Left & Right in the Dark

Image via ideachampions.com

Job hunting does things to me. Uncertainty of the future and the process of weighing options is often an un-nerving experience that forces an individual to assess and attempt to solve the meaning of life.

A little over-exaggerated? Perhaps. But finalizing your career path does give you the opportunity to ask yourself some important questions. For example, lately I have been trying to work out this whole left-brain/right-brain situation, and how the theories involved could help me better understand myself and where I fit in the fashion industry.

Quoted from About.com >>

“…The human brain has two very different ways of thinking. One (the right brain) is visual and processes information in an intuitive and simultaneous way, looking first at the whole picture then the details. The other (the left brain) is verbal and processes information in an analytical and sequential way, looking first at the pieces then putting them together to get the whole.”

This left-brain and right-brain inventory list explains the personality differences in more detail.

I think a lot of right-brained people such as myself don’t focus enough on whether they are, in fact, a ‘creative’ thinker or not, and rather focus too much on what they think the quality of their creativity is. This kind of self analysis is often driven by the (lack of) confidence a creative thinker has in their abilities. I’ve witnessed many times this self confidence issue get in the way of right-brainers having a creatively successful career, as they are not prepared to take the necessary risks involved with opening your talents up for judgement.

This isn’t to say that left-brainers have it easier, or that right-brainers are difficult to manage. And I’m definitely not saying that left-brainers can’t work in creative industries. I just think that in order to find career goals that fit who you are, you need to figure out how your brain is wired. Intelligence and experience can be acquired, but I don’t think that you can ever alter how your mind functions without going through some kind of Iggy Pop-esque lobotomy.  

I don’t want Ron Paul designing my shoes, and I wouldn’t want Andy Warhol doing my taxes.

While researching I took a number of online quizzes on my left-brain/right-brain dominance, however all tests gave me different answers - further proving that this theory is not black and white in its absoluteness. Nevertheless I think this kind of analysis is on the right track to help graduates better understand the difference between what you feel you should do, and what you’re capable of.

Good luck to all who are graduating soon <3

-Jessica