psychology | timotheories

We Don’t Need No Education (Paige Knickle interview, Education)

Posted on March 27, 2016 by Tim Kuefler

Friends, fans, family, and followers that last bit of heavy weight on my shoulders has finally been lifted! I’m older, wiser, and mored learned as a result. That’s right, the very last of my delayed interviews has been completed and is now the topic of the day!

Going forward we are going to see an interview a month, and they will all be super current and fresh.

It’s still kind of hard for me to believe I finished this video because this interview looks and sounds amazing. What a great opportunity to learn how to use some new audio equipment, and I haven’t even addressed the content of the interview just yet.

Let’s get to it.

With episode 7 of timotheories interviews, I had an opportunity to interview a friend I made last year when I was taking improv classes, and she is an incredible ball of energy, excitement, joy, or whatever the word you want to use for pure happiness.

In all the time I’ve known her, I’ve been fortunate to learn something every time we’ve interacted. And I just had to interview her and her pursuits so I could show you a perfect example of a lifelong leaner, someone who has her fingers in all the pies, but is also accomplishing goals in autonomy; and in whatever fields she focuses in on. Simultaneously.

Paige Knickle is an artist of many talents – web design, sound production, vocalist, improv actor. And she also happens to be someone who blends both the sciences and arts together rather well.

This one promises to be sweet treat for your ears, that just can’t be beat. I’m using a Zoom H2Next portable recorder which Paige lent me for the interview, and which I loved so much that I bought one for myself!

What a learning curve it was though, but it just makes sense in relation to the experience I had talking with Paige. She is self-taught web designer, with a BA in Psychology, and a vocalist, who co-owns Copper Cabbage recording studio with her partner, does some improv on the side, and is already pursuing a second degree in Music. Paige’s ideas about education, school, and learning are incredibly on point, and it’s hard not share her passion.

But you should take a look for yourself, because I’m not doing you anymore justice writing about this interview, when you can experience it below.

And as always, if you want to check out more timotheories interviews or the Cross Talk series please visit our YouTube channel. And please, please, please leave some comments and of course subscribe to both the blog and channel!

Please also check out Paige’s website and use her creative services.

And of course my sincerest thanks to Paige for being playful, passionate, and philosophical. See you tomorrow with a music review.

Tim!

Security Blanket (Wintersleep, The Great Detachment review)

Posted on March 14, 2016 by Tim Kuefler

Winter is a weird season, it manages to be both comforting and stifling. You bundle up, enjoy creature comforts and hang out with only the necessary people for short periods of time; daylight is precious after all. But with that lack of freedom and sunlight, people have a legitimate reason to be afraid of seasonal affective disorder.

Which is why having a security blanket can be a good thing. It’s a transitional object that gives your brain rest and ease, especially in those months when it feels like the sun has left forever. But what if your security blanket was also an electric one? Would the risk of starting a fire qualify it’s status or eliminate it?

Wintersleep – The Great Detachment
released March 4, 2016
******* 7/10

Wintersleep are a Canadian indie rock band from Halifax, Nova Scotia. They have won one Juno for New Group of the Year, and a MMVA for their song Weighty Ghost.

Before we get started, please go watch the video I just linked to, and if you don’t know who they are from their name alone, I’m sure you’ll recognize that track, which it will help give the rest of the review context.

What a cool song, eh?

Well unfortunately, it seems like Weighty Ghost has haunted Wintersleep ever since they released it back in 2007 (pun intended). Because almost a decade later and here we are with The Great Detachment, Wintersleep’s 6th studio album, anticipating something similar to that beautiful little number.

I’d be hard pressed not to describe this as a fitting album title, given what we already know about the band and their awesome single Weighty Ghost, from my hundred or so words of exposition above. They are attempting to separate themselves from the two albums between Welcome to the Night Sky and this one, realizing that they need to be invigorated to remain relevant. But it turns out the group has also made some other decisions that factor into the title. They parted ways with their manager recently and also went on a one year hiatus, so there are literal elements at play as well as symbolic ones.

Equal parts anthem and apathetic (listen to Spirit in particular), this record has some punch to it.

The Great Detachment opens on an extreme high, reminiscent of that curse-like song, and follows just as well with Santa Fe. By all accounts these two songs are worth the price of admission alone. Paul Murphy has amazing vocals and these two songs showcase them well. Santa Fe teases us with some synthpop elements too, which is ALWAYS fun to hear, especially from indie-rockers.

This is the kind of music that both casual listeners and genuine fans of the band can enjoy and not feel guilty about singing along to on a roadtrip or while jamming out at home on a weeknight.

More Than is sweet and sentimental, Shadowless is somber and serious, and Metropolis conjures up images of The Tragically Hip and Pearl Jam simultaneously. I’m also a big fan of Freak Out, which I bet will be fun to dance to at a live show.

Unfortunately I couldn’t find any music videos for this album to share with you, but you can listen to the official audio of Amerika and Santa Fe if you’re up for it. As I mentioned already, it’s a one-two punch that can’t really be beat.

So I guess we are left with a final question. Does The Great Detachment win album of the year or any other accolades? No, but it’s damn good indie-rock and nothing to be ashamed of, plus it’s a positive change of direction for Wintersleep which should be encouraged.

Like a security blanket, Wintersleep make us feel at ease and comforted. But sometimes they turn up the heat and also provide us with some heat too, but I don’t think you have to worry about them ever short-circuiting and starting on fire. They aren’t that kind of blanket, I mean band.

That’s all folks, come back tomorrow for something theatrical and also seasonal.

Tim!

What A Creep Show! (DeviantArt)

Posted on December 2, 2015 by Tim Kuefler

What the heck is a deviant? And why does it send a chill down your spine when Grandma calls that guy with a mustache across the street feeding the pigeons one?

I’ve often wondered this myself dear readers, and I’ve read definitions of the term of course, to properly understand what the word means, but do these people really exist? I feel compelled to wonder, and of course they do, because people are slowly coming to terms with the idea that normative behaviour isn’t as far reaching as we’ve been told by experts. but before I go any further, this description should get us all started on the same line of thought.

deviant

(ˈdiːvɪənt)

adj

1. (Sociology) deviating, as from what is considered acceptable behaviour

n

2. (Sociology) a person whose behaviour, esp sexual behaviour, deviates from what is considered to be acceptable

Okay, so if someone differs from a norm or a standard of society, then that makes them a deviant. But why do I have a strong suspicion that grandma is somewhat biased in her outlook?

Well to be quite blunt and methodical, my rationale for this is that while psychopaths and sociopaths are decently capable of managing their illness from an external viewers perspective, there are several factors to consider.

According to this article which discusses the findings of Dr. James Fallon (a neuroscientist of U of California who accidentally diagnosed himself with psychopathy), people can have the genetic markers of psychopathy but not be dangers to society, but that doesn’t mean they are criminals. And further to that point, it can be difficult to separate “discovery” of traits from “acknowledgement” of traits and realize that doesn’t make the person a threat.

So the assumption from grandma that someone is a threat because they have strange behaviour is problematic, and further to that point, the people who DO exhibit those tendencies or follow criminal behaviour don’t exhibit the behaviour in obvious ways in most cases.

But you knew that discussing sociology and criminal deviancy wasn’t the real intent of today’s Wisdom Wednesday post.

No I want to write about the implications of deviancy and share with you a resource that encourages that behaviour in the realm of the arts. And luckily for us, the name of said source is DeviantArt.

Deviant Art is the self-proclaimed “largest online art gallery and community,” and has been around since the beginning of the 21st century. Which is fairly poetic and appropriate, given the content it churns out.

Of course I am going to over the INs and OUTs of the community with you of course, but I think this tutorial video I’ve included below is a good place to look at before we continue. Mostly because it makes me laugh.

If I’m being perfectly frank, DeviantArt is not as obviously deviant from the typical fare as it sets out to be, but that doesn’t mean it is something to avoid. As you learn to navigate the forums, you will find some really amazing content and in many cases, it will spurn creative ideas.

Where you see the deviation will be in the communication of ideas.

Don’t be alarmed by this. Because it is an unmoderated forum, there will be offensive artwork, but mostly it comes in the form of posts and groups. The questionable content is what makes the website so unique in it’s identity.

This website has millions of images on it which is amazing in and of itself, but it also features videos and written content for artists pursuing those disciplines. It is effectively both a gallery and an art forum, a place for people to submit their artwork and comment on artwork with both text and pictures. Heck, if you want can record yourself making a drawing and submit the entire process to the website for critique.

I find it incredibly fascinating that users have the option to submit their works to be used however they personally deem appropriate. Which means that work could be copyright protected or distributed freely.

You have the option to view work that is trending, artwork that is currently featured in contests, whatever has been submitted in the past “instant”, participate in art challenges, submit work to particular boards, comment on blog posts or create your own virtual gallery. And you would be surprised by all of the different kinds of artwork available from pencil drawing to painting, from child friendly to mature themes, from realism to comic book fan art, there is something on DeviantArt for everyone.

I hope you enjoyed today’s resource folks, please leave some comments and share you experiences with the website or send me an email with a resource you want me to talk about next. I’m out of theories for now, till next time.

Tim!

A Serious Quote (Address Depression)

Posted on November 11, 2015 by Tim Kuefler

Do you ever struggle with life, dear readers? Feel aimless or that you have ambition but cannot focus? A sense of despair? I’ve been there too and can be challenged by life, almost unexpectedly it seems.

Today’s post is a more serious one, so I’m giving you all some fair warning.

I often wonder about the mind and the incredible potential for both success and failure.

And I dare say it, but I have a theory that someone who is creative might experience depression and other kinds of mental illness just a little more vividly than we’ve been led to believe in the day-to-day. And I also believe that those creative types are not more likely to experience it either.

Check out this article for a little more information on the topic.

The hard reality is that mental illness does effect a lot of people, and it is more common than we want to admit, while we are spending more time on educating ourselves about this particular health issue, it’s so intricate and complex, and there are so many forms of mental illness that we need to look into, but we generally fear the unknown.

I’m fortunate (I would never say unfortunate, but I would say highly sensitive to and conscious of) having loved ones in my life who have experienced different kinds of mental illness, so I think on this aspect of life quite often, and I have a great deal of compassion for those who live with it and their loved ones as well.

This article from the perspective of artist with depression is quite good too.

In it the author outlines some very important points for us all to remember.

1) Depressives are empathetic to everyone but themselves
2) There is no cure for depression, but exercise and work are excellent treatment
3) Depressives don’t choose to be sick, and suicidal thoughts are very real and not black and white
4) If you love someone who has depression, physical touch helps; as does being around them and choosing accepting silence
5) Depression is a result of your waking life, and addiction comes with it. The culprit is the mind.

In short, people who struggle with depression are fighting a battle of the mind, a battle of life over death, and your love is enough. Never take responsibility for their depression, and never blame them for it. Love them as you would love someone who has experience a physical loss of health.

Pulling from the article I just referenced, some depressives intimately understand the principle that Descartes wrote about

I think, therefore I am, said Descartes. Therein lies the problem. Some depressives conclude, as Robin Williams did this past week, that not thinking and not being is preferable to the alternative. I’m shattered that he lost his battle, but I’m also glad he’s free of his pain… You couldn’t have prevented their death and there’s nothing you should have done differently. The suicide’s logic has nothing in common with yours. In the end, death makes mad, perfect sense to them.

So in light of this topic, I want to share a beautiful site that I used to frequent quite often in the past, and while I haven’t looked at it regularly in recent years, it can be a place of solace for troubled thoughts, whether you are experiencing temporary depression or suffer from the mental illness.

It’s called The Quotations Page and is an exhaustive source of famous quotes which has been around for over 2 decades. The list of quotes is upwards of 30,000 quotes, so you know that there are excellent choices not only by author, but also by subject.

This can be especially helpful for moments when you need motivation, inspiration, or to share a sweet moment with someone you care about.

I’m going to close out today’s post with a favorite quote of mine from a brilliant modernist painter, which you can find on The Quotations Page, and I hope gives you a source of light that you benefit from using this resource yourself.

Derive happiness in oneself from a good day’s work, from illuminating the fog that surrounds us.

Henri Matisse (1869 – 1954)

And that my friends are all of the theories and wisdom I can impart for the day. Please leave some comments or send me an email at timotheories@outlook.com if you have something you’d like to share. I’d love to publish it in my next Wisdom Wednesday post.

Tim!

South Paw (Lefthanded Artists)

Posted on August 30, 2015 by Tim Kuefler

Hey dear readers – have you been keeping it real?

I know you have! And is it not always the most important thing to keep up with social niceties too? Riiiight?

You’re probably thinking, “Tim, we can’t keep it real and keep up with social niceties at the same time!”

Or can you?

So what are we going to go over this time? I know that you’ve been wondering that since the moment you logged onto the blog, and especially since you saw that the post was titled South Paw, and I will not be disappointing you today.

Unfortunately, I will not be writing about this summers Jake Gyllenhaal movie of the same name, mainly because I haven’t seen it yet, and less so because I don’t think it would fit in with the topic – it was technically a financial and critical failure, according to boxing legend Oscar De La Hoya. *insert sad face here*

Well, what are we going over then?

Have you ever wondered how much truth there is in the idea that left-handedness inherently breeds artists and creative types? I’ve often thought about this myself, particularly when I pause in quiet moments of isolation; those moments which really seem like unnecessary amounts of my personal daydreaming time. (Screw you brain for not letting me dictate what I randomly think about)

I write this post for you, because as a lefty, I have always struggled with the constraints of a right dominant world. It is just easier to believe that the world is out to get us lefties, rather than accept the more likely idea that everyone is mostly focused on themselves and all of our right-handed interactions and experiences with the OTHER types of people in this world come from their internal frame looking outward and defining which direction ruled paper is set up to face.

I swear I am not insecure about this.

Quite frankly, we all have our misconceptions about what we are told are “universal truths” and this topic isn’t that far off of that mark either – There is a fair amount of stigma and circumspect content out there which makes up this cultural epidemic of left-handed people being “special” or born for certain purposes. Outsiders like Ralph Macchio get that it is a vicious circle which in fact creates these mistaken identities.

A quick google search yields some interesting results too.

Granted, I may be making a bigger deal out of this topic than the average person cares to, but this is timotheories.com, not hotcelebgossip.com or amazingavaries.org, and we are all about digital curating at heart here, so I’m gonna write about the arts and art related ideas, and dammit, I’m gonna do it with heart, K?

In fact, this little article from Psychology Today shares some interesting myths and facts about left-handedness, which I bet dollars to donuts you did not know. I’ll highlight the list below:

1. Myth: Left-handers are more introverted, intelligent, and creative.

2. Fact: Left-handers are less likely to be left-hemisphere dominant for language.

3. Myth: Left-handed people die earlier and suffer more immune diseases

4. Fact: We get more mixed-handed as we get older

5. Myth: Left-handers are persecuted

6. Fact: Lefties have an advantage in many sports

And one last fun one – left-handers tend to perform better with their right hand than right handers with their left.

So if left-handers aren’t more creative, then why do we seem to think that the left hand preference breeds creativity?

There are a ridiculous number of accounts and stories which state that the numbers favour artists as being left-handed. Here is another website that gives some more credence to that idea. And I’m sure you’ve heard the idea that the left-hemisphere of the brain operates the right hand and vice versa. Well did you ever hear the idea that the right-hemisphere controls creativity? While not entirely true, it becomes a pretty simple leap to assume that if someone uses their left hand the most, then they use their right brain more, and are more creative. Really, there just isn’t that much science to support the idea.

To put it even more simply, as much as I would love to tell you that I am special and that my talent is genetic, it is not true, my interest in the arts is purely one of taste and my collective experiences.

With that stated, I’ve covered off this weeks theories. A good thing – because I was getting ready to start making jokes about left-handedness.

Oops. Too late.

Question time. Do you have friends or family members that are lefties? Are you one? Are the lefties in your life creative? Leave some comments!

Tim!