Public Speaking

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I had the opportunity to speak to the New Haven Rotary Club during a lunch meeting at The Gallery at Elemar in New Haven, CT. It was a very cold day. Only a few came to the lunch because many people is out of state or inside their houses. Truly it is very cold out there. Nevertheless, it was a good group of people. It is the second group this week where there are more men than women. The previous night I had a painting party with equal number of men and women. Believe me, that is very rare for me. Generally, there are more women or no men at all. What does it have to do with public speaking? Honestly, I have no idea.

The important thing here is the satisfaction of sharing about the healing and learning benefits of art with this fine group of individuals. Public speaking is one of my passions. Speaking about art and cognitive psychology is a great combination for me. Public speaking reminds me of my stand up comedy days. The difference now is that the approach is a little more serious. Being able to speak to people about the things I am passionate about is exhilarating and so much fun. The interaction with people is great too; the questions, the comments, the interest and the considerations. It is all great.

March 13th I go back to the gallery to speak about online media tips for artists. This is going to be fun. In the meantime I keep busy with revising the book, the art, and the sculpting and painting parties, along with a lot of personal stuff. At the same time I remain available to speak at groups and organizations. I hope to continue providing a fresh look at art not only as a profession, but also as a connection to our existence. There is so much to learn about people and so many things that can be done with art and through art.

One Hundred Posts

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One hundred posts ago I was debating if writing a blog was a good idea or not. Who read this things? Who would be interested in reading what I write? I am not a writer, not a poet, I’m no longer a comedian, and the things I know are not that spectacular. When I began writing I thought I was writing a journal just for myself to build up towards putting together a book, which is still my main goal. Although the book is going to focus on the technological and philosophical aspects of the new collection, this blog contains a lot of related pieces. Writing a blog was not my idea. It was my wife’s idea.

After 14,000 views, 15 or more posts published as articles, all the great comments, and a few contemptibly obnoxious individuals, I think it was a good idea. It has been a great learning experience so far and also an exercise of discipline. It keeps me thinking about what to write next. It helps me to pay more attention to what I say and it is teaching me to listen more and read more. Not only I’m developing the strategies to write my book but also paying more attention to my sculpting process both technically and conceptually in order to be able to explain how the mind of this artist works. This is a new kind of awareness for me. I discovered that my brain is more hyperactive than I thought and even when I talk a lot I’m also more insightful than it seems.

The responses from people not only on the website, but the emails,and the discussions in social media platforms derived from the blog make the writing process more interesting. I love how the things we write and how we write online tell a lot a bout who we are as people. You can tell so many things about a person just for the way they approach an online discussion. There is always something to add and think about when any of these subjects are presented. Being able to provoke a camaraderie in these online discussions is a good thing.

I hope to continue writing a few more posts. I am not even close to halfway there towards my goal. Nevertheless, one hundred posts is a great milestone for me.

Always Something to Learn

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I am still learning.
– Michelangelo

There is always something to learn. No matter the age, the ability, the level of skill, the success or life realization, we learn and should seek to learn until we die. It would be arrogant to think that there is nothing to learn, or worse, to think we know everything. Even when it seems that we know something or that we don’t need what is taught, even when we are practicing what they are talking about, I believe we can learn something new each day. The day we stop learning, we stop living. I don’t know about you, but I don’t know everything. In fact, I know much less than what I should know at my age. Hopefully, I’ll live long enough to catch up.

Learning doesn’t have to be focused on a specific topic. It is not about being in school forever. Learning doesn’t have to be strictly about ‘serious’ subjects. It could be something trivial and ‘useless’. Seeking knowledge for the sake of knowledge is a lot of fun. We might never use information we have stored in the brain, but we can become the heroes in the next trivia challenge. My grandfather always said that we don’t need to know everything, but a little of everything enough to sustain a conversation with anyone. Knowledge is not about us, is about others. It is about connecting with people. In order to relate to others it is good to know about them. That is a motivation for learning something new every day.

Play Your Game

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I am not good at chess. I play a little and can hang in there through a game but I don’t take the game seriously. I’ve never touched a chess book as some people do. I do like to think ahead five or six moves and develop options based on possible moves from the opponent. I do the same when I fight. I plan my moves and plan my reactions to possible attacks but remaining flexible and alert to any surprises. I play chess very fast too. I don’t like to be there thinking for too long what my next move is going to be. Some people take so long to make a move a just bring my sketchbook with me and doodle while they think. People have their way of playing and I respect that.

During my stay in Kampala, Uganda we played chess from time to time. One of the guys was slightly obsessed to beat me since his first nine attempts didn’t prosper. I went to Rakai for a few days and upon my return to Kampala my friend was waiting for me at the gate with the chess board in his hands. He told me about his nightmares during those nights and how he figured out how to defeat me. Honestly, he was so much better than me at the game and also takes chess very seriously. His tenth attempt ended in his defeat yet again. At that point I had to reveal my secret: “You are defeating yourself. You are trying to play my way. Play your game not mine”. We played for the eleventh time and after two hours and twenty five minutes, and many sketches, he won.

Sometimes we get distracted from achieving our goals because we are trying to play someone else’s game. Each one of us have specific goals sustained by specific values and desires. However, sometimes we try to adapt our ways and end up losing ourselves. I’ve been asked by a few people to change my art to something more ‘commercial’ so I can sell more. People is always recommending to do things in a certain way as if one size fits all. On the other hand, some people try to do things the way I do things. Doing things the way I do things entails that you have to become me and that might not work for you. I am not a fan of either one.

We can share knowledge and we can learn from each other. These are two different processes. We share knowledge all the time. Right now as you read this I am sharing knowledge with you. We transfer or give information. Learning is about ‘making sense’ and ‘finding meaning’ of the information in ways that we can apply, analyze, evaluate, and synthesize in new ways to create new things or thoughts. Learning is not about copying, reproducing actions, or repeating what somebody else’s said. Learning is experience through applied knowledge. Use what you learn to play your game.

Cognitive Psychology in Simple Terms

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ThessalonikeWhat is Cognitive Psychology? Cognitive psychology in simple terms is the science that studies how the mind works. Pretty simple, right? For example, it tries to understand how we memorize things and how to remember. It also tries to understand how we perceive and make sense of information or environmental cues. It helps understand how we develop language skills, how conceptual thinking is developed, and how we make decisions.  What we see, hear, touch, taste, feel, and imagine is information. In a sense, cognitive psychology deals with the ‘abstract’ functions of the brain and how it processes the information.

How does cognitive psychology helps you? If you understand how you memorize things then you will do the things that make you memorize more effectively. In education we rely upon this science to develop learning strategies that can be used in practice. Here is where research has an important role. Through observation and other forms of data collection and analysis we get to understand phenomena that then allow us to design ways to help people learn more efficiently. This includes delivering the information in ways that can be processed through different channels or in different ways. People learn in many different ways and some have preferred ways of learning. They are more inclined to get information in a way that is easier for them to receive, process, and understand.

There are so many aspects of cognitive psychology for learning that can be discussed and each one will branch out to more and more intricacies of this fascinating computer we call brain. We can talk about memory, problem solving and critical thinking, language development, understanding math, and how the environment affects mental functions. We can talk about the emotional aspects of mental functions like motivation. We can also talk about the physical aspects that affect cognition. The list can go on forever. We are only exploring the surface. It is important to understand that cognitive psychology is still theoretical and the mysteries of the brain may never be completely revealed. That is indeed the beauty of all of it and what keeps us searching and researching.