My Creative Brain In The Frying Pan of Life - Oww Vs Wow

Learning a new skill means I have to have someone show me, I try it out, and then I have to practice, practice, practice. I was fortunate to have a mother that gave me music lessons as a kid, and so I learned about skill unconsciously. Once I became conscious of the mechanics of a skill, it helped me a lot in later life. I can be a slow learner, and that's ok as long as I'm learning, because I love life learning.

This post is a continuation of yesterday's, because I am learning the new skill of exercising and how to grow my "Wow Brain".
I thought this picture depicted a good expression of how I feel about my 'Oww Brain', like I am a prisoner of my own brain. I'm not sure who's painting it is. I'm thinking the highly imaginative, talented, funny, and skilled artist  Mark Byran.

Since yesterday, I've been absorbing and contemplating very intently, about Canadian, (yes he's ours!), Todd Herman's eye-poppin, eye-opening explanation of the 'Oww Brain' and the 'Wow Brain'. Todd says, we are all in possession of both aspects of this brain at different times, on a genetic, and hormonal level. The great news is, we can turn things around once we understand how our brain cells work with all those endorphins and dopamine swishin' around. Well isn't that a great thing to find out! Honestly, it was the big aha and eureka moment for me yesterday, after seeing Todd's video on Marie TV.

For those of you who don't want to watch the video, but I suggest you do watch it , a couple of times, cause humans a real good at forgettin', but regardless, let me explain the highlights.

The oww brain or the pain brain I'll call it for now, can kick in when we are trying to make a change in a habit for the better, we protest and say eww! This hurts. We're stuck, bored and want to stay in our safe warm place.

Flip that big gray matter over in the big fryin' pan of life, and we have the wow or pleasure brain. Wowweewoowow! Now were talkin', the fun brain I'll call it, which says, Oh yeah baby! Bring it on! All about the feelin' good.

When that fun brain is workin' it, it's all about Growth, Confidence, and Adventure. Now this is where the magic happens. Now I know it's not exactly magic, but science, though it feels like magic it to me, because it is so darn exciting to know the facts, and to have the knowledge to change ourselves and our lives for the positive. Finally it really does feel like, everything IS really figureoutable, as Marie Forleo's mama says.
God bless our mamas!

So here's the best part.

When Growth and Confidence overlap this gives us Momentum and we get unstuck.

When Confidence and Adventure overlap this gives us Excitement, the opposite of boredom.

When Growth and Adventure overlap this gives us Transformation and at this point we have left our safe warm place.

This brain mash up results in Leadership.
So hopefully all this will help my creative brain to go from the frying pain into the fire in a good way of course.

My Wow Brain - Catherine Meyers

The Art of Mark Bryan

The New Normal - Mark Bryan

 I first came across Mark Bryan's work online a number of years ago. His work makes me laugh our loud, and I love that. It is funny, disturbing, thought provoking, and frankly, I think brilliant. His imaginative satirical  renderings cut to the quick, make you question ' normal,' and will set you on your ass when you first see his work, because it is are honest commentary about his observations of the crazy mixed up world we live in.


 Although the presentations and executions of his subject are very humourous, the subject matter under the surface are often not so funny, in that many of the topics are serious.

Mark Bryan has the talent and ability to express what I think many of us feel, about the state of the world and the many monkeys in it.

Mark Byran reminds me of Michael Moore, or maybe the Lewis Black of the art world, honest; real, with an intelligent social conscience, all wrapped up in satire and funny. God only knows we need more of this kind of individual in society.

Art Should Be Fun

Cindy Sherman As Mrs. Claus

Art can be a serious matter. But it doesn't have to be. I firmly believe in the importance of fun in all aspects of our lives.  Not doubt we all love to laugh, some of us laugh readily, others are more reserved. Humour is immeasurably necessary in so many ways, to lighten our load in the midst of our difficulties.

 There is something very attractive about an artist who incorporates a strong element of humour in their artwork, to convey a message whether it be lighthearted satire, a politically charged statement, or simply to present thought provoking questions.

A few artists come to mind; Suzanne Heintz, Cindy Sherman, and Mark Bryan are a few of my favourites. Those are just some of the visual multi-media artists, but there are many singers, actors and writers that I greatly admire for their satire, and ability to make us think, using humour as a tool for change.

Mark Bryan - Odalisque

" ART21: I think you have a tremendous amount of fun and there’s a lot of humor in your work yet people mostly take it very seriously. Tell me how you think about that.
SHERMAN: Well, I’m much more ignorant about Old Master paintings and art history than many people involved in the art world, so I’m not really taking it seriously. Like the tit in [Untitled (#216)] looks like a slice of half a grapefruit stuck onto someone's chest and the baby looks plastic because it is. But in Old Master paintings a lot of these figures’ breasts don’t even look real or the children look muscular, like miniature wrestlers. I guess I’m also commenting on how we think these things are masterful. Why do we think they’re so great? "

Here are a few examples of some art that is fun and might even make you laugh out loud 

Suzanne Heintz- from Life Once Removed

Creativity - Basic Principles

BASIC PRINCIPLES - from the book, The Artist's Way a Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity - Julia Cameron

1. Creativity is the natural order of life. Life is energy:pure creative energy.

2. There is an underlying, in-dwelling creative force infusing all of life-including ourselves.

3. When we open ourselves to our creativity, we open ourselves to the creator's creativity

within us and our lives.

4. We are, ourselves, creations. And we, in turn, are meant to continue creativity by being

creative ourselves.

5. Creativity is God's gift to us. Using our creativity is our gift back to God.

6. The refusal to be creative is self-will and is counter to our true nature.

7. When we open ourselves to exploring our creativity, we open ourselves to God: good

orderly direction.

8. As we open our creative channel to the creator, many gentle but powerful changes are to be

expected.

9. It is safe to open ourselves up to greater and greater creativity.

10. Our creative dreams and yearnings come from a divine source. As we move toward our

dreams, we move toward our divinity.

- The Artist's Way - Julia Cameron and Mark Bryan

The Artist's Way - Julia Cameron  and Mark Bryan