In which the meta-cognition is strong with this one
http://www.moritherapy.org/article/the-10-paradoxes-of-creative-people/
Some thoughts. I was directed to this article, or one similar, a while back and I found it fascinating. Mostly because it’s got ME written all over it.
Some of the time, when I come across a meme or some check-list of…you know you’re a ____ if ____--I just kind of roll my eyes and go…uh-huh. It’s like a fortune cookie--general enough to apply to anyone.
It could be my recent experiences in the education field and an over abundance of time to think about things, but…
I felt like a nail being smacked repeatedly with a very large hammer.
Let us digest:
Great deal of physical energy (six mile walks and ninja work skillz) but also often quiet and at rest (I sleep/spend time in bed thinking and/or listening to music and/or writing for almost half of my day)
Highly sexual but also celibate-check and check.
I know for a fact that I can act like a child. One of my coworkers likes to explain me to people she knows as “yeah, she’s the supervisor who likes to be loud and overly dramatic-I love it”. And yet, on the other hand, I can be completely serious and down-to-business.
I can have a very light and frivolous conversation about stupidly unimportant things and then five seconds later, say something extremely profound and wildly insightful. It creeps out my brother.
In regards to #3, just past week I was wondering what it would be like to be trapped in solitary confinement. No, I’m not joking. I just watched the film “The Great Escape” last month and ever since, have been wondering if I would be able to survive solitary without breaking. I mean…I have enough of a mental movie of plot bunnies going on every minute of the day that I wondered if I could keep myself pre-occupied or even entertained in a room by myself for months at a time…or if the lack of stimuli would drive me crazy in a different way…and then I realized….what am I thinking? Why am I imagining myself in solitary confinement? Oh, self.
I prefer to imagine things and dwell in fantasy worlds, but I am also keenly aware of what’s going on around me in my physical world, and am, unrelentingly, a home-body.
I can be out-going when I want to be. I can chat and make nice and be loud and boisterous. But in response, I HAVE to be able to shut down and go inward and ignore people for a while. I’m perfectly happy being in a room with certain people and not speaking to them. Until I want their attention. Like a cat.
I’m proud of what I can do and what I can achieve. But I also know that there’s a lot I don’t know and can’t do, and I don’t like to get too far ahead of myself and say things that could put me to the test that I’d FAIL. I always think…if I say this, but don’t have the goods to back it up…wow, I’d be screwed and so embarrassed.
Oh, #7. Gender roles! I am not a girly girl. But I am not a tomboy. And yet, I am a little bit of both. I pursue artsy and girly things, but I pursue them in a not-so-girly fashion. I can supervise and manage group work and expedite and take charge of things…but I’m also perfectly happy being the background person helping someone else achieve the glory (like the mom). I can get dirty and fix things and do physical labor, but I’m not a “car” or “fix-it” girl. I like participating in sports without having too much of an interest in them, so I’m not “sporty spice” by any means. I have no plans to be a stay-at-home mom-oh, the death of the conservative woman!
#8. Yes. And yes.
#9. YES, yes, and yes.
10. Deep interest and involvement in obscure subjects often goes unrewarded, or even brings on ridicule. All hail the fanfic writers for microscopic fandoms!
Divergent thinking is often perceived as deviant by the majority, and so the creative person may feel isolated and misunderstood-I will wear that cone of shame; oh, how I will wear it :)
After reading through all of these, I’m often reminded that I usually take for granted, the idea that people think differently. I had an interesting conversation with my neighbor, a speech therapist and teacher, about the brain and how people think. Years ago, teachers used to tell children-just picture it in your mind! The idea of “picturing” something in my mind has always been easy for me. I do it all the time. I do it during the day. I do it when I’m lying in bed. I have the most detailed fantasies constantly-CONSTANTLY-running through my head. Other people? They have no idea what that is. They don’t know how to do it. They just stare at you going…huh?
She went on to tell me about how her daughter, my childhood friend, asked her…do people REALLY talk to themselves in their heads like that? With words? Because I only see pictures of things, like t.v. images, but I never have any words with my thoughts. Her mother responded-I use words all the time! I’m always talking to myself in my head, but…I don’t see images.
And I’m thinking…I’m always doing BOTH in my head. How weird am I??? In fact, I’m usually TALKING to myself OUT LOUD as well.
So I guess my curiosity lies in…how many of you see yourself fitting many of the above descriptions. And how many of you don’t? And in what ways?
If you don’t think in pictures and images, or fantasize endlessly in your mind (not sexual fantasy, just fantasy-although…haha); OR if you don’t think in an internal monologue-how do you think? When you wake up in the morning, how does your brain organize its thoughts? How do you structure your thinking? Are you constantly thinking throughout the day? Only at certain times? (and I’m not talking about task-thinking…or learning…I’m talking about self-thinking.) Thinking about yourself-your desires for the day, your daily diversions. Are you thinking about what to make for dinner and how it will taste and what it will look like and if you have all the ingredients, and if not, which stores to go to and where and why? Are you thinking of friends? Are you thinking of a conversation you’re going to have with a friend? Are you mentally acting out the conversation and exploring ways the conversation could go just so you’re prepared for contingencies? Are you thinking about your place in the universe? Are you planning things for the weekend? Are you analyzing your personality? Are you comparing yourself to others throughout the day and making lists of…I like that aspect of that person, do I exhibit that quality and if not, how can I do so?
When you drive to work, do you think solely about what you’re going to do once you get to work-or are you thinking, huh. The sun looks really weird today and, huh, I never noticed that shadow before, it reminds me of some kind of creature. What would happen if you put a BAT symbol over the sun, would Batman from another universe show up? Are there BATS on other planets? (I’m totally thinking of Betsy right now)
When you take a walk. Are you listening to the words of your music, or are your thoughts wandering. Where are they wandering? Are you thinking about pitches and tones? Are you thinking about the science of music? The science of sound? Are you thinking about world events or are you thinking about yourself. Or are you thinking about characters, if you’re a writer. If you walk past a snarl of brambles, are you looking at it and thinking…huh, that looks like a snarl of brambles. Or are you thinking…if I were a small child and could climb underneath it and look up, would it be like a little wooden cathedral in the woods? Would faeries live in it? Could I use it as a portal to escape to another world?
I’m fascinated, really. I love hearing how other people perceive and interact with the world-it helps me to know how to perceive and interact with THEM. The human brain! You are so interesting!
Some thoughts. I was directed to this article, or one similar, a while back and I found it fascinating. Mostly because it’s got ME written all over it.
Some of the time, when I come across a meme or some check-list of…you know you’re a ____ if ____--I just kind of roll my eyes and go…uh-huh. It’s like a fortune cookie--general enough to apply to anyone.
It could be my recent experiences in the education field and an over abundance of time to think about things, but…
I felt like a nail being smacked repeatedly with a very large hammer.
Let us digest:
Great deal of physical energy (six mile walks and ninja work skillz) but also often quiet and at rest (I sleep/spend time in bed thinking and/or listening to music and/or writing for almost half of my day)
Highly sexual but also celibate-check and check.
I know for a fact that I can act like a child. One of my coworkers likes to explain me to people she knows as “yeah, she’s the supervisor who likes to be loud and overly dramatic-I love it”. And yet, on the other hand, I can be completely serious and down-to-business.
I can have a very light and frivolous conversation about stupidly unimportant things and then five seconds later, say something extremely profound and wildly insightful. It creeps out my brother.
In regards to #3, just past week I was wondering what it would be like to be trapped in solitary confinement. No, I’m not joking. I just watched the film “The Great Escape” last month and ever since, have been wondering if I would be able to survive solitary without breaking. I mean…I have enough of a mental movie of plot bunnies going on every minute of the day that I wondered if I could keep myself pre-occupied or even entertained in a room by myself for months at a time…or if the lack of stimuli would drive me crazy in a different way…and then I realized….what am I thinking? Why am I imagining myself in solitary confinement? Oh, self.
I prefer to imagine things and dwell in fantasy worlds, but I am also keenly aware of what’s going on around me in my physical world, and am, unrelentingly, a home-body.
I can be out-going when I want to be. I can chat and make nice and be loud and boisterous. But in response, I HAVE to be able to shut down and go inward and ignore people for a while. I’m perfectly happy being in a room with certain people and not speaking to them. Until I want their attention. Like a cat.
I’m proud of what I can do and what I can achieve. But I also know that there’s a lot I don’t know and can’t do, and I don’t like to get too far ahead of myself and say things that could put me to the test that I’d FAIL. I always think…if I say this, but don’t have the goods to back it up…wow, I’d be screwed and so embarrassed.
Oh, #7. Gender roles! I am not a girly girl. But I am not a tomboy. And yet, I am a little bit of both. I pursue artsy and girly things, but I pursue them in a not-so-girly fashion. I can supervise and manage group work and expedite and take charge of things…but I’m also perfectly happy being the background person helping someone else achieve the glory (like the mom). I can get dirty and fix things and do physical labor, but I’m not a “car” or “fix-it” girl. I like participating in sports without having too much of an interest in them, so I’m not “sporty spice” by any means. I have no plans to be a stay-at-home mom-oh, the death of the conservative woman!
#8. Yes. And yes.
#9. YES, yes, and yes.
10. Deep interest and involvement in obscure subjects often goes unrewarded, or even brings on ridicule. All hail the fanfic writers for microscopic fandoms!
Divergent thinking is often perceived as deviant by the majority, and so the creative person may feel isolated and misunderstood-I will wear that cone of shame; oh, how I will wear it :)
After reading through all of these, I’m often reminded that I usually take for granted, the idea that people think differently. I had an interesting conversation with my neighbor, a speech therapist and teacher, about the brain and how people think. Years ago, teachers used to tell children-just picture it in your mind! The idea of “picturing” something in my mind has always been easy for me. I do it all the time. I do it during the day. I do it when I’m lying in bed. I have the most detailed fantasies constantly-CONSTANTLY-running through my head. Other people? They have no idea what that is. They don’t know how to do it. They just stare at you going…huh?
She went on to tell me about how her daughter, my childhood friend, asked her…do people REALLY talk to themselves in their heads like that? With words? Because I only see pictures of things, like t.v. images, but I never have any words with my thoughts. Her mother responded-I use words all the time! I’m always talking to myself in my head, but…I don’t see images.
And I’m thinking…I’m always doing BOTH in my head. How weird am I??? In fact, I’m usually TALKING to myself OUT LOUD as well.
So I guess my curiosity lies in…how many of you see yourself fitting many of the above descriptions. And how many of you don’t? And in what ways?
If you don’t think in pictures and images, or fantasize endlessly in your mind (not sexual fantasy, just fantasy-although…haha); OR if you don’t think in an internal monologue-how do you think? When you wake up in the morning, how does your brain organize its thoughts? How do you structure your thinking? Are you constantly thinking throughout the day? Only at certain times? (and I’m not talking about task-thinking…or learning…I’m talking about self-thinking.) Thinking about yourself-your desires for the day, your daily diversions. Are you thinking about what to make for dinner and how it will taste and what it will look like and if you have all the ingredients, and if not, which stores to go to and where and why? Are you thinking of friends? Are you thinking of a conversation you’re going to have with a friend? Are you mentally acting out the conversation and exploring ways the conversation could go just so you’re prepared for contingencies? Are you thinking about your place in the universe? Are you planning things for the weekend? Are you analyzing your personality? Are you comparing yourself to others throughout the day and making lists of…I like that aspect of that person, do I exhibit that quality and if not, how can I do so?
When you drive to work, do you think solely about what you’re going to do once you get to work-or are you thinking, huh. The sun looks really weird today and, huh, I never noticed that shadow before, it reminds me of some kind of creature. What would happen if you put a BAT symbol over the sun, would Batman from another universe show up? Are there BATS on other planets? (I’m totally thinking of Betsy right now)
When you take a walk. Are you listening to the words of your music, or are your thoughts wandering. Where are they wandering? Are you thinking about pitches and tones? Are you thinking about the science of music? The science of sound? Are you thinking about world events or are you thinking about yourself. Or are you thinking about characters, if you’re a writer. If you walk past a snarl of brambles, are you looking at it and thinking…huh, that looks like a snarl of brambles. Or are you thinking…if I were a small child and could climb underneath it and look up, would it be like a little wooden cathedral in the woods? Would faeries live in it? Could I use it as a portal to escape to another world?
I’m fascinated, really. I love hearing how other people perceive and interact with the world-it helps me to know how to perceive and interact with THEM. The human brain! You are so interesting!