U is for Unusual

I am typically drawn to things that are unusual or unconventional.   And mystical.  I like things that are a bit strange; unexplained.   Esoteric teachings fascinate me. 

Good.  If you're eight feet tall and only
sleep in one position.

At the same time, I look for logic in the unusual and unconventional.  It has to make sense.  To me. 

So I experiment a lot with thoughts and ideas.  If This is so, how is That not so?  That’s a big question for me; one I like to play with often.  How did this come to be?  How did it come to be accepted?  Why?  What is the purpose of this belief?  That ideology?  How does it serve?  How does it not serve? 

Hold on to your handlebars -
it's going to be a bumpy ride!

I used to ask myself what my purpose in life is.  I don’t anymore.  My purpose is to Be.  And so I try to do that.  Just Be.  Just Be creatively. 

I love this!

My struggle is to balance the mundane obligations of life with creativity.  My challenge is to approach the mundane as creatively as I can.  It’s hard to be creative when vacuuming the floor, for instance, but the floor still needs to be vacuumed.  Or does it?  I’ve been conditioned to wanting to live in a clean environment and vacuuming is one way to achieve that.  If the stuff I dump out of my vacuum canister is anything to go by, it’s testimony to at least a certain degree of success.  (Where does all that stuff come from!?)  If I can’t be creative about pushing Tyler, my Dyson Ball vacuum cleaner, around, I can at least be thankful for the time it gives me to experiment with thoughts and ideas.  Like how to be creative when I’m paying my bills!  Again, I find it fascinating that just by moving numbers from one field on my computer screen to another, service providers are somehow satisfied.  All I’m giving them is digits, disguised as binary code.  It’s kind of bizarre – when you really think about it.

I can't decide if this looks
comfortable - or not!

Nature always finds a way.  

I love conspiracy theories.  I love that they challenge me to think unconventionally; to see an unusual perspective.  I love that they cast doubt on the status quo.  I don’t necessarily believe them (in fact, I rarely do), but I like that they challenge the mind to see things differently.   I think that there is great value in that.  Question everything is my motto.  Like mantras, why, what and how are the first things that come to mind when presented with any new information.  Is it at least plausible?  If so, is it good or is it bad?  Does it serve the greater good, or is it a product of egocentric greed?  Is it beautiful, or is it not?  Is it creative, or is it destructive?  Is it helpful, or is it harmful?  Can it make my life better?  Can it make everyone’s life better?  Can I get behind it?  Or is it best to walk away? 

I wonder if this is real...

Obviously, I don’t have the time to put that much energy into everything that comes my way.  It has to pique my interest, speak to me somehow as being worth the effort.  But if it does, I’m like a dog with a bone.  I buy books.  I find articles.  I experiment with it – mentally or physically, if I can.  Deconstructing notions, reverse-engineering an idea is one of my favourite… for lack of a better word, hobbies. 

I'm guessing PhotoShop...?

Does this count as topiary?

It took me a long time to realize that not everyone likes to be challenged like I do.  I still have difficulty processing that sometimes and it does get me in trouble now and then.  I don’t mean to be aggressive or cast aspersions, but that’s how I come across to some people.   And, yes, I do occasionally take exception to the points-of-view of others.   (Usually, only when they are being aggressive or casting aspersions, though.) 

Few things are as satisfying as a healthy debate.  Often this is where the unusual and unconventional come to light; where the imagination is ignited and new ideas are born.