Left Brain - Right Brain

[Jaws]

Computer technology and artistic endeavors would seem, on the surface, to be at odds. Whereas the left side brain is more linear, sequential and logical, the right side is artistic, creative and intuitive.

I'll admit I'm more a technological person, but computer graphics applications help me express myself in ways I couldn't do with paper and pencil.

On brain type tests I score between 40 to 45% right brain, 55 to 60% left brain. Here's a quick  test, you can find many more with a search.

http://www.blogthings.com/areyourightorleftbrainedquiz/

Please comment.

[Sawer]

I took the test it's what I thought it would be as a southpaw 65% right brained 35% left. Always knew I was in my right mind.

[SiathLinux]

I am a master at both - as I tend to look at linear things in an artist way... better use of the left side of my brain.
That and I am a 'true' ambidextious person - I can effectly write with both hands at the same time, it doesn't require much extra thought for me.

As far as programs go, YES they could be a lot easier to navigate - but to be easier would also make them less capable... I'd rather deal with the navigational issues than to suffer artistically for not having some feature or ability.

[dadster]

  I have to disagree in that something doesn't have to be complicated to be full featured.  There are several graphics packages that my 15 year old daughter can utilize quite well feature wise that are very user friendly.
   And I too am ambidextrous.     I can eat with both hands.   
 
  Bill

[Sawer]

I too am ambidextrous, i can also eat with both hands, use hand tools with either hand, use the mouse with either. The only time I have to use only my left hand is in drawing in wood grain on a furniture patch, I'm a retired furniture refinisher.

[geminiguy]

 O.k., there's some kind of link here.... as it seems quite a few of us are ambidextrous (yes, I'm part of the bunch) It used to drive my ex-wife nuts when I would be pouring our son a drink while flippin an egg  (so I did things like this as often as I could)

[Jaws]

Wow, we're spread out across the board, four voters, four different votes. That's great in the sense that computer graphics applications spans the gamut of knowledge and proficiency. Now all we need is to entice the technically challenged to give it a go and vote.

It's a good start and hopefully more people will join to have fun, share, or inquire knowledge about their preferred program.

Working efficiently and effortlessly within a full featured program, without the need to focus on the UI or tools at hand, would be the holy grail. I definitely feel there's a need to keep it simple and straightforward, at least for some programs, for people starting out with the desire to learn.

Cheers

[Sawer]

I think part of the issue is each program uses a little different "lingo" for some of there tools. You may know what you want but the name is different or the location of that tool maybe in a different place so one has to re learn that. I'm try now to get away from Corel Draw completely but am having to re learn tool names and the like and how they operate, about 905 what I do is done in a vector format. Part of my problem is my right brain way of looking and doing things, I tend to go with things I already know. I'm looking forward to be able to use Linux only for all of my computer needs and the help that can come from this forum I think it's a great idea.

[Jaws]

Some of that, I think, has to do with what application a person starts out with but also is able to get a handle of. A person basically become comfortable with it and they perceive that change is hard.

I started using Inkscape and being totally new to vector programs, it actually became easy to do what I wanted after checking out a few tutorials. I'm a pretty fast learner and Inkscape has in place a simple UI with all the tools I'm capable of using at this point so, for me, nothing is lacking. Now my hope is the developers don't bloat the program like happens so often, especially on the clunker PC I'm using.

As for only using Linux, the first time I ever started using Linux, I started with PCLOS in June of this year and I think I booted into Windows about 6 times... just to see if it still worked.

Cheers

[SiathLinux]

It is funny though that I'm 'technically' left handed (ie I most commonly right with my left hand) but can't use a left handed mouse to save my life...

[Sawer]

i have my mouse set for right handed use but use it with my left hand most of the time. I can use either hand with the mouse but have much better control with my left. I keep my for right hand use because no matter whos computer I'm on the mouse is the same.

[Jaws]

I can't say I'm ambidextrous but my former job (auto mechanic, retired) gave me a lot of practice with both hands, but I too, use the mouse with my left hand often. I'll stay on the computer for long stretches and fatigue will set in on my right hand. My wife can't understand how I do it.

Cheers

[SiathLinux]

I can't say I'm ambidextrous but my former job (auto mechanic, retired) gave me a lot of practice with both hands, but I too, use the mouse with my left hand often. I'll stay on the computer for long stretches and fatigue will set in on my right hand. My wife can't understand how I do it.

Cheers

- my wife can't understand how I can stay on the computer working on a single project for up to 11 hours at a time only stopping to eat... (and well I don't really stop - just slow down as one hand is now pushing food into my face )

[MeeMaw]

OK, now... five choices, five answers....
I'm sort-of ambidextrous - I can do most things with both hands, but my left-handed printing is awful!!!!
I think I only answered with the first choice because I'm a noob and still trying to get used to how the Linux programs work (differently from their Windows counterparts) - I rarely boot up XP at home now but still have to use it at work. I don't get a lot of time on the computer at home so I'm going to be learning it slowly (my husband hates computers and his cataract interferes with his seeing the monitor well enough to learn.)
My father was a "southpaw" and always said only left-handed people were in their right minds! 

BTW - the test in the link says I'm 50-50..... (so I'm only halfway in my right mind!!!!!  )

[Digitante]

Okay, I took the quiz for fun: 80% "right brain", 20% "left brain".

But, professionally, I've been a programmer. And a writer. And an editor.

Never an artist. I only do that for fun, although I did take art and film in college.

So, I seem to be getting a lot of mileage out of that 20%. Truthfully, though, I do think of programming tasks visually. For me, the first step in implementing a new program is to draw pictures of it: the UML diagram for the object model, state diagrams, user-interface layout -- and sometimes weird funky sketches that only make sense to me.

This does create some cultural friction with other programmers. But then, I'm mostly a loner when it comes to programming. I still don't think there's any more reason for programming to be a "linguistic-linear" process than is drawing in Inkscape.

For presentations and articles, I have been known to draw a bunch of slides and then write the text to go between them.

I have no explanation for my skill at editing. For whatever reason, I have a strong eye for detail. Maybe it's just due to years of enormous conscious effort.

Honestly, though, I think that test is biased. It seems to be mostly grading me on my lack of housekeeping.

Much of the time, my answers to the real linear-vs-spatial questions are "BOTH". I wave my hands AND I pick my words carefully. As if, you know, it were my job—which it is.

On the other hand, many of my drawings are not "art" in the usual sense, but merely attempts to apply visual metaphors and models to abstract ideas. I use Inkscape, for example, far more to explain complex or arcane programming, engineering, and even legal ideas than to simply draw artistic pictures:

Some examples (you knew I had to have some):

Realizing Open Hardware (Inkscape -- and Gimp for the texture) from "Impossible thing #5: Open hardware, from the LART to the C,mm,n"

The Notional Museum of Software (Blender and Gimp for screencaps)

Business Models for Aesthetic Works (Inkscape)

CC Licensing Landscape (Inkscape), these 3 from "Impossible thing #3: Free art and the Creative Commons culture"

A rare piece of pure art (possibly appropriate to topic), included online:

Cycles of Consciousness from "Making money on free art" (pen and markers -- scanned).

Actually I have a few more pieces of pure art on my Digitante at DeviantArt site. Someday, I'll post more.

So, I guess I do a LOT of converting "linear" problems to "spatial" problems and vice-versa.