Forgers

 

I have never really understood why forgers' work was never wanted.  I mean sure it was not the original, but everyone buys fake copies of the Declaration of Independence, so why not a Van Gogh?   It just never made sense to me (obviously I am not an artist).  Then my brother came over yesterday and I told him about my beliefs on the subject.  He said that it was the idea, not the painting itself.  Now, I am not claiming that I fully understand his explanation or do I claim that I can even explain it well, but I'll try.  What my brother meant was that the artist was famous for his ideas and putting them into art.  For example, many people could paint a woman.  But Leonardo da Vinci captured an idea when he painted the Mona Lisa. Starry Night is more than a picture of the night, but an idea that the artist once again captured.  The idea cannot be recaptured by a forger's hand, because it is a fake. He can perfectly imitate the masters, yet he cannot create what the masters created. Thought provoking.  So the next time I see a painting or a sketch, I am going to try to see the idea in the painting.

Music Can Or Break Your Day

After a devastating lost of the Brigham Young University football bowl game, the stadium played, Sweet Caroline by Neil Diamond.  One of my friends was absolutely depressed and downtrodden after this game started to whistle and bounce to the music.  Soon, he felt happy even though BYU lost. This is an example of the power of music in people's life.  Talk about "Mood Adjuster," regardless of the external situation.  After hearing this story Sweet Caroline became our family's pick-me-up song.  Then I came to college and my roommates converted me to Sunshine, Lollipops, and Rainbows, by Lesley Gore.   Both of these songs help brighten my day.  This morning my roommate decided this was going to be a horrible day (especially since she woke up at five and didn't get anything done all morning).  So we played these two songs and another one her favorites.  It immediately improved her mood.  What a great way to help improve attitude.  But on the flip side, music can immediately bring you down.  Interesting.  What a great tool, now the question is whether or not we will use it wisely.  

Picture Power

Tell me which recipe you would make....

a recipe for a chicken pot pie or a recipe for a chicken pot pie with this picture below...



I don't know about you, but I would definitely make a recipe with a picture.  That's why my favorite, most used cookbook is the Reader's Digest cookbook.  It has tons of pictures, and I love it! Think what power pictures have in advertising.  Classical Conditioning is a major one!  What about restaurants? Would you rather eat from the menu with pictures or eat the food with just a description?

Which would you rather see when you buy a sandwich? (And they both still have pictures!).

Does picture power influence your decisions?

My Bologna has a first name..

My Bologna has a first name.... how many people can finish this song?  My roommates can.  In fact, they can quote this song, the Cherry Hill song, and the entire Shane Company ad.  Effective advertising.  So then for fun I asked my friends and family the first thing that popped into their head when I said advertising song or slogan.  "Give me a Break" from Kit Kat.  "He went to Jareds" from Jareds.  "Put a smile on" from McDonald's (this was before they changed to I'm Lovin it).  "Maybe She's Born with It" from Maybelline. "Every Kiss Begins with Kay" from Kay Jewelers. Crazy right?  Catchy songs and slogans have a "stickiness" factor that Malcom Galdwell talks about in his books.   The advertisements become more memorable when using this principle.  I think that it is so interesting that you can recall so much more information because of a song or slogan.  What great advertising!

 

Ella Enchanted

From around 8 years old until about 16 years old my favorite book was Ella Enchanted.  Ella Enchanted is a spin off the story of Cinderella.  I loved Ella Enchanted, because Ella, the main character, thought like I did.  I could relate to her thought patterns, so when I read this book I felt that I vicariously lived through Ella.  I became a girl who fell in love with the prince, went to finishing school, made friends with giants, tamed ogres, danced with the prince under disguise, and eventually married him. I loved this book because it was a love story without being too unrealistic and too romantic for my young mind.  It is interesting how books influence your personal identity.  That is way it is so important to read out of the best books.  

Harry Potter....Interesting

We read an article about using Harry Potter in therapy.  The book allows different people to open up and relate with the characters.  One of the themes used in this article was the theme of legimiency.  Legimiency is a skill that Dumbledore is quite good at.  Legimiency is the ability to attune to people’s thought and understanding their feelings. They then talk about how this could be applied to real life.  I really like the idea of using books, especially Harry Potter, in therapy.  After reading Noctor (2006) I think therapists should use novels in therapy.  I agree with what Noctor said, about many adolescents or children feel that therapy is a “public discourse about their private problems.”  I think that if a book is age appropriate, it could be a good way for the patient to overcome their problems.  I think that children and adolescents can live vicariously through a book, so in a way they overcome struggles through reading the book.  I think this in turn can give them the courage and a desire to overcome their problems.  Although, I do not think that this would be good for all patients.  But if this strategy helps a patient then it is a good idea.

And for those of you who haven't read or seen the books this is a good summary...

  

 

Blast from the Past

Remember this game?  I barely got finished playing this game with my brother.  When we were little we use to play this game a lot (I remember we played it so much I would dream about it).  My brother's roommate has this game.  So we decided to play this game together during a lunch when we both weren't busy.  Talk about laughing, bonding, and just being crazy.  I thought afterwards about the great bonding experience we had and Dr. Coyne's study (even though it applied to fathers and daughters).  I think this was a great way to catch up and be together.  

Cultivate your Secret Garden

Brother Huntington spoke for the devotional today.  His talk was on "A Heart of Gratitude."  One of the things that he said really stood out to me.  You can choose to cultivate a garden of things you have or don't have, but if you choose to cultivate your secret garden of what you have the "evasive" garden will disappear from your life.  (Or something to that affect).  I loved that.  He also challenged us to do 5 things.

1. Keep a gratitude journal

2. Add "thank you" to your vocabulary more often

3 Write thank you notes

4. Live in the present moment (to be able to see small things to be grateful for)

5. Make your prayers more thoughtful

I loved each of these things.  I want to be a more grateful person and develop "chronic gratitude."  I loved that this message was able to be broadcasted through media to more than the audience of BYU (it will be re-broadcast on Sunday).  I think this message will help many people who struggle in the world today who need a different perspective of the world.