. The "Anita Blake" intro has lots of spoilers. I'm not sure how you can have spoilers in a fandom wrapped around a band, so it's spoiler safe. *g*
- I encounter a novel situation, world, or group dynamic that is unpredictable, THEN
- I find an existing perspective within that situation to use as a doorway into that world, THEN
- I immerse myself in the details surrounding that group dynamic and start seeing the world through the eyes of my chosen point of view character, THEN
- I focus on and analyze relationships, THEN
- I define the character of each person by how they relate to others inside or outside the group, THEN
- I connect to the individuals in the group through those relationships, THEN
- I play things forward through my understanding of their character, WHICH
- Enables me to better predict the unpredictable.
Clear as mud?
Ok we'll start with 30STM.
Novel group dynamic? Check.
Unpredictable? Check.
Point of view character? Check. ... for me, that's Jared, if you didn't guess
Fascination with little details and relationships between the group members? Check.
Defining some group members by their relationships with the POV character? Check.
Look at this "who is 30STM bio?" I wrote up using the step by steps above.
- I encounter a novel situation, world, or group dynamic that is unpredictable, THEN
There is this band 30 Seconds to Mars. I connected to their music right off. It's the kind of music that makes you think, but it doesn't tell you exactly what to think. They are songs that have a timeless quality and have this sustaining power. The songs don't get old after a few listens.
- I find an existing perspective within that situation to use as a doorway into that world, THEN
Ok, for me, that's Jared. And it isn't at all becasue he's the cutest or the actor or that he's famous apart from the band. It's the fact that he's the creative leader of the group, he's the songwriter, and the public spokesperson. He's the frontman in every sense of the word.
- I immerse myself in the details surrounding that group dynamic and start seeing the world through the eyes of my chosen point of view character, THEN
This is when I realized that there was much more to 30STM than just the music. They like to think of the band as a creative art project. Everything has meaning, although it's not explicit black and white all is revealed meaning. There is symbology and messages, but it's all done with this sense of you must follow your own path. You must find your own meaning in the lyrics and the other messages from the band.
- I focus on and analyze relationships, THEN
This is fun. First off, I focused on Jared and Shannon. One, they formed the group and are the core of the group. Two, they're brothers. Very close brothers that have this amazing connection. They're this wonderful combination of being the same versus complementing each other. On the surface, they appear completely different. But just below the surface they're the closest set of siblings I've ever met. Die for you loyalty and mutual respect. Both creative, and caring, and the sweetest guys you'd ever meet.
And their current third, Tomo, he's their adopted baby brother. The three of them have this great balance between them. Tomo is music skill. Shannon is passion. And Jared is the messages, the words.
- I define the character of each person by how they relate to others inside or outside the group, THEN
Oh, they are so perfect together. They are all very touchy, and flirty, and they like to tease. And with their fans they're just the sweetest guys. They look at their fans as their extended family. They're generous with their time and energy. They'll give a random fan time and attention and hugs. Just the best.
- I connect to the individuals in the group through those relationships, THEN
I feel like I have this direct connection to Jared. But I see Shannon both through Jared's eyes, and in the ways he is similar and complementary to his brother. That's because most of the communication comes from Jared. But as Shannon starts to speak away from his brother, his own personality gets this whole separate layer. Like his Twitters. He's so positive and encouraging and sweet.
- I play things forward through my understanding of their character, WHICH
This group is sometimes completely predictable. They will take longer than they think they will. Jared's perfectionist attitude won't let them release a half-hearted anything. Jared will try to say something in the local language. Every city they visit will be his favorite.
On the other hand, they bring in things out of left field all the time. Some that work, some that fail miserable. I mean look at the "The Summit".
- Enables me to better predict the unpredictable.
Next example. The Anita Blake universe.
Novel group dynamic? Check. In this case, not just novel group dynamic, but novel world.
Unpredictable? Check.
Point of view character? Check. ... In this case, Anita was picked for us, but we connect.
Fascination with little details and relationships between the group members? Check.
Defining some group members by their relationships with the POV character? Check.
Again, here is the story that goes along with the step by steps.
- I encounter a novel situation, world, or group dynamic that is unpredictable, THEN
Ok, there is this series of books I love. The "Anita Blake" series by Laurell K. Hamilton. It's a series set in modern day St. Louis, only the monsters (vampires and werewolves) are out of the closet and treated as legal citizens.
- I find an existing perspective within that situation to use as a doorway into that world, THEN
The series is written from the POV of Anita, who is a necromancer (an individual with power over the dead), a vampire executioner (someone who tracks down those vampires that break the law), and a monster expert for the local police department.
- I immerse myself in the details surrounding that group dynamic and start seeing the world through the eyes of my chosen point of view character, THEN
As the series begin, Anita is very much a solitary individual. She does her job and goes home to her stuffed penguin Sigmund. She has few friends and no hobbies. She the ultimate work-a-holic.
A few books into the series, she finds herself torn between dating two men. One is the bad boy, the kind of man Mamma warned you about. The other is the textbook definition of the perfect guy. He's kind and loving, he has a great family, he studied the same thing in college, he's a junior high teacher, and he wants the whole white picked fence. Only the bad boy, Jean-Claude, he's a vampire. And the good boy, Richard, he's a werewolf.
And thus, the love triangle ....
- I focus on and analyze relationships, THEN
So, the whole early part of the series is the love triangle. You even get hints around book 8 that it may end up being a sort of threesome.
Then there is this big monkey wrench that gets thrown into the works. Jean-Claude's vampire powers bleed over onto Anita making her a sort of living vampire, a succubus.
Suddenly she needs to have sex (and relationships) with men outside her initial two suitors. Which, amazingly enough, have switched roles. Jean-Claude has ended up being a better fit for Anita. They want the same things. They're both survivors. While Richard has ended up being a bad fit. He wants the white picket fence at all costs. He can't see the world the people in it as they are. He is still trying to force the rose colored glasses image on everyone and everything.
- I define the character of each person by how they relate to others inside or outside the group, THEN
So now you have this so-called vampire executioner and monster expert shacking up with more than one member of the preternatural community. Anita's friends don't like that. Anita's police buddies do not like that. As she lessens the "us vs them" distance between herself and the vampires, she increases the "us vs them" distance between herself and her human friends and acquaintances.
For Anita, it's a growth experience. She is no longer seeing vampires as strictly monsters, she's seeing them as individuals with the same capacity for good and evil as the ordinary humans. Plus, don't forget Anita is a necromancer, a born gift. She was never strictly human to begin with.
- I connect to the individuals in the group through those relationships, THEN
Ok, at the point when Anita becomes a succubus, she asks her lover Jean-Claude who she can feed on (aka have sex with) without upsetting him. He picks Nathaniel, a boy (wereleopard) Anita has been playing protector to; Richard, the other side of her threesome; Jason, a young man (werewolf) that plays dinner snack for Jean-Claude; Asher, Jean-Claude's former lover, another vampire; Micah, a new man (wereleopard) in Anita's life who just happened to be there when her new "gift" made it's first appearance.
So now, beyond the threesome there is this richly complicated group dynamic. Werewolves are part of packs, so there is a hierarchy among the wolves. The same for wereleopards, except they call their group a pard. Then there is Jean-Claude's ability to influence wolves and werewolves. That makes him a second leader of sorts. Richard of the white picked fence is the leader of the wolves, their Ulfric. Starting to see how richly complicated it is before considering the fact that Anita is "dating" all of these men, and most of them are being faithful only to her.
- I play things forward through my understanding of their character, WHICH
Ah, predicting. I had the most fun with this after "Narcissus in Chains" and "Cerulean Sins". Because, as I predicted, Jean-Claude's lover's list came to reality. Those are my favorite relationships of the series. There have been new characters and new relationships since then, but they've kind of blown past my ideal group size. The group dynamics have gotten unstable, both in my head and in Laurell's universe.
- Enables me to better predict the unpredictable.
So do you see it? Do you see how very me the circling about fandom and the intense desire to learn and examine and analyze is? And I do that with all sorts of group dynamics. Some where I'm purely an observer, and some where I'm part of the dynamics. And that is fun for me. It gives me energy. I get excited telling you these stories.
How that relates to work, I'm not sure.
I had one project at work that had a version of this. We were building a simulation system. Large scale, not a child's video game. So three people were put in this simulation system (room with 180 degree screens and computer terminals) and interacted with the software we were creating. It was a trainer for Air Traffic Controllers. Teaching them how to land planes and taxi vehicles around the airport. It was so fun.
Anyway, that's the only time I've connected my "skill" to a work situation. I have no idea if I can make that connection "on demand". Because part of the key is me finding the situation "novel and unpredictable". Basically, engaging my curiosity and desire to learn.
And like Dave (from stuck-in-a-rut) said, this is a skill I've used unconsciously for years. It's a process to getting to use the same skill in a conscious manner.