By Aleigha Nicole
What do we wanna read about nowadays? Pictures are beautiful to view, videos—euphoric to watch, audio opportune multitask, and reading grant us a moment to just be still. Some folks find reading to be very relaxing and meditative; I am not one of those people. However, I get the fun in a reader’s leisure—the mind is allowed to have free rein in developing the picture in the mind’s eye. Meaning, the characters and environmental settings look how ever a reader’s mind visions this to be. I think it’s dope. Truthfully, not everyone’s mind works like that.
Or does it?
Not in the sense that everyone doesn’t have access to imagination. I mean, we all have an imagination; it’s just a matter of if and how we use it. Some “lose” theirs to tunnel vision of practical gotta see it to believe it fixed earthly matters; never allowing themselves to be concerned with such “child’s play that’s a waste of time,” their words, not mine.
Others may resist submitting to the mind wandering—a habit typically out of either fear, guilt and/or disliking of the possible depths of where imagery can and have taken us… an experience where at times can feel or actually is out of one’s control, in the moment.
Then there’s those who find solace in their flow state.
Maybe it just comes natural… the whole relinquishing control to riding that wave… or letting the wave carry us, I should say. That’s essentially what happens in our creative state—letting go, tapping in. We wind up becoming more disciplined in our creative/imaginative adventures the more logical (or older) we become.
Before this point deviates too far, let’s wheel it back to paragraph one.
…developing the picture in the mind’s eye of the reader.
I feel like that comes easier to some than others. This is something I came to my own conclusion about a while back in regard to visualization manifestation. If you’re a self-proclaimed student of life who finds pleasure in learning whatever subject matter when your antennas peak an interest, you may have heard that term before. If not, now you have.
Simply put, visualization manifestation is the practice of envisioning what we want through vivid mental images as one of the key factors to bring it into reality—visualize the desired outcome.
It sound cute.
You know what don’t have time for that? Patience. When the shortfalls of l’attention span or eagerness wins. It’s anxious energy.
I speak for myself and anyone else who knows first-hand the experience of: long-term focus difficulty, which takes discipline and INTEREST. If this is you, you already know how hard it is to hold pictures in your mind for a long period of time…
…you’re probably not even reading this post in chronological order.
This, obviously, doesn’t mean you’re not creative. We all are. If anything, people like that are creative geniuses because of the comfort ‘n immense pleasure that comes with letting the mind wander. Scattered energy needs a proper outlet to funnel through, and that’s where you art freaks do your thing.
Anyway. Where am I going with this.
We all have different ways of how we prefer to intake and push out information. I think the preferred channel is dependent on the subject matter and attractiveness of how the story is told, making this statement a fact that’s not fixed—it can change.
There’s benefit and beauty in all forms of medium. At least, I see it as so.
Like learning, for instance.
Are you a hands-on learner? There’s a fancy term for it: kinetic.
If so, that means you do well with catching on through action, movement and direct engagement of the senses… over, say… passively listening and watching. Now, this doesn’t necessarily exclude you from liking lecture when the presentation is attractive to you in some way; this could be through the beauty of the speaking subject, a pleasing scenery to les senses or delicious storytelling.
That’s just an example. I ain’t finna list them all. So, I digress.
Back to five paragraphs ago.
“There’s benefit and beauty in all forms of medium.”
We got still photos—oh yeah, Side Note: grammatical concerns shan’t be a thing in this blog series—don’t worry, I know how to *TALK (skskss🤭, speak, I know how to speak) and write good well.
I think that right there is a contributing factor as to why we as a collective, today, choose not to exercise our brain with reading long-form lifestyle topics… for fun.
Aside from our collective attention-span being warp speed, along with everything else in our current walking reality (e.g. how information is exchanged, the world feeling smaller due to technology, etcetera)…
The truth also is, we wanna read like we talk. Our brain isn’t stupid. There’s a disconnect when our eyes scan something that sounds nothing like our inner dialogue and common interactions.
There’s a time and place for everything, I agree. Stickler energy belongs where freedom and personality are void—prose rooted in facts and super serious real life matters, real life people, real life events, etc. There’s still an art even to that.
Scribing in acronyms, AAVE aka ebonics, cultural dialect and formal standard language is only enticing when it’s actually enticing—that’s an art—the creative aspect to things.
This leads me back to where we left off at the top, six paragraphs above.
We got Still photos, paintings and drawings… motion pictures aka movies and videos… then there’s strictly audio books and shows, live performances, and The OG: Words—Lines and curves we connect and form as a physical manifestation of the tongue. That sound sexy how I worded that, ahaha.
Strokes of the lips known as speaking and motion of our touchy tips known as writing.
There’s beauty in and benefit to all forms information is exchanged. At least, I see it as so.
Concluding, for my readers who know how to read and find the monotonous experience to be lackluster or overwhelming, let’s challenge ourselves to discover a written work of words long a wall that we naturally get lost in. Write it yourself if you must! I used to love a good coming of age novel growing up 🙂
+As of lately… I’ve been working on a 294-page book I REALLY ENJOY that I started a year and a half ago. My bookmark says I’m on page 66 or 67. Take yo tiiime. 😉
Carry the words laid before you and paint the image from within.
About The Sunday Selections
I’m starting The Sunday Selections as an additional creative outlet. I think this blog series comes in handy for those moments I’m taking a break between other projects that require my full undivided attention—like video editing.
Not that writing doesn’t require a lot of energy—it does. The subject matter of these blog posts, however, is simple for me.
The Sunday Selections are select thoughts, observations, experiences and creative works I come across throughout the week, or just feel like publicly sharing that specific Sunday in the “paper.”
It’s my own little digital newspaper weblog (did you know that’s the full term for “blog,” lol).
The Sunday Selections are sans pictures, videos, audio and external links to the like. I write every thang plain and cite proper sources where necessary; that way, you can seek further context by looking it up directly if you so choose.
How this idea came about is a story for another day.
I’m not even sure exactly what The Sunday Selections even is yet, lol. I’m making it up as you read along these words. (psst: I just told you 2-3 paragraphs ago). I do know, this is something that even I would read if I wasn’t the one writing it. Well, typing it.
That’s why I lead this post with the question: What do we wanna read about nowadays? FOR LEISURE!
That’s a narrow question giving way for a very broad, subjective, response.
• • •
Spread Love, Be True. THRIVE
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Read this Sunday’s paper
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