Left brain, right brain, roommates?

[MarkHarchar]

Hello all.
I have been posting here for a few months and have received inspiration as well as some very good direction on becoming a better artist. I would like to open a new thread to discuss a topic that has been bothering me.

From what I understand, the right brain is the artistic/creative/imaginative side and the left brain is supposed to be the logical/intellectual side. I am ambidextrous so I don't know how the left/right brain thing works out for me, however I have noticed some things.

I am a musician, a poet and a wannabe artist, but I have found that in my previous artistic attempts, that my mechanical side seems to be able to learn how to go through the motions (ex. Musical playing, writing, drawing) but the imaginative/creative side doesn't fully manifest. I am able to take a piece a music and duplicated it. I can put words on a paper. I draw lines in my sketch book while looking at something and reproducing it (sometime better than others). But it seems like the wierd, bizarre, creative imaginative side that I can see and hear in my head has a problem bridging the gap as it were. It seems like the only time that creative part of me is fully tapped is when my emotional angst overwhelms me and my analytical side shuts down. But that isn't my normal manner.

Does anyone else experience this? If so, how do you get around it or learn how to work with it?

[USER777]

smoke a joint and your right side will be active as never before.
unfortunately your left side won't be able to compete with your right side, therefore your drawings will be shite

[DernierCri]

very interesting... I have to say it might be all subjective i.e. you might just have to let go of what keeps you mimicing things, reproducing other than creating something of the mind. it might all be subconsious, other than phisycal/genetical setup that doesn't allow you to let it happen.
I would say try sleep deprivation for about 36-40 hours and then try drawing... it's quite fun.

LIM: you crack me up man... lol

[MarkHarchar]

I don't know. I have some of the weirdest dreams. Sleeping might be better for me. However, you bring up a good point. I wonder if some type of fear of failure could cause me to stick with doing things that are "safer" rather than putting myself out there to be possibly ridiculed. Interesting view point.

[Skulldog]

I don't think it's humanly possible to not use both halfs, though it may take some practice to really get um both going at once.

I'm the opposite, my left brain would like me dead, math and logic is not my area at all. I got pretty frustrated with it as a result. After awhile, I jsut stop letting myself get angry over it, and 'rewarded' myself when m left brain put itself to use. This resulted in much chocolate eating during math homework, but hey, it worked.

Maybe you could give yourself some nice reward whenever you feel creativiy starting, bribe the brain a bit..

Or drugs..drugs alwways work.

[corky13]

bang your head against a wall :D

j/k

hummm i guess its all a matter of time and experience. As for myself I was always drawing boring and retarded and very unimaginative stuff back where i begun to draw but now the ideas are coming more and more fluid to the paper.
So be patient and draw every day. Its maybe because the mechanical part of the brain is trained enough to almost do the stuff instinctive and you have a better ability to work with the imaginative part (because you don`t need to concentrate so hard on the mechanical part e.g. lineweight, shading etc,). Master the technique and then master the mind *lol*