DECISION-MAKING USING COLOURS & SHAPES
From a young age I have been viewing the world in an abstract way. Colours and shapes have always been and still are an important and impactful way of expressing myself. The way I perceive colours and shapes can sometimes make it difficult to communicate with the other, due to the lack of material and/or coherent content. Nonetheless, this possible predisposition and fascination has allowed me to remain curious and explore subjects in a fluid manner. More intriguingly, colours and shapes have also aided in my decision-making. This method of making decisions rarely happens now, but was prevalent when I was much younger (pre-teens). In this piece of writing I will explain how the use of colours and shapes formed in my mind helped me make short-term decisions.
THE PROCESS:
What decisions am I making?
The questions asked are usually and mostly short-term questions. These are questions that I deem to be insignificant and not profoundly life changing. Such questions could be: shall I eat a banana or apple? / do you want a bike or skateboard? / should I take this route or that route?
How does it work?
I am handed a question I feel I cannot answer. It might be because I do not care enough for the question, or maybe because I want both conclusions, thus making it harder to create an immediate result. The question does not solely have to be asked by myself, but can also be posed by someone else. The question is one that offers only two outcomes to pick from. After the question is asked, I close my eyes. Once closed, colours and shapes appear in my mind. One colour/shape will represent one potential answer, and the other colour/shape will represent the other potential answer. I then use this information presented in front of me to attain an answer to the posed question. The answer always depends on which shape and/or colour is more prominent. I will discuss the factors used to make these decisions below.
THE CONSTANTS:
What are the factors that stay the same?
These are the components that remain unchanged when using this process:
1) I must close my eyes to begin
2) There is always a blank black canvas in my mind; the colours and shapes form atop of this landscape
3) The question asked is ‘either/or’ – there are only two options to pick from
4) The first potential answer will be on the left side of the canvas and the second potential answer will be on the right side
An expansion on the above fourth point –
If asked: shall I eat a banana or apple? - Banana will be the colour/shape that will be placed on the left side of my mind and apple will be the colour/shape that will be placed on the right side of my mind. I believe it occurs in this format because of how I learnt to read and write – from left to right. So, banana was the first potential answer, therefore it will be positioned on the left, and apple was the second potential answer, rendering its position on the right side of my mind. I do not think the directional placement of the potential answers impacts which answer I choose; it is merely a jumping-off point.
THE FACTORS:
What factors allow me to make the decision?
These are the main (not exclusive to) factors:
SIZE – the size of the shape in front of me (big/small)
WHOLENESS – is the shape complete or incomplete?
DISTANCE – where the shape is positioned (close to me/far from me)
LUMINOSITY – is it bright, glowing, see through, fading?
The reason I would be able to answer the proposed question is because of the prominence of the factors mentioned above. I will explain further with the diagram below.
Above is an illustration I have created to explain further how I might make a decision.
In this illustration I have decided to stick with one colour and one shape in the hopes to display the way I make decisions in a more comprehensible way. I have used a circle to represent a shape I might see in my mind because I believe it to be the most simple and loved universal shape. I have also used a pink-purple colour because it is the most similar to the main colour I would see in my mind when making these decisions.
When understanding this concept, remember - in each image, each shape represents an answer to a posed question. I.e. – shall I eat a banana or apple? One circle is banana and the other circle is apple.
The top line of images highlights the main factors (described above) I use when making decisions.
(From left to right):
IMAGE 1 –
Both circles are incomplete. But, the circle on the left is smaller than the circle on the right side. In this scenario, I might pick the circle on the right side because it is bigger in size.
IMAGE 2 –
The circle on the left is complete, whereas the circle on the right side is incomplete. Although the circle on the right is bigger in size, I might be inclined to pick the circle on the left side because of its wholeness.
IMAGE 3 –
Both circles are the same size, however one circle is positioned behind the other circle. I would usually pick the circle with the distance that is closest to me, so in this case it would be the circle at the bottom.
IMAGE 4 –
Both circles are the same size and positioned at the same distance from me. But, the circle on the right side seems to be fading around its core. In this situation I might pick the circle on the right side because the luminosity of the shape is fading; this attracts my eye more than the other.
Sometimes the main factors, as well as their reasoning, fly out of the window of my mind; the bottom line of the image illustrates this.
(From left to right):
IMAGE 1 -
Both circles are again incomplete and the circle on the left is smaller in size than the circle on the right side. But, in this image the circle on the right side has a more defined hole in the middle, making its core see through. In this situation I might pick the circle on the left side even though it is incomplete because I do not like the hole that the circle on the right side portrays.
IMAGE 2 –
Again, the circle on the left is complete, whereas the circle on the right side is incomplete. Although the circle on the left is complete, there is a disturbing texture inside of it (grainy dots, causing me semi-trypophobia) that disallows me to choose it. Therefore, I would most likely pick the circle on the right hand side.
IMAGE 3 –
Just as with the initial image 3, both circles are the same size, and one circle is positioned behind the other circle. Although the bottom circle is closer to me in distance, this time I might be more inclined to pick the circle that is further away from me. I might pick this circle because it has an alluring dark glow surrounding it.
IMAGE 4 -
Again, both circles are the same size and positioned at the same distance from me. But, this time there is an extra layer attached to the circle on the left side. In this scenario, I might pick the circle on the left side because of its captivating texture.
As the explanations above show, there is no definitive way of making these decisions. Everything is situational, which is why, even with the given factors, it can and will be different with every decision. That is why it depends on the prominence of the shape and/or colour. How much does it stand out? Does it grab the attention of my inner eye? How does it make me feel – happy, sad? These questions, along with others that arise in the given situation, impact the final decision I make.
This rapid evaluation process has not only helped me make more informed (however abstract) decisions regarding short-term questions, but it has also assisted me when making more serious long-term decisions. Furthermore, it has given way to an intimate approach that is driven more toward gut feelings and a developed intuition.
CONCLUSION:
Why do I use colours and shapes to make decisions?
Is there a reason I mostly see the colour pink-purple? Could it be down to which side of the brain I use more, therefore influencing what colours I am prone to envision? Maybe it is an elaborate form of ideasthesia which allows me to connect these colours. Or maybe it is my cross-dominance that allows me to see things in this unusual way. Is it my nature? A weird ability I was born with that allows me to explore things differently. Or maybe a coping mechanism I created in order to ease the process of making decisions due to undiagnosed ADHD? Maybe it is a dissonance caused by synaesthesia. Is it my own warped version of instinct - the colours and shapes being the gut, and the answer being the feeling? Or is it nurture? Did something impactful happen to me that I cannot remember, which paved a way for this type of reasoning? Maybe it is a coping mechanism from past regrets after making wrong decisions.
All of the theories mentioned above carry weight regarding how I make certain decisions. However, it is hard to know for sure what the singular and/or initial reason is, since it was prevalent when I was much younger, and that beginning is now so long ago. Furthermore, it is often hard to pin point one singular reason, because usually there are many reasons to anything. I believe it is both nature and nurture (as with many things) – I am wired a certain way, thus my experiences, growth, decision-making process occurs in this format because of the initial wiring. There is not such a concrete reasoning behind my decision making process, yet maybe a more creative and peculiar one. One that inevitably makes life more interesting, maybe because it is uncommon. What never fails to fascinate the questioning mind is the unknown. The unexplainable. Maybe this way of decision-making encouraged my imagination and allowed me to be uninterrupted in exploring. Maybe it allowed me to find a home in colours and shapes. To continue my life in and as the abstract.