You may have noticed that lots of the Creative Perspectives articles deal with one or more of the five senses. They are, after all, where we get the foundation for many of our ideas.
But have you ever considered which one is your dominant sense? We all are aware of our dominant hand, the one we write with; or our dominant eye, the one we use if we look through a telescope or camera viewfinder. But do you know that you probably have a dominant sense, too?
If you’re not sure, think about these questions.
- When you think back on a dinner party do you remember the way the food tasted, or do you replay the conversations, or do you picture the table settings in your mind’s eye?
- What most attracts you to your partner(s) - the texture of her hair, the smell of his skin, the color of her eyes, or the sound of his voice?
- Would you prefer to wear something that had a wonderful texture or something that looked great in the mirror?
- When you visit a garden, would you rather touch the plants, smell them, taste them, or look at them?
There are likely a thousand questions to draw out the answer, but I’m sure you get the idea so I will cut the list short. (Feel free to add some questions in the comments if you think of good or interesting ones)
Even through self-examination, it’s not always easy to tell what your dominant sense is. If questioning doesn’t get you anywhere, sometimes it will reveal itself in the sort of creative projects you take on. A creative cook is likely to have dominant taste and smell; a pen and ink artist is visual; a weaver is probably grooving on touch.
This can be a strength you play up. Or you can turn yourself around and try a new perspective by engaging your non-dominant senses. Visual creatives can try knitting, or people with hearing as a dominant sense might try to paint a watercolor.
Next time you’re looking for a twist on your work, try letting your non-dominant senses take over for a while.
Posted by kuri at October 21, 2005 10:20 PM