Living the Creative Life

Having just given a speech myself this week, the subject of speech-giving has been on my mind. Despite my being one of the most introverted people I know, I was actually the least-nervous-looking person presenting that day (according to my dad). Yes, I definitely was nervous, but here are some of my tricks as to how to not appear so: #1 - Pretend You're Not Nervous This is probably the best tip I have. It sounds too good to be true, but it really works. I got the idea awhile back when I was pondering how actors act. Basically, I just pretend that I'm someone who doesn't get nervous. The butterflies in my stomach try to disagree with me, but I try not to listen to them (much). #2 - Stare at the Back of the Room This tip I learned in my many years of high school and college choir, back in the day. Instead of actually looking into the crowd of people staring at you... look just above their heads at the back wall. They'll feel like you're looking at them, but you ...

Today was  interesting blog prompt  - "What are you most afraid of?" - because I couldn't really think of anything off the top of my head. I tend to be rather optimistic about life, generally speaking, but I guess one thing that lingers in the back of my mind some days is that I'll never actually reach my larger goals in life (become financially stable, become a graphic designer, move to NYC, travel the world... in no particular order). One of the tendencies I've noticed about myself is that I tend to perpetually daydream but never actually act on anything (maybe this is an INFJ thing?). So I fear sometimes that my daydreams will stay just that... daydreams... forever, instead of actually being realized. I think my stepping out of my comfort zone and actually going back to school is a huge step of actualization though, as will moving 1000 miles away to Los Angeles (something about a change in scenery makes everything seem more real). I'm not really sure i...

I have come to the realization that I may have been mis-typed. I have often taken personality tests and generally come up with the result that I am INFP. I recently took a test that said I was INFJ actually, and the more I have been researching, the more that actually sounds like me. What it really comes down to is the external/internal focus of the different functions (a topic that I'm still trying to wrap my head around, so I apologize if I don't explain it right). The I--J tends to actually function more as a "Perceiver" than a "Judger", contrary to what you might think (and vice versa for the I--P), which is a common reason these two types are mistaken for each other. How it actually plays out though is quite distinctive, which is why once I started reading more about INFJ's, I realized how much more like me it sounded. Basically, there are... "...two broad and fundamental options for approaching life and information: Judging and Perceiving. ...

This weekend I've been reading Quiet: the Power of Introverts in a World that Can't Stop Talking, by Susan Cain . It's definitely worth a read if you are an introverted type of person. Or even if you're not... it might help explain to you why your spouse/friend/child prefers to stay in most of the time or tends to think more than they speak. So... the gist of the book is based on the premise that the Western world tends to value extroversion to the point that we introverts grow up feeling like there's something wrong with us. We go to schools where talking (aka: class participation) is part of our grade and we work in offices that have no walls. We're made to feel like our desire to curl up and read a book or to leave a party early means that we're strange and inhibited and need to lighten up. Susan set out to define introversion and takes a closer look at many psychological studies on the subject, as well as anecdotal evidence from her own life. It...

Surprise... surprise... I'm already getting bored with this series. Must be an INFP thing. Lol. I tend to get really excited about an idea and then peter out of it quickly. Let's see if I can move through several points today... INFPs are highly intuitive about people. They rely heavily on their intuitions to guide them, and use their discoveries to constantly search for value in life. They are on a continuous mission to find the truth and meaning underlying things. Every encounter and every piece of knowledge gained gets sifted through the INFP's value system, and is evaluated to see if it has any potential to help the INFP define or refine their own path in life. The goal at the end of the path is always the same - the INFP is driven to help people and make the world a better place.   This sounds like parts 1 and 2 combined... so... yes, I agree this is like me. Generally thoughtful and considerate, INFPs are good listeners and put people at ease. Although they m...

In case you missed it Friday , I'm studying up on my personality type: INFP. This is the second day in this series! Enjoy! INFPs, more than other iNtuitive Feeling types, are focused on making the world a better place for people. Their primary goal is to find out their meaning in life. What is their purpose? How can they best serve humanity in their lives? They are idealists and perfectionists, who drive themselves hard in their quest for achieving the goals they have identified for themselves. Yeah this is definitely true of me. While I don't generally prefer the company of others, I am very aware of wanting to make a contribution to the world with my life. It's probably why I keep striving to find something better to do with my life than be a receptionist. Not that that's a bad job, but it never felt like one that really meant something in the greater scheme of things. Doing a job, for me, is more about making a difference in some way than it is about getting a...

Since I'm always talking about my personality, I thought it'd be interesting to investigate my INFP personality a little closer and talk about how it relates to me and my experiences. If you've never taken a Meyers-Briggs personality test, this is a super short version of it  that I've found to be surprisingly accurate. I'd love to hear what your personality type is and if you've ever done a more in-depth study on it! The "real" test is hundreds of questions long, if I remember right, so finding a short version that is accurate is great! Here's the other website that I'm using as a guide to spelling out exactly what my personality type is like. I'd like to go through it one paragraph at a time, so hopefully this won't be boring to anyone else. Here goes! As an INFP, your primary mode of living is focused internally, where you deal with things according to how you feel about them, or how they fit into your personal value system. ...

I don't know if this is just me, but I never really feel the need to keep in touch with people. And I don't mean that in a bad way, but just like... say, from high school, for example. Or even college, for that matter. I mean, they were nice people. I enjoyed them while I was there. But then I moved on and never really looked back. I'm just not sure if that's a bad thing or a good thing. Usually I don't really think about stuff like this, but then I'll run across someone who still hangs out with their high school buddies or who has get-togethers with people they knew 20 years ago, and it makes me wonder if they're odd or if I'm the odd one for it never having occurred to me to do the same thing. Granted, I'm an introverted introvert, so perhaps that has a lot to do with it. I've also moved over 20 times in my short life, so maybe moving on and not looking back is in my blood. Facebook has added an odd layer to this puzzle in recent years, a...

If you're introverted... it's okay...

My sister does tons of cross-stitching, and we were talking about this cross-stitching website the other day, and anyway... then I stumbled across this pattern , which totally reminded me of myself! Just a day-dream-y girl on the beach with a book. ;-) ***** Have you ever found a photo or piece of art that seemed to describe you perfectly? What was it and what did it say about you?

I have a feeling that a lot of my fellow graphic design students are introverts. It's interesting how easy it is to slip into a creative zone in my classes. Normally that's something that the average extrovert will become alarmed when they encounter, feeling the need to fill the silence, make a comment, ask you if I'm alright, etc. All of which makes focusing on a creative problem very difficult! I don't know if it's just that we're all creatives here or if we actually are all introverts, but it's nice to not feel like I have to apologize for zoning. Everyone understands because they're doing it too! If you've never experienced a "zone", doing something creative can put you into a mental state of concentration that blocks out outside noises and distractions. This is a huge reason I dislike photographing family events that I attend; once I go into the creative zone, I'm pretty much not mentally present at the event anymore! Lol. Whe...

I am feeling much better today about my paperwork snafu . One of the advisors finally emailed me last night and say he'd be there at 10am sharp! Okee dokee!! I'll be there! :D I was feeling nervous when I went in this morning because I wasn't sure if they would think I'm being a pain to keep wanting to come in and have them look over stuff. But as soon as I walked in, my advisor was all smiley and like, "Oh good morning! How's everything going?" While he was looking at the paperwork, too, he was like, "You're the one who already has a Bachelor's right? I bet that's why they're requiring all this extra stuff." It really made me think that he probably is just majorly right-brained and only remembered me once he saw my face but didn't really have a remembrance capacity for dates/times/details over email, which is why our email conversation wasn't very to-the-point at first. I know I can to be like that too (remembering fa...

It's a very interesting dilemma sometimes, being an introverted single person. I love being alone in my thoughts, alone with a book, alone in a movie theatre, or alone in a crowd. Other times though, it's frustrating to be alone ....  alone at a wedding, alone when others are holding hands and happy, alone as I grow older and my dreams of having children slip further and further away. Alone doesn't have to mean lonely, but sometimes it turns into that. Other times alone is refreshing and rejuvenating. I think the difference is all in perspective. Keeping my eyes on God and on the creative journey that He's put me on does a lot for a healthy outlook on life, regardless of if I'm physically alone . My life currently is filled with a roommate and a cat instead of a husband and kids, but that's okay. That's just my life. Someday maybe that'll change, but for now, I'm learning to embrace being alone  without a family to call my own. And I...

I learned something new about my dad last night - he and I both are "big picture people" (as opposed to: detail-oriented people). I've faked my way through enough detail-oriented jobs over the years that it's just occurring to me recently that that's not really my strong suit! My sisters and Mom all seem to be detail-oriented, and I've just naturally kept trying to be like them. And while I admire that quality in them, for sure, I'm really realizing just how much details do NOT come naturally to me! Last night, as we were all gathered for a Father's Day BBQ and Settlers game, I was listening to my sister and mom chittering away about details in their Etsy shops. I turned to my dad and said, "Wow... that's a lot of details to keep track of!" He nodded in agreement, and we soon discovered that that's something we have in common - our non-detailed-ness. Fascinating! It's pretty cool to see yourself as a reflection from somebo...

Love this... Left brain : I am the left brain. I am a scientist. A mathematician. I love the familiar. I categorize. I am accurate. Linear. Analytical. Strategic. I am practical. Always in control. A master of words and language. Realistic. I calculate equations and play with numbers. I am order. I am logic. I know exactly who I am. Right brain: I am the right brain. I am creativity. A free spirit. I am passion. Yearning. Sensuality. I am the sound of roaring laughter. I am taste. The feeling of sand beneath bare feet. I am movement. Vivid colors. I am the urge to paint on an empty canvas. I am boundless imagination. Art. Poetry. I sense. I feel. I am everything I wanted to be.

I seem to keep reading articles on introversion lately, or running across people talking about it or mentioning it. I know I've been extra introverted lately. Maybe that's just my mind's way of dealing with it, like, "See, it's not so strange, after all. There are other introverts out there." As an INFP , I am definitely extremely introverted, and for some reason it goes in waves. Like, some days I'll feel like being around people and getting out there and discovering life. Then other days I'll just want to hibernate and not speak to anyone. Generally when I've gotten my energies back up, I'm perfectly fine to go out and be around people again, but it tends to take me a long time to get to that point. I get tired of constantly being misunderstood, though. The main thing I think people don't get about introverts is that most of us aren't shy or socially-awkward. It's not like we don't know how to talk to people. We just... ge...

I wonder if all INFPs reinvent themselves as much as I do? I've heard that a lot of actors are INFP, actually. That makes so much sense. I'm a horrible memorizer, but becoming a million different types of people has a definite appeal. In the past year alone, I've reinvented myself as a scientist, a librarian, a health nut, an athlete, and a morning person (that one failed quicker than the others - who wants to be a morning person anyway?). Each one of those is actually a facet of my personality, or at the very least, a latent interest, so it's been terribly fascinating to learn more about each of these things. I wonder what persona I'll adopt next?