Monday, April 25, 2011

Ways To Avoid Being Brainwashed.

Seth Godin's article, "Brainwashed"discusses seven ways to break free of the confines from the corporate drone culture that has plagued our nation. In order to better ourselves and increase our creativity levels, he suggests that we must acknowledge seven layers of reinvention: connect, be generous, make art, acknowledge the lizard, ship, fail and learn.

One of the layers mentioned above instructs us how to "Acknowledge The Lizard". As soon as I heard of the name of this topic, all I could think of was a reference to the Spider-Man villain, The Lizard, who acts on natural instincts and impulses when responding to danger in a fight. Don't worry; there is a method to my geeky references, especially for this section of the article! Similar to The Lizard from Spider-Man, Godin informs us that we as humans are interconnected with the prehistoric part of our brain that he calls "the lizard brain". "The lizard brain" despises being ridiculed and laughed at and it worries about safety and as a result of this worry, it releases anger. The lizard part of our brain reacts to "the resistance", a mechanism that trains us to comply with instructions and discourages us to think outside of the box and reach our full potential. I truly believe that this advice is crucial for expanding our creative minds to accomplish our ultimate goal in life. I often have instances where my doubts and fears disable me from performing to my full potential which I now realize is the prehistoric part of my brain telling me to hold back and stick to the norm. Keeping this concept in  mind will also aid me in making my blog posts more appealing, creative and personal while still following the guidelines that I am instructed to adhere to. I strive to develop a distinctive voice for myself through my blog posts and to entice people to read them. We must realize that successful people gained their place in society by taming the lizard part of their brain and becoming fearless in their tasks and endeavors. Like Spider-Man we must fight the lizard!

Another layer that I found useful in developing my creative process is the "Make Art" suggestion. I really enjoyed reading about this section of the text since I have a huge adoration for drawing and any type of artwork in general. Godin's definition of art is spectacular; he claims that art is not just painting or writing a poem, but it is an original gift that all people can perform at a human level. He claims that "If you interact with others, you have the platform to create something new-something that changes everything. I call that art." This ideal will help me greatly as I continue my education in the media school as well as when I pursue my ultimate career. Creating vast networks with media industry professionals will encourage my interaction with others and make myself known.

I strongly believe that the assignments that are given to us for this class including the "Brainwashed" article will expand our knowledge and mold us into well-rounded individuals. Most classes in college are designed to teach students to obey instructions from bosses, officials and any other person in a higher power position, whereas this class teaches us just the opposite: to make ourselves known through hard work, perseverance and to think as if we are those bosses and officials in power.  I will also continue to create ideas and write scripts for short films that I will direct with my friends who are also video production majors. The layer mentioned above regarding making art will have an amazing influence in the creation of my blog, since I hope to expand my eccentric ideas into full-fledged productions with the help of creative criticism and input from my peers. If I am able to break free of the social confines of what is considered the "norm" for careers just as this article is persuading me to do, my confidence in my work and myself will grow and reach its peak. Confidence is undoubtedly the key to happiness and success in oneself and their career, which I hope to accomplish as I dive deeper into the media school curriculum.

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