Thinking about thinking

For more forced perspective photos, click on the picture

This is a very cerebral post, so I will try to keep it short.

As a person who thinks a lot, I think lots of possibilities. I have ideas upon ideas and they pass through my mind quite fleetingly. This is happening to me all the time.  I think the goal, the steps, required materials, possible problems, possible outcomes, all in one foul swoop. I can break ideas down, but when I am thinking in general without concentrating on disciplining my thinking, I see it all at the same time. So generally, ideas come and go quickly because they have been attended to and are usually dismissed, because, well I can see a lot of possible problems before I start and my mind has moved on to the next idea.

Because of the way I think, I also see a lot of complexity in the world.  I can think of lots of bits and pieces that make up whole actions, so anything that I do not know how to do I see as difficult. I appreciate how demanding everyone’s jobs are. I empathise with people’s different life situations. If you give me a problem I can give you many explanations why that happened.  I can also justify anything because I see how different things are linked. As a teacher, I can create activities that are engaging, educational and manageable all at the same time, and often quite quickly off the top of my head. I can envisage change and how that may or may not succeed.  Of course, the actual result may not be the same, but in my mind I can think of the big picture. I actually do not like the tedious details, they weigh down on me as there are too many, and I see them all at the same time. I enjoy the ideas phase of a project and teasing out the plan of action. The actual doing is not so inspiring to me, so it is very hard to find hobbies that I enjoy from beginning to end.

Reflecting on this perspective that my mind naturally takes, I feel like I am being tricked. I feel like I am being tricked into thinking too much and almost sabotaging my action on difficult ideas that might be worth doing.

Is it not true, that doing would be a lot easier than my mind thinks it would?

I wonder why I have this thinking pattern, and is it good or bad?

Does this type of fast thinking hinder creativity or is it how creativity works in my mind?

Is my mind allowing me to see a lot of ideas and be selective on what I choose to do, or is it making me eliminate possibilities before I have even tried?

I do a lot of things but I always feel I could do more. I want to know how other people’s minds think and how they manage their idea processing. I also want to know whether processing too much thinking has played a part in exhausting my body to the point it is now chronically unwell.

Creativity lost (again)

There is a lot of advice out there about unlocking creativity, breaking down the blockers, etc., and I’ve read some, it’s not currently working. I just keep falling through the hours until there is nothing to give except sit and feel tired. I have so many creative ideas throughout the day but then they pass.

These are my pathetic excuses:

I don’t want to start anything because then I have to commit to it and I can’t deal with commitment right now. Half the time I can’t concentrate enough to make a cup of tea without stuffing it up, so I don’t know how acting out creativity would go.

I think that my work won’t come out like I visualise it, with my mind so all over the place, so I don’t start.

No energy. That no energy thing really gets in the way of a lot of things.

No time. Actually, when I do have time, like at the end of the day, I have no energy and my ideas don’t seem so good anymore, even if I wrote them down. I think it will take me a really long time. I don’t seem to make the time- to prioritise a day for example.

What I did do tonight, that is good, is I read some more children’s books. They all have lovely illustrations and that is what I have been focusing on, how different types of illustrations are featured in picture books.  All these books are created by writer/illustrators. Three completely different styles of illustration…

1. Hasel and Rose

Written and illustrated by Caroline Magerl

(Scratchy, sketchy line pictures with watercolour)

Caroline Magerl with her finished art for the book. Click here to go to the author’s website.

2. How long is a piece of String

Illustrated by Madeleine Meyer (no words)

(Black ink drawings with lots of cross hatching and pattern, with some bright coloured ink highlights and shading)

3. Draw me a Star

Written and illustrated by Eric Carle

(Collage of painted papers cut into shapes)

Eric Carle at work painting.
Click here to go to his author page.

The Homeless Homes Project

Tonight I had the urge to look at the latest Frankie magazine.  I only discovered the softly printed indie-crafty magazine while rushing up a supermarket aisle two months ago. So far I can’t explain why I love it, it just resonates with me (possibly it taps into my creativity, just not sure yet!). I don’t pick magazines up much, but Frankie is full of images and short articles, so it is easier for my short attention span to manage.

So tonight I flicked through the pages of the magazine and read just a few bits and pieces. Except, there was one story that I read all the way through. In fact, the pictures accompanying the story won me over and then I gave the article a chance. It was a one page article about a guy in Oakland California who makes moveable mini houses for homeless people to live in. His name is Gregory Kloehn. There were many of the little houses pictured. They are cute, all designed differently, made mostly with materials found dumped on the streets, and look well made and tough. But most importantly, these mini houses provide a home for some of the people stuck living on the streets of Oakland, year after year.

Reading this article, my mind just blew up.

What a fantastic thing to do!

What a great project to channel one’s creativity!

What a valuable service to do for the city!

How much rubbish must get taken off the streets and repurposed?!

How does he come up with the designs?

What designs could you use?

How hard are they to make?

How much do the homeless people love their mini houses?

Is there a rule about where they can be placed?

Would this work in my city?

Could this program work all over the world?

What other projects could be done to help homeless people?

What help do homeless people want?

Why is it that this article is stimulating my tired mind?

Why am I inspired by stories about helping others?

Reading about people like Greg makes me wish I had more control over my mind and my creativity, the confidence to take my ideas somewhere and the confidence to help more people.

To read about the project, go to Homeless Homes Project.

Homeless Homes Project Slideshow by Brian J Reynolds