The Tao of Emma

One of the more original acts I witnessed in this class was Emma's response to "there's nothing to see so you look." Whereas most of us followed Charline von Heyl into the outdoors -- me, included -- Emma described how a visual thinker such as herself often fails to *see* with her other senses. Her other senses are muffled when there is literally nothing in front of her to look at.

I love this sentiment. While my case is not as extreme as the experience Emma describes, I relate. Certain outdoorsy scents transport me immediately to Camp Michigania, a touchstone of my youth, and certain songs transport me to a specific slice of life. But these intense experiences of my non-visual senses are fleeting and rare.

Visuals, on the other hand, are saturated and reminiscent and constantly collaging upon themselves and one another. Visuals fit my framework, and I include words seen on the page, or on screen, in this category.

But back to Emma. I admire how she came at this prompt from an entirely different direction, and it totally worked. That is the essence of original thinking, and I aspire to it.