Left Brain vs Right Brain (The theory and myth)
The brain has always been intriguing to me, not so much what it is scientifically and medically; for those interested it is an organ that weighs about 3 pounds and 100 billion neurons and 100 trillion connections(Pietrangelo, 2022), but more on how the brain is said to work physiological theories behind the brain’s function. Better yet, how to understand how your own brain works and how to harness it to improve not only your art but who you are as a person. To start, when discussing the right and left brain we are talking about the right and left hemispheres of the human brain and how they tend to process information differently. The theory that the two hemispheres had different ways of thinking was developed in the 1960’s by Nobel prize winner Roger W. Sperry, an American Psychobiologist (Boddy-Evans, 2019).
The Right Brain
The Right Brain is considered the side of the brain that dominates all of our visual processes and creative thinking. The personalities that the right brain contributes to are the creatives, the free spirited and the passionate. The right brain is said to house our intuition and our rhythm. Emotions and color tend to rule this hemisphere.
The Left Brain
The left brain is also known as the digital brain. It is considered the logic center and mathematician. It’s way of thinking is linear and tends to be more accurate, strategic, analytical and practical. This side deals with facts and calculations.
It should be noted that, in reality, while some studies have proven that there is a definite use of left and right hemisphere when thinking of certain things or situations both hemispheres work together in a variety of ways as we live our lives. The theory of people being left or right brain dominant has been debunked by a team of neuroscientists in 2013 that performed imaging on over 1,000 people. They proved that the human brain does not favor one side or the other(Pietrangelo, 2022). All of that said, it is still a fact that t the different hemispheres do work differently, and each have their own specialties. Just that they work as a cohesive unit instead of one being more dominant than the other.
The science aside, it is important to understand yourself and how your brain processes everything that you take in. Sticking to the theory, it is important to touch on your shortcomings and find ways to stimulate the parts of your brain that need it. The brain is like a muscle, it is through repetition, exercise and, surprisingly, nutrition that it becomes stronger.
Tips to Stimulate the Brain
Play games, memory games, even video games
Read and write a little every day
Learn something new as often as your life allows
What side of the brain do I consider myself? Well, I am a digital artist. I love colors, I am very much a free spirit and tend to be open minded. I am full of passion and imagination. That said, I can’t draw to save my life. I am a logical thinker far more than an emotional one. My thoughts tend to be more strategic and practical. I stress out when I feel stagnant and not in control of myself. I love to learn, take classes, enhance my knowledge. I also like to code. So which one am I?
The below picture shows a magazine design of mine that I did for one of my past positions. I use this as an example of a more logical and accurate design that I have created. Straight lines, minimalistic style. It shows how right and left brain can aide each other and work in a beautiful way.
1 - Pietrangelo, A. (2022, May 9). Left brain vs. right brain: What's the difference? Healthline. Retrieved October 29, 2022, from https://www.healthline.com/health/left-brain-vs-right-brain
2 - Boddy-Evans, M. (2019, February 20). The theory of Right Brain Left Brain and its relevance to art. LiveAbout. Retrieved October 29, 2022, from https://www.liveabout.com/right-brain-left-brain-theory-art-2579156
3 - Pietrangelo, A. (2022, May 9). Left brain vs. right brain: What's the difference? Healthline. Retrieved October 29, 2022, from https://www.healthline.com/health/left-brain-vs-right-brain#staying-sharp
Picture 1: Found on Freepik.com where I have an account. Attribution listed below.
macrovector. (n.d.). Brain functions concept infographic symbolic depiction with left side logic science mathematics right arts creativity. Freepik. Retrieved October 29, 2022, from https://www.freepik.com/free-vector/brain-functions-concept-infographic-symbolic-depiction-with-left-side-logic-science-mathematics-right-arts-creativity_6869586.htm#query=leftbrainrightbrain&position=9&from_view=search&track=sph#position=9&query=leftbrainrightbrain?log-in=email.
Picture 2: Created by artificial intelligence Dall-E.
Picture 3: My picture of a magazine article created for an old job with The Grid.works
About the Writer
Hi, I’m Gaël. I was born in Haiti and I am a recently married mother of 1 soon to be adopted little girl. Welcome to The Creative Alchemist where I mainly talk about design, but I do throw in my opinions on other matters to add some spice. From graphic design to recipes and everything in between. Besides this portfolio/blog I also have a small business called Dyadic Alchemy that I run with my husband. We are both alchemists in are own right and love mixing things up. As the name of the blog suggests, between the two of us, I am the Creative Alchemist.
