Comments on: What Elephants Can Teach Us About Personal Development

By: หินทราย

หินทราย — Sat, 18 Dec 2010 08:24:17 +0000

Elephants are large animals. the nature of its grandeur.
I had elephant art. Made of sandstone. Made in Thailand.

By: Move Beyond the Limits That Are Holding You Back | Zen Habits

Move Beyond the Limits That Are Holding You Back | Zen Habits — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 23:00:54 +0000

[...] because they’re afraid that they might be wrong. They’re afraid that their pattern, their idea of what’s real, might actually be broken. Their limits might be mentally conjured specters. And the lives they [...]

By: Charles Gilkey

Charles Gilkey — Sat, 03 May 2008 16:30:46 +0000

@ Prashant: Hmm, there are two routes to go on this one. One route is to think about the training of creative habits, which I do think is a habit and practice that can be learned. The second, and more related to what I meant in the post, is that we often condition ourselves to believe that illusory limits are real. The behavioral conditional of elephants and humans, then, creates the same behavioral outcome – we both don’t strain against perceived limitations because we don’t recognize that those limitation can be overcome.

By: Prashant

Prashant — Thu, 01 May 2008 21:27:32 +0000

Thats an interesting metaphor, but I’m doubtful that it works here; I think?

The training of the elephants is a case of behavior conditioning; training of humans for creativity as you described it is about methodical learning of a new skill through practice.

By: Charles Gilkey

Charles Gilkey — Thu, 01 May 2008 12:13:32 +0000

@ Kelly: It’s weird that you see it more with art skills than with other skills. But, then again, I know a lot of people who get blocked by math, too.

I think the easiest way to explain what I listen to and play will be through showing my notecards and songs I have transcribed. It’ll probably be more accurate than saying I play [this] when in fact I don’t even have the music tabbed out. I’ll have a off-topic post that explains this in a few days.

@ Jared: It’s more that I tug more when I start seeing that I’m constrained. I do more short-circuiting of “I can’t do that because I’m not good at it” and instead think about what it would take to accomplish something, even if I have to learn to do it.

By: Jared Goralnick

Jared Goralnick — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 18:00:57 +0000

That's an awesome metaphor, Charlie. So do you feel now that nothing holds you back? If so, what's next for Mr. Gilkey? Jared Goralnicks last blog post..How to get started with working remotely

By: Kelly@SHE-POWER

Kelly@SHE-POWER — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 08:15:55 +0000

Very true, Charlie. My mother’s family is full of painters, but because I wasn’t an innately talented artist as a kid I just decided I CAN’T draw or paint. Even though I rationally know this may not be true, I still can’t help but feel it.

My mum has encouraged me to try painting, particularly because I love abstract art anyway, but still I haven’t. I always tell myself I’m a writer and a pretty good photographer and that’s enough. Right now, I don’t have the time to play around with a new skill, but one day I vow that I will explore the painter within.

And my husband didn’t learn piano until he was 17 either. I still find this hard to believe because his mum plays piano and his grandmother was a cellist, but somehow he just didn’t even try it when he was young.

Nice post.

Kelly

PS. And you didn’t tell me, what music do you play and listen to?

Kelly@SHE-POWERs last blog post..What is the Music of Your Life?