{"id":35592,"date":"2024-02-07T15:14:41","date_gmt":"2024-02-07T23:14:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/?p=35592"},"modified":"2024-02-09T07:59:25","modified_gmt":"2024-02-09T15:59:25","slug":"data-meets-art-bridging-the-gap","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/data-meets-art-bridging-the-gap\/","title":{"rendered":"Data Meets Art: Bridging the Gap"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Background<\/a>

Created in Canva by Nancy Blackman<\/p><\/div>\n

Anytime I see a book title with the word \u201cnumbers\u201d in it I run away as quickly as I can. Far, far away. I have never been fond of numbers, but interestingly, Tim Harford refers to this as a sense of na\u00efve realism, where we \u201cconfuse our own perspective with something more universal.\u201d [1]<\/a> In this case, my perspective is that anything to do with numbers and statistics has nothing to do with creativity, but that couldn\u2019t be further from the truth. And, yet I still allow that message to remain in my subconscious.<\/p>\n

As I skimmed this book, I kept thinking, how does this fit into the context of my research?<\/em> And then it hit me\u2014we use critical thinking skills all day, every day, which, reminded me of my fascination with the art of subliminal messages<\/a>. In 1957, because of research by James Vicary, the words \u201cEat Popcorn\u201d and \u201cDrink Coca Cola\u201d was inserted throughout movies. The messages popped up so fast that a person might not see it, but the trick with subliminal messages is that your brain records the message.<\/p>\n

Later, Vicary admitted to making false claims about his research, but by that time government and advertising agencies were intrigued. Even later, movies began to utilize subliminal messaging in movies in a variety of ways.<\/p>\n

In this YouTube video<\/a>, there is an explanation of how subliminal messages are used in movies. Scorsese used a red \u201cX\u201d behind an actor in \u201cScarface\u201d to indicate they would be killed. As crazy as that might seem, your brain connects with it. Some years ago, we lived in Koreatown Los Angeles where 40 gangs crossed within a two-to-three-block radius of our building. When pulling into the garage, if we saw the name of a rival gang member graffitti\u2019d on the garage door with an \u201cX\u201d through the name, that meant there would be a shooting that night.<\/p>\n

All of this begs the question of a consumer\u2019s perceptions. How much of what we hear and see drives decisions, and lawmakers with policymaking? At the crux, Harford alerts readers to how humans process the multitude of messages they receive each day and how important it is to use critical thinking.<\/p>\n

We choose what we want to hear and let go of the things that either don\u2019t make sense or don\u2019t want to hear. \u201cOne of the reasons facts don\u2019t always change our minds is that we are keen to avoid uncomfortable truths.\u201d[2]<\/a> Nowadays, being barraged by ads and social media we can keep scrolling or even block people. Thus, the concept of cancel culture.<\/p>\n

When I think about my research and how art and writing can disrupt and make people feel uncomfortable and then toss in the fact that this will be an interfaith community, a lot of things can go haywire. But really \u2026 what do numbers and statistics have to do with creativity? If I put my critical thinking hat on, which, by the way, hurt my brain this week, I would say Harford\u2019s message is inclusive of several themes that intersect with my research.<\/p>\n

Keep in mind that my NPO statement reads: \u00a0Creatives need sacred, safe, inclusive space to explore their spirituality within community that welcomes, validates, celebrates, and empowers when they are unsupported, isolated, and undervalued.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s too easy to step aside and recognize the divide between creativity and science (or, in this case, statistics and data), but if we look at data as a prompting for creativity, we can see a whole new world open up.<\/p>\n

In photography, there is the Rule of Thirds. In essence, when you look through the viewfinder of your camera you use the built-in grid system (or turn it on if using the camera on your phone). The grid is 2 horizontal lines and 2 vertical lines, creating a grid of nine smaller areas in your viewfinder. You then position the important elements in your shot along the grid lines or at points where the lines intersect. The idea behind this is that an off-center composition is more appealing to the eye, partly because it creates negative space and partly because it helps direct the eye.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Image by Prem Anandh: https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/anandham\/4499539060\/<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

That doesn\u2019t mean that it\u2019s a hard-and-fast rule and if you don\u2019t follow it you\u2019ll create a horrible image. It\u2019s a guideline, and that\u2019s what I take away from Harford\u2019s book. Data and statistics are guidelines, but they don\u2019t tell you the whole story. And \u2026 the way one person gathers data can be different than another person.<\/p>\n

\u201cFacts are valuable things, and so is fact-checking. But if we really want people to understand complex issues, we need to engage their curiosity. If people are curious, they will learn.\u201d[3]<\/a><\/p>\n

That leads to the fact that there is power and empowerment in diversity. Harford recognizes that diversity is powerful in the context of innovation and creativity. When there are diverse perspectives, there can be a more resilient decision-making process. Communities, especially the one I hope to develop, can glean from a wealth of insights and approaches because, at the core, we are still human and we need each other. In context to a creative community, those diverse inspirations can bring a magnitude of breakthroughs, for the person doing the creating and their audience.<\/p>\n

When we embrace differences, we remain open. If our souls remain open, we engage with God in new ways. This also allows creative people the ability to embrace a richness of humanity in all its forms, but \u2026 and this might be a big but \u2026 we are human, and, \u201csometimes we want to be fooled.\u201d[4]<\/a><\/p>\n

Keep asking questions. Keep turning your perspectives on their heads, and stay open to new possibilities. We are better together.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

[1]<\/a> Tim Harford, How to Make the World Add Up: Ten Rules for Thinking Differently About Numbers<\/em> (London: Bridge Street Press, 2020), 59.<\/p>\n

[2]<\/a> Ibid., 264.<\/p>\n

[3]<\/a> Ibid., 293.<\/p>\n

[4]<\/a> Ibid., 25.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Anytime I see a book title with the word \u201cnumbers\u201d in it I run away as quickly as I can. Far, far away. I have never been fond of numbers, but interestingly, Tim Harford refers to this as a sense of na\u00efve realism, where we \u201cconfuse our own perspective with something more universal.\u201d [1] In […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":128,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[2987,3047,3043,3046,1725,2967,2075],"class_list":["post-35592","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-criticalthinking","tag-data","tag-harford","tag-subliminalmessages","tag-creativity","tag-dlgp03","tag-statistics","cohort-dlgp03"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35592","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/128"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35592"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35592\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":35710,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35592\/revisions\/35710"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35592"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35592"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35592"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}