Pepper Ann is a cartoon that we used to watch with our daughters when they were younger. In one episode, Pepper Ann was selected for the "brain" team because of her unusual grasp of modern day trivia. It was kind of like jeopardy, only for middle schoolers and there were teams instead of individual players. So she gets really into the competition, and starts memorizing all kinds of other facts (i.e., history, geography,etc.) for the good of the team. In the final showdown, there is one question about Pepper Ann's favorite rock band, Flaming Snot. Pepper Ann has re-arranged the files in her brain to make room for geography, and imagines herself desperately searching all the files and boxes in her brain for any or all references to Flaming Snot. "Must--find---Flaming---Snot."
This is exactly how my brain feels today. I've been stuffing it and stuffing it full of art files. But I'm not very organized, apparently in my life as well as my brain. Especially with all this new art knowledge...where can I find the right colors to mix (in my brain), so I don't feel like I'm re-inventing the wheel every time I paint? Where is that file on proportions? How do I put in that shadow again? Which paintbrush did I use to get that effect?
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I bet people with organized houses and offices also have an organized file system in their brain. When they need a file, it's right where it should be. I'll bet people who plot charts and graphs THINK in charts and graphs *all the time.* I'll venture to say that their closets and underwear drawers (so to speak) are neatly organized. Maybe even their cupboards are alphabetized.
Me, not so much. I have old cardboard boxes in my brain, full of bits and pieces of who knows what. When I need to retrieve new information, none of it has been put in a proper file cabinet and it's difficult to rummage around the old musty attic. THINK. "Must-----find---glasses."
4 comments:
I do not think in charts and graphs (at least not “all the time”), and my closet leaves plenty of organization to be desired. Tuesday morning I was sprinting down an airport concourse three minutes before departure with a baby carrier in one hand and a duffel bag in the other. The bag did not contain any toiletries for my two-day trip—oops.
My house is full of bins where we plop our "necessary" junk into an array of organized bins. I feel that my mind more works in a linear dimension in that I search for things in my head based on when I learned them. This will fail me someday.
i'm with you sarah.
although i did alphabetize my dvd collection. i'm very proud of that
OK Nils, to be fair I did think of you when posting. It amused me to gloss over your old entries. Go Howard.
Sol, I am absolutely entranced by your linear thinking. What happens when lots of bits of information hit you at the same time?
Coker, we are all proud that your dvd collection is arranged alphabetically. Hmmmm, I wonder if Sol's system accounts for alphabetization?
Am I the only one who has watched Pepper Ann?
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