“My visual thinking gives me the ability to ‘test-run’ in my head a piece of equipment I’ve designed, just like a virtual reality computer system.” Temple Grandin, PhD
She is portrayed by Claire Danes in a new HBO movie “Temple Grandin.”
From post: HBO’s Autistic Hero, by Jace Lacob :
“Playing somebody who is wired in a fundamentally [...]
In the preface to a photography book, singer–songwriter, poet and visual artist Patti Smith describes the experience of many creators.
“The artist, in turn, sacrifices his leisure, the pleasure of being vague, of drifting half-present or merging unconsciously with the terrain. For the artist is driven, is one apart, estranged from all save his one eye.
“All [...]
Artists are depicted in movies and media in ways that often promote myths about what it takes to be a “real” singer, writer, actor, painter or other creator.
Buying in to the negative aspects of those depictions and myths – often subconsciously – can distort our sense of identity and limit what we think we can [...]
Vin Mariani became one of the most popular wines in the world in the late 1800’s, praised and promoted by artists and world leaders including Jules Verne; Alexander Dumas; Robert Louis Stephenson; Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Sarah Bernhardt.
It was claimed to be a “tonic” and “restorative” for multiple conditions including “nervous troubles, general debility, [...]
Many interviewers and entertainment writers have described Twilight Saga actor Kristen Stewart as “cautious” and “shy.”
At least one news story refers to her as a “Self-proclaimed introvert.”
By the way, I am not presuming Kristen Stewart is shy, introverted or highly sensitive, and I don’t know her personally.
But just from my gut reaction to seeing her [...]
As part of her recovery from a water-skiing accident and brain surgery, actor and singer Charlotte Gainsbourg was evaluated with MRI scans, which can involve weird mechanical noises up to the intensity of a jet plane taking off.
Her new album, developed with Beck, is titled “IRM” – derived from the French for MRI. Follow the [...]
It can be a delicate balancing act to actively pursue excellence without getting stymied by the often distorting idea that if it isn’t perfect, it isn’t right, so throw it out. Or at least beat yourself up because you didn’t achieve it. But is there value in the pursuit?
As Harvard professor Tal Ben-Shahar, Ph.D. notes [...]
Many talented actors and other performers may have the venue and “permission” to use their high physical and emotional intensity. But many of us can find it challenging at times to manage our intensities or excitabilities, especially when working with other people.
It is easy to point to examples of high intensity acting – just consider [...]
![Excessive Internet Use Is Linked to Depression [or not]](http://www.addictioninfo.org/content_images/internet3.jpg)
A college roommate of mine who was perhaps even more anxiety-prone than I was at the time, once made an offhand comment about life not being much good without worry.
An outrageous idea, perhaps, but many of us live years habitually worrying – even with no real threat to be concerned about.
If it is too intense [...]
As introverts, we may not have the same values or interests in “fun” activities as those who are more extroverted. That may be another reason highly sensitive people and introverts are less acknowledged, supported and even valued in our outgoing, sociable-oriented culture.
Not that introversion and high sensitivity are the same trait, but they often go [...]
The film Poppy Shakespeare, based on Clare Allen’s novel, takes us down a cinematic rabbit hole into north London’s fictional Dorothy Fish day hospital where the clearly ’sane’ Poppy, played by Naomi Harris, has been mysteriously committed to a compulsory day-program for the mentally ill.
In a psychiatric Catch 22, she must prove herself [...]
You can hoard creative work, keeping it hidden from others, and some people do just that – writing a novel, for example, that remains for years in a closet. But most creators need to risk criticism and rejection to get their project seen or realized. A screenplay doesn’t become a movie by staying secret.
Stephen King [...]
“What you do for a living is not be creative, what you do is ship,” says author and entrepreneur Seth Godin, who suggests we must deal with our fearful “lizard brains” to avoid sabotaging projects just before we finally finish and present them to the world.
That summary is from a couple of sources, including scannercentral.co.uk
The [...]
The Psychology Today article, Field Guide to The Self-Doubter: Extra Credit, by Susan Pinker, excerpted below, brings insight into the thoughts and feelings many people have about being incompetent or impostors:
Not giving herself credit
Rosalyn Lang has a Ph.D. in molecular biology, has just completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Duke University, and recently launched her own [...]
There is a famous example in the field of sports psychology about the power of visualization.
Psychologist Charlotte Reznick describes the research study (done years ago, by a Dr. Blaslotto at the University of Chicago) with basketball players.
“There were three groups… one group shot from the foul line, actually practiced every day for 20 minutes. Another [...]
“When you’re in the midst of depression, that’s the scariest thing — it seems that you’re going to feel like that forever. The pain created by depression kills almost 1 million people a year. It almost killed me, and it did kill my aunt.
“If I can give just one person hope that there’s an end [...]
Art can be insulated and considered as precious – something only official artists do. In her book “Revolution From Within” Gloria Steinem notes that “most art in the world does not have a capital ‘A,’ but is a way of turning everyday objects into personal expressions.”
Steinem encourages creating images or objects as a way to [...]
Do you ever feel depressed, anxious, obsessed, compulsive, too sensitive – or just out of it? Does that mean you’re really crazy? What does ‘crazy’ mean anymore, with so many categories of mental disorder? What does ‘normal’ even mean?
Peter D. Kramer, clinical professor of psychiatry at Brown University, notes “Diagnostic labels are proliferating, and mental [...]
