Let me preface by mentioning I'm sick today, so I may be looking back on this post in a few days, wondering just what those cold meds were doing to my brain. Nevertheless, I'd like to share something about myself that made me much happier once I accepted it... I'm an introvert. And I'm good with that. The comments that follow might seem unusual (perhaps even socio-phobic) to half of my readers (I base that number on a statistic I found in the book 'Quiet’ by Susan Cain, who explains that half of us are extroverted, the other half introverted. And she provides many character and behavioral studies as to why that’s natural and healthy.) Truth is, I would rather have a very close, dear group of friends I can count on one hand, over a huge network of people I socialize with on a very surface level. I value openness and honesty above all else. And lets not kid ourselves. Social propriety and common sense limit us in what we can and can’t share with others. Feel free to correct me if I’m wrong, but we all have personal views we’d never dream of sharing with co-workers, those folks from our book club, and in many cases, even many of our family members. And this is the case simply because we don’t want to cause them the hardship that comes from expressing a view that may cause them discomfort. Thus the beauty and mystery of a modern day blessing: online interaction. I sometimes wonder if the internet was invented for introverts, and here’s my reasoning…. Social networking provides one critical thing missing from face-to-face interaction; time to pause and reflect before responding. Referring back to ‘Quiet’, the book provides evidence that the average extrovert will move forward with an idea even if they are only 50% sure they are correct, while an introvert will hold their tongue unless they are at least 90% sure; the reason why society tends to favor extroverts. They may not be correct, but their confidence creates confidence in those around them. Consider reading ‘Quiet’ alongside ‘How to Win Friends and Influence People’ if you think I’m pulling your leg. Bringing my point home… Social media actually proves quite valuable to the average introvert. It’s a place where we can connect with other people; where we can share ideas that are thought out (and perhaps even fact-checked) in advance. It provides us a way of searching for like-minded people and groups, where we feel more comfortable and supported in our views. And it creates opportunities for us to deal with conflict situations with enough time and distance to think clearly and act more appropriately. In essence, it’s great practice for the one thing that is truly unavoidable on this planet… the need to interact with one another in a healthy and productive fashion. I acknowledge, it can get used strangely at times. But I truly belief online interaction is a great tool for bringing us closer together, rather than crippling our ability to genuinely connect with one another. I’m personally much more comfortable talking with people now than I was in my youth. I’ve had great conversations, and some that were not so great. And I’ve grown confident enough to handle just about anything the outside world can throw at me, thanks to these digitized social opportunities. So there you have it; my ‘yes’ vote for social media. I now return you to the Arts and Entertainment portion of the show. A New Song for You to Enjoy: (024) 'Divine Abodes' This next song is a little unusual for me. I’ve always been a big fan of those old time radio adventure shows. There’s something comforting and heart-warming about them… back when life seemed a little simpler perhaps. I started playing around with old ‘scratchy record’ sound recordings, and trying to recreate the mono audio qualities you’d expect to hear coming from a gramophone. I wasn’t really intending to do anything with this silly little project. I was just having fun learning Logic plug-ins. But somewhere along the line, ideas began to form… and my mind started creating stories. I searched far and wide for old public domain recordings that fit my needs, but with no luck. One night I got the wild idea to just make my own recording. Apparently, somewhere around my 3rd cold microbrew, using nothing more than an iPhone, and a quiet, dark basement… I’m capable of some serious weirdness. o.O So believe it or not, that’s me on those opening vocals. I snicker every time I hear it. I hope you enjoy ‘Divine Abodes.’ :D Click the image link below to take a listen. (opens SoundCloud in a separate window) A Painting Update (013) 'The Guardian' This next painting was completed September 27th, 2007, and I stopped for quite a while after it was done. It's been so long, I don't recall the reasons. (I'm going to assume I started my music back up again.) Before this painting, my subjects were pretty literal, so this was rather unusual for me. This time I tried to create an image that symbolized our guarded outer selves protecting our inner emotions. Once finished, it was also the first time my wife suggested I might be heading into the realm of 'artist' rather than 'painter'. I hope you find 'The Guardian' interesting. That's good for now. Take care my friends.
Justin
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AuthorHello everyone. I'm Justin Mackay. I'm a creative soul, an explorer of life's mysteries, and a big fan of all the beauty in the world. If you're just here for the paintings, then head on over to my Art tab. If you wish to delve deeper into the odd thoughts of a pondering mind, then this is the place for you. Archives
February 2018
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