August 26

My art teacher often tells me that artists can break down the world and look at it in a way not everyone else can. Although I'm sure she didn't mean philosophically, it got me thinking about the unique perspective of everyone. While some artists see the world by contrasting colors, others see the world as simple shapes, etc. Throughout high school and beyond, people see things differently, artist or not, making the topic of perception prevalent in our society. For example, the most popular social media accounts rely on the ability to see the world from their audience's perspective to create more relatable content. Also, I'm part of a club called NAMI, which aims to reduce stigma about mental health illnesses, meaning changing people's perspectives, which makes me even more interested in this topic. 

NAMI will for sure be a part of my project this year, but I also know I want to include other parts of the community. I already know this year's topic will be a sequence of short stories, each formatted differently to keep up with our minimal attention spans. However, shifting too much can tend to be disorienting, which is something I have to navigate this year. I already know that a portion of my EMC journey this year will involve interviewing a few people or asking questions, especially someone in the NAMI organization- I'm sure they would have an interest-piquing story or two to share. After all, many coping mechanisms, like therapy and meditation, are really about changing how one sees the world. Although this topic contrasts my research on eyes last year, there is an ironic connection between the two. While last year I focused on how one literally sees the world, this year I decided to have a different take on it by focusing on how one figuratively sees the world. 

Although this year's topic is more creative than research-based, I know I will still have quite a bit of research to do, so to start that thinking, I have prepared five questions. To incorporate NAMI: how does perspective play a role in mental health? Also, many people say it is harder to change someone's mind as they get older: is there a scientific reason why a person will be less open to ideas with increased age? A follow-up question: what is the trend between how open one is to ideas and brain function? How would one measure that? To aid in involving the community and to find more people to interview, it is vital to ask: is there a profession or "type" of a person better at thinking of the "other side?" Worse? Finally, to incorporate one of the most vital aspects of society today: what is social media's role in perspective? In addition to these questions, I considered who I could ask for help this year. I could think of three professionals: one, an English teacher- to help me phrase my ideas more clearly and concisely- two, a librarian- since they would know the audience and how to cater to them- and three, a psychologist/neurologist/therapist who will be able to answer many of the questions that I listed above. 

I'm ready for my second take on how people see the world!