Steve's Self-Portrait when in Peoria's Methodist 2005 |
Right Brain
Exercise the right side of your brain!
By Steve Love
The right side of the brain is a vital part of an artist’s life. We do not give a lot of thought to how our brains work until something happens to them. In September 2004, I was in a car accident and my life was forever changed. On that date I received my traumatic brain injury. The left side of my brain was severely damaged. The left side of our brains is where our words, cognitive thinking skills, and math and science skills are stored. The right sides of our brains hold our visual records, and the artist side of our nature lives within us there. The world is a left side brain run world. Our schooling forces us to think mainly with the left side of our brain, reading, writing, and arithmetic. Music, art, and drama classes are the main right brain thinking classes within our school systems. Every time you take a brush to a canvas, play a musical instrument, dance, take a photo, or take part in a play you are exercising the right side of your brain. The more you exercise that part of your brain the more you open up your artist side. I let over 30 years go by without painting. I started painting again just before my accident. Painting is now one of my joys in life. The right side of my brain is the less damaged part. I see the world using mainly the right side of my brain. I see patterns where before I saw nothing. The more I exercise the right side of my brain the better artist I become. Exercise the right side of your brain today and become more involved in the Arts.
Written for the Fulton County Arts Council's Newsletter May 2008
http://www.tbihome.org/members/pearl/home_1.html