top of page

The Ball is Set in Motion [a pinball analogy]

I've always been one to jump from thing to thing. It's as if a spark is ignited within the brain then burns out and flicks on again somewhere else. These sparks, of course, usually keep themselves isolated to the right side of the brain kindling a multitude of ideas and artistic interests.


In fact, the right side of my brain can be blatantly ostracizing at times only including the left side to join the fun when it needs some help. For example, when it needs to conjure up a creative story utilizing the words that reside on the left side in language control, or a problem solving matter where a stupendous execution from the left counterpart is needed for the ingenious idea to be realized. Don't you worry though, the left brain always has the last laugh. Sometimes it misspells the words with an under breath chuckle and other times it lets out a bold evil cackle when it leaves out a few important elements so the idea can not come to fruition.


You can't blame the left side for seeking revenge. There have been countless times where the right side of my brain has been downright rude. As a teen and young adult my right brain held it's own parties where the left side was excluded from the Evite. The drawbridge separating the two sides was retracted which meant Logic and Reason just couldn't make their way over to hang out. After being so hurt by the right brain's actions, the left side signaled Consequence to step in, who had a field day disrupting the party. Aaaaaand, that's a story for another time.


For years, those who were left brain dominant, which in my experience adds up to at least 75% of the population, laughed (with me, of course) at my inability to talk a straight line*, remember instructions past the color building mentioned at the beginning of the sentence and that planning ahead was at maximum a 24 hour time window.


*Broken Circuit Conversation -vs- Linear/Straight Line Conversation - While in conversation, one word can trigger a completely different thought and at the very moment the original thought is wiped clean thus there are only Broken Circuit Conversations rather than Straight Line Conversations where you start a thought and finish it before moving on to your next point. {Queen,Pinball 2018 "Insight into the Right Brain Paradox" }


It wasn't until I went to college and pursued a BFA degree and was surrounded by fellow artists that I really began to see the true beauty of this right brain tyranny. Suddenly these annoying sparks ignited lucrative ideas and I found myself excelling in conceptual design. As my confidence grew and I was able to let go of some of the childhood misconceptions that I had fabricated due to feeling "unique" to most of my peers in the classrooms, I began to appreciate the scientific theory that we are left or right brain dominant. In other words not everyone thinks alike and both sides are significant to collaboration and making it work in this big bad world.


To fast forward many years, I now recognize this idiosyncratic way of thinking as a gift and not an ill-fortune. In my mind, the only lucid analogy to this crazy spark igniting, right brained phenomenon is...a pinball machine. Why? Because once the ball is set in motion it's inevitable that there will be plenty of sidetracks accompanied with lots of action. It's an exhillerating game providing plenty more ups than downs. Yes the ball eventually drops, but not for long. All it takes is a quick donation, an electrical trigger and then the ball is ready to be bumped right back into play down the next offbeat path towards another transcendental creation.


3 views0 comments

Recent Posts

See All
bottom of page