Top Tags

Tag mind

Entries 2 Total

Plane 9 | Phase 39

Aug 23, ’10 10:53 PM

With education as the backbone to my personal and professional life, the beginning of September continues (even to this day) to symbolize a new beginning for me.  Having moved into the ninth Plane (“Exodus”) in May, September 1st signifies the start of Phase 39 and a set of revised objectives for the months ahead:

Painting – Having experience with both traditional and digital art, I’ve found that having a true understanding of the fundamentals can make a significant difference when that same process is carried over into the digital realm.  This, I think, is one major reason why I’ve found it easier to paint with the Cintiq than I had originally believed – having taken a foundations course several years ago using charcoal and graphite.  However, to further improve my digital painting abilities, I am considering taking an oil or acrylic painting course at The Visual Arts Center of Richmond this term.

Ink – As you have already seen, my brief exploration with the Cintiq has pushed me to think seriously about the design and launch of a new “microsite” under my parent domain.  While some may question the purpose of a site such as this (i.e. not all of my creations will be deemed “remarkable”), that’s ultimately the point – you have to start somewhere.  As a real-world example, I started experimenting with graphic design nearly seventeen years ago and my early attempts were less than great (“comical” is the word that actually comes to mind …). Fortunately, my enjoyment for the process and medium has allowed me to gain the necessary experience to launch a business which may open up additional doors in the future.

OpenIDEO – While I have not had a chance to explore this site in much depth, I think this is a unique opportunity to make a positive impact while continuing to push myself both intellectually and creatively.  (And the fact that is comes from a company that I greatly admire doesn’t hurt either!)

Version Two – Having launched my personal brand earlier this year, I would like to revise the site to ensure that it includes other aspects of my portfolio – not just “Ink” but other projects as well, including my work at Big Generator.

The Factory – This concept is the graphical equivalent to Incubator.  It’s a microsite that will develop new graphical concepts that can be incorporated into graphic designs and/or digital illustrations.  The origins of this idea came partially from Eric Hanson’s video (“Digital Sets 1 – Design, Modeling and Camera”) where he highlights the concept of creating virtual buildings that can be later incorporated into larger 3D environments.  This idea is still in its infancy, and may not become visible until 2011 or later but it is worth thinking about now.

GD – Now having a solid graphic design portfolio established, I can now take inventory of what the next generation of my designs will need to entail.  Most of my designs up until this point focus primarily on color and typography and are nearly absent of patterns or imagery.  GD (capital letters) is the next chapter of my graphic / information design exploration.

Comments Off on Plane 9 | Phase 39

Emotion Detector.

Feb 12, ’09 7:09 PM

Several years ago, I was introduced to the concept of a “trigger” – a specific action or event that results in a specific emotional response.  I found this very interesting because the very nature of a “trigger” helped me formulate a conceptual model that I could use to manage my emotional response to specific actions or events.

Over the past few weeks, I thought of expanding upon this idea to broaden its use.

Let’s first explore what a “trigger” really is.  To do this, let me give you a very basic example from many years ago.

I used to work very late hours because I was fortunate enough to truly enjoy what I was doing.  When it came time for me to leave, a co-worker would frequently ask – jokingly – “Are you leaving early?”  Interestingly enough, my co-worker’s question (the “trigger”) indirectly resulted in feelings of guilt and sometimes even anger (!):

Guilt = “Am I not working hard enough?”

Anger = “What else do I need to do!?”

After many weeks of hearing the same question, I stopped to think about why this question was so problematic for me.  After much reflection and self-analysis, I was able to understand the underlying reasons behind these feelings.

The limitation of the trigger is that it doesn’t really “solve” the problem.  A trigger is telling you that you will have a specific emotional response given a specific event, but it does not ultimately address the underlying “issue”.  It does, however, point you in the right direction.

By the very nature of the brain and one’s personality, everyone will have triggers – so the objective is not to eliminate the need for triggers, but instead try to perhaps minimize the need for them.  The way to achieve this is through “emotional containers”.

An emotional container is a way to conceptually “compartmentalize” a particular issue that you may be dealing with in such a way where you can better manage it.

The number and magnitude of each container is highly dependent upon one’s life experiences – both past and present.  Furthermore, some containers are “permanent” while others are “transient”.

To help visualize this concept, someone who has experienced numerous challenges in their life, may have one one large container that is linked through numerous triggers – i.e. many different “events” can trigger a single emotional response (of significant “magnitude”).  Another person may have numerous containers linked by a single trigger – i.e. one question or comment could trigger multiple (and varying) emotional responses.

More specifically, an emotional container contains the “root” issue along with the emotions that relate to that issue.  If one were to partition their subconscious mind, it could be perhaps represented through these “emotional containers” and their associated “triggers”.

In order to build this “subconscious superstructure”, one should ask themselves the following questions:

  1. What are the things that result in immediate emotional responses?
  2. Where do these triggers link to?
  3. What is the underlying issue or theme behind these triggers?
  4. Is there a way to minimize these containers or even eliminate them completely?

The goal – over time – is to become your own “mind cartographer”.  By taking the time to understand the concept of a “trigger” and “emotional container” you may be able to improve your ability to constructively deal with (negative) thoughts and feelings. 

Comments Off on Emotion Detector.