Category: Saturated

Opposites Attract: Celebrating the Differences (The Saturated Design)

Posted on April 9, 2019May 30, 2023 by Brook Thornley

“Human Art should start its own matching website!” or, “which design is the best match for me?” Also, “My spouse driving me crazy, I was so attracted to them in the beginning, everything they did back then was amazing and now it irritates me, what is wrong with me?”

These are common statements we hear at Human Art and have heard over and over again through the years. It all ties into one concept that we have all heard many times before: “Opposites attract!” It is usually said casually, when there is no real answer to relationship challenges; it just seems to be the safe thing to say when answering someone’s complaint about relationship woes. But it really is so true, and to me it is an important concept when it comes to relationships.

In my opinion as a personality profiler that has worked with thousands of people, and a lot of them in relationships, the fact that opposites attract is not just a simple and small dynamic that we brush over in conversations every once in a while, but a REQUIRED piece of any good relationship. It is the beautiful tension that keeps us together in relationships, whether the relationship is with a spouse, a partner, or a good friend. It is the fact that we are opposite that holds us together.

Let’s illustrate this with an example that I use a lot to explain this dynamic: the opposite attraction in color. If I were asked to decorate a table with an orange tablecloth, I would most certainly use a blue centerpiece in the middle of the table. The reason is that blue and orange are opposite on the color wheel so they have an attraction to each other. It lies in the fact that they are comparative colors. Blue is blue, but it appears to be even more blue when compared to its opposite: orange. The same with orange. Orange is orange but appears so much more intense when compared to blue. So in relationships, if blue and orange were dating they would be attracted to each other. The blue would love the intensity of the orange and how alive and vibrant it is, and the orange would love the calmness of the blue and its intangible and dreamy nature.

Just like in nature and color, we as humans are attracted to our opposite. We admire those traits that we don’t possess, and we tend to be drawn to them and desire to run after them, to experience them through that person. Then when we are in a committed relationship, in the moment that we deem that person “ours,” we make the mistake of thinking they are a reflection of us. We start the process of trying to change them to be more like us. The challenge with that is that one, if we change them into us, we cease to be attracted to them; and two, it is robbing them of their autonomy and their design, and the appreciation of it. If blue tried to change orange and orange tried to change blue, the result would be the same as when you mix blue and orange paint—it neutralizes any hue and you are left with a dull neutral. The same thing happens in relationships: if we don’t appreciate the traits of the other, if we try to change them, we neutralize the relationship.

As far as what relationship is best for you (this seems to be something that many people are curious about), I answer this the same way every time. It is not so much who is the best match for you, but where the attraction lies when you put your designs side by side. Let me explain it this way: you would not be attracted to someone with your exact design. There would be little variety. It would be like eating peas and peas for dinner. The important thing to focus on is, where does the opposite dynamic lie in each other’s personalities or design? Sometimes it is in your predominant designs, the ones we are strongest in, other times it is in our second or third design. The important thing is to identify it, and them remember to celebrate it in each other.

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Let’s talk this week about the Saturated design, and we’ll cover one design per week in the following weeks. It is authoritative and private in relationships. They like to keep conversations and dynamics between them and their significant other in relationships. You can start to see in what way it is opposite to other designs….

Saturated with Whitened People…
They love the outgoing nature of the Whitened person. They love that they can interact and engage others with ease. They feel loved in an unconditional way that they would never even let them love themselves. The challenge would be in seeing those same traits as a negative so they might, later in the relationship, see the beautiful outgoing nature of the Whitened as too open with others, and could go as far as feeling an invasion of their privacy in a relationship.

Saturated with Grayed People…
They love their meticulous thought process and appreciate their calmness and how much they think about things. They would certainly see that as quality, which is a key trait to the Saturated design. Over time, they could run the risk of seeing that same trait as slow, and taking too long to make up their mind, which means they could potentially resent them, or the Grayed person could lose credibility in their mind.

Saturated with Blackened People…
They would love the warmth and the directness of the Blackened person. They would see their casual nature as charming and would love their freedom to say what they think and let others know where they stand. They would love how they are quick to protect those they love. Over time they run the risk of seeing them as too blunt and inappropriate and would see their resourcefulness as a fault, not a strength. They would pull back and want the Blackened person to pick their battles, but also not pick too many battles.

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As you can see if we don’t remember to celebrate and see the traits that we are drawn to as the beautiful traits that others see in them, we run the dangerous relationship risk of disqualifying them, and credibility is lost, which can lead to depreciation of the relationship.

As you go through your week, think of all the people you love and want to pull closer. Instead of thinking of them with a desire for them to think and be like you, try finding all the ways they are not like you and find those beautiful ways in which they are completely your opposite. When you do, I want you to stop and take in the fact that you have that beautiful relationship tension with them and then draw them even closer by telling them how much you admire those traits. Make sure they understand that you don’t possess that trait or personality and that you are so glad that you have it in your life through them.

If you take the time to do this, I promise that you will not only have more appreciation and love for those that are not exactly like you, but you will find that the appreciation circles around and comes back to you. It works so instantly it is like its own relationship magnetic field. You will love more, you will find more gratitude in life, and those around you.

While you are practicing this week, also remember one more thing…everyone is a masterpiece.

Brook

Manufactured Self vs. Authentic Self: What’s the Difference

Posted on March 5, 2019May 30, 2023 by Brook Thornley

Projection, projected self, false self—these are all terms that are thrown around when we refer to someone that is not being their true self.

Authentic, authenticity, real—are terms that we equally hear and is the preferred way for a human to function. Even though it is the preferred way, we are seeing less and less of authenticity; and with social media it is definitely a temptation for people to put their best, not their worst, forward when posting. The question then becomes, why are we all feeling a need to project our self and our lives as a little (or a lot) better than they really are in reality?

Maybe we are putting too much pressure on ourselves to come across a little better than others, or it could be that we don’t believe in our own abilities as much. It could also be that we believe we think we can’t get ahead if we don’t.

Temptation or not, the reason that we need to be authentic instead of projecting a false self is simply because in the end being authentic leaves us in a happier state and with a feeling of peace in our relationship with our self and with others.

As a personality profiler, I see this daily. We all know our authentic traits to some degree. Even if it is just one or two of them. We tend to like our authenticity, it is our preferred way of navigating life. But then we might find ourselves in a moment when someone else (could be an authority figure) disagrees with our way and if it goes as far as getting negative attention for it, perhaps we get criticized for using it, that is the very moment that we have to make a decision about ourselves.

This decision usually is processed and made in our subconscious mind. The inner dialogue sounds something like this: “Using that authentic trait didn’t work out for me very well, all that I got from using it was criticism.” It is in that moment we ask our self, “Do I keep that trait and use it again, or do I reject that trait?”

If I choose to reject it, I am literally throwing that authentic trait out. Disregarding it. I might be able to piddle along through life without it, except for the fact that in human behavior we don’t exactly work like that. We immediately feel the need to pick another trait to replace it. We replace it with a manufactured trait. One that we make up. It is a defense mechanism we all have. We find the one that will give us a false sense of protection and really isn’t us—it is made to project, project and protect. That is the first step in creating an egoic self or a manufactured self.

In extreme cases, one might completely divorce their authentic self and function only in the manufactured or projected self.

That is where the designs of Human Art come in. Knowing who you are and how you are made up is important when one is trying to stay authentic. The authentic traits and tendencies are a reminder of who you are but can also be a constant reminder of how great your design is—keeping you on the authentic side of life.

Let’s talk about the Saturated design this week and then we will showcase the others throughout the weeks of March.

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SATURATED AUTHENTICITY VS. MANUFACTURED SELF
The Saturated authenticity is beautiful and still. Someone that is high in the Saturated design has a high amount of credibility. They are dignified. I describe it as a quiet dignity. They move through life with everything going on on the inside and they are driven by finding the one most important thing. They can make clear and precise decisions. Those traits are all harmonious. They are authentic to a person high in the Saturated design. It makes sense to people interacting with them.

Now let’s say they get criticized for being too serious. They might reject that trait and then take on the manufactured trait of being funny as a protection. Then, another time someone that is really conservative criticizes them for being quality driven. There again they reject the quality trait and then maybe put in an ultra-conservative trait as part of the manufactured to protect them from getting criticized again. Then it keeps going. They reject still and replace it with obnoxious and loud. They reject their peaceful way and replace it with overbearing. Now, instead of a beautiful Saturated authenticity you have an egoic self that is overly funny, painfully conservative, obnoxiously forceful and dominating. It creates confusion when expecting a beautiful Saturated person. It does not in any way validate the Saturated person.

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Finding our authentic equation and experiencing life through it is the only way to be healthy and happy. Building on that authenticity and finding other authentic strengths is the way we are intended to grow. Developing character while still being seen through the lens of our authenticity is the greatest way to navigate life and our personal growth. Ask yourself this question. “AM I FUNCTIONING IN MY AUTHENTIC SELF OR IN A MADE UP VERSION OF A PROJECTED, EGOIC, MANUFACTURED SELF? OR IS IT A LITTLE BIT OF BOTH?”

Use this week to notice how much of the authentic Saturated you have in your design. Is it a little, a medium amount, or a lot? To the degree you have it, Find the Saturated traits you relate to and use them. Stand still and dignified in them. Observe how you feel. Take that step, it is a step towards being more authentic. You deserve it, those you interact with deserve the best you.

And remember, everyone is a masterpiece.

Brook

New Year Goals by Design – Part 1 – Saturated

Posted on December 31, 2018May 30, 2023 by Brook Thornley

Happy New Year! This is the time of year we all make goals and intently try to keep them but, as the story goes, we seem to run out of steam and by about March we are back into our old ways. Not everyone does this but for most of us it is an established pattern. The problem is not in our desire to grow and progress, it is in a step before that and has more to do with needing a few more tools. So this year why don’t we slow things down a bit, take a step back, and focus on those tools that are needed. Once we do that, we are in a good, healthy place to see our goal through. We call this setting goals by design.

There are four main tools or skills that are needed when we are trying to develop oneself. At Human Art, we call this process developing our “inner landscape.” It is an emotional inner landscape and it has four areas. Each design has its corresponding tool in each area, which it requires to function at its full potential. To have a complete and healthy inner landscape as humans, we need all four. To the degree we have each design, is the degree we need to develop the tool or skill.

Identifying Inner Landscape Tools for Each Design

♦ The Saturated design craves order, so the required inner landscape tool is discipline.

♦ The Whitened design craves healthy social interaction, so the required landscape tool is the ability to qualify and disqualify in a healthy way.

♦ The Grayed design craves connection, so the required inner landscape tool is engagement.

♦ And the Blackened design craves tasks, so the required inner landscape tool is effort.

We each have all four designs in our personality. To the degree our personality manifests the design is the degree we need the tool.

We are going to focus on one design and its inner landscape tool each week for the next four weeks. That will give you the time to work on each one and how it applies to your personality. we will start with the Saturated design.

The Saturated design needs order, so the required inner landscape tool is discipline. The central focus of the Saturated design is quality, so these people tend to narrow in on the one area that they deem quality in their life and they put all of their attention towards that area. Yes, that is discipline, but it is only in one area. The required tool is to learn to use that discipline in all areas. It doesn’t need to be as intense in all areas, just a broader focus and spread out throughout their lives.

When a Saturated person sets a New Year’s goal they tend to focus only on that, and they can let other areas go unattended. So they almost always meet their goal but find themselves behind in life and relationships because they neglected everything else to obtain the New Year’s goal. That leads to discouragement and they want to throw it all out. This is when they start to make declarations like “I just can’t do this anymore,” or “I’m just done,” or “I just need a break.” This leaves those around them confused and uncertain of what they might mean when they say this.

We see this all the time as we work with Saturated people. We have a service where we can break down the exact amount of Saturated design you have in all areas of your life (physical, social, emotional, etc.) and we get to work immediately implementing the required inner landscape tools and it is amazing how fast the person can progress in their goals when they learn to use all the tools properly.

The call to action on this first week of January is to determine how much of the Saturated inner landscape tool you need. Try spreading discipline around in your life and see how that makes you feel about yourself. Focus on that this week and then we will add another one in week two. 2019 will be a banner year for all of us if we first develop that inner landscape, which will lead to more fulfilling goal-setting and success down the line.

Remember, everyone is a masterpiece.

Brook

READ OUR OTHER GOALS BY DESIGN POSTS!

Part 2 -Whitened
Part 3 – Grayed
Part 4 – Blackened
Part 5 – Landscape Your Goals

“I’d Like to Teach the World to Sing in Perfect Harmony”

Posted on December 11, 2018May 30, 2023 by Brook Thornley

“I’d like to teach the world to sing in perfect harmony.” I would like for myself to be able to sing in perfect harmony, but unfortunately, I cannot. What I can do is teach the world to SEE in perfect harmony.

Think of the state of the world right now. What are the things that you worry about? What are the issues that you disagree with others on? It seems as if lately we are all worried about some of these things? When those conversations come up (and they will) look even closer to the ones we love and how we interact with them when they do. Focus for a minute on what those conversations look like and how we go about them in our own families.

We see a lot of families over a week’s time at Human Art. They come in to Human Art in all sizes and forms. Each one is different and comes through the door with different challenges. I will say what I always say, “People are good.” Sometimes though, we can struggle in families. That is where I think we could focus.

That line again, “I’d like to teach the world to sing (or see) in perfect harmony.” When we hear it, whether it be from the song or in ads, it still rings the same in your heart. Just stop for a second and think of the intention of this statement: “in perfect harmony.” Harmony is not created by everyone singing the same notes together, but by everyone singing different notes that work beautifully together.

How do we obtain “perfect harmony” in a family?
We do it through acceptance and understanding.
Accepting and understanding for each individual.

You first have to accept their story, how they have gotten here so far in life. The facts, yes, but more importantly, how did they experience them?

Then you start the journey of understanding. You are curious and you use discovery. You don’t figure it out looking through your lens or filter, but you hear the story through the narration of what is happening through their lenses.

Each person will experience the same situation differently according to their design. I’ll say it again. You could experience the exact same thing, side by side, with exactly the same facts and, because of the difference in each design’s thought process, you will experience it completely different.

The Saturated Design
They will take all facts in, not processing as much as they are just absorbing. They just let them sit in that space in their brain until they get enough information to draw a conclusion and then it comes. A declaration. It will be precisely how they feel about the event and that will end up being their story. They will most likely stick to it pretty firmly.

The Whitened Design
They will take in how they, and more importantly how everyone else, is experiencing the facts. When they give their report it is most likely focused on the group and how each individual, “did this,” and, “then they saw that,” and they will throw in a, “and you should have seen so and so respond, it was amazing.” They will practically reenact the excitement (good or bad) so you get the full picture and they will always match the enthusiasm, or whatever emotion was present, of the event. They also will match the emotion of the person listening to the report.

The Grayed Design
You can almost see the swirls of facts in their expression, because they are collecting information as they experience an event. They immediately move to connecting the contingencies and their intuitive nature comes out. It is like their emotional engines are quietly starting up and through that intuitive nature they will experience the highs and lows of an event. That is how they can recall details so well. When asked, “what happened?” they go back and re-experience the emotion and it rekindles the memory.

The Blackened Design
They just move to fix. They can experience details of an event at the same time as their body moves to fix it. They are taking in the what, where, when, and the biggest component that helps them process any event, THE WHY. The why or why not is how they remember the details because it is the system in which they experienced the details. As they recite them they will often say, “that was good they did this,” or “I don’t know why they did that.” It is just the system in which it rolled out for them.

So as you are spending time with family or close ones that feel like family, think of their harmony or personality and accept their way of thinking. You don’t change yours, you just negotiate from those two ways of thinking. It’s like you are seeing one event from many different sides. I promise if we do this when we are interacting with our loved ones, we will start to see one little Christmas miracle after another pop up. Probably nothing huge, but the impact on the harmony in the relationships with be great.

So at this time of events and parties, sing (even if it’s not in perfect harmony), laugh, accept, and understand…The more we do this, the more we will begin to SEE in perfect harmony. Live and love, and remember:

everyone is a masterpiece.

Brook

**Song referenced: “I’d like to teach the world to sing (in perfect harmony)”, originally recorded in 1971, with several versions published over the years.

Gift Giving: Do you Deck the Halls or say Bah, Humbug?

Posted on November 27, 2018May 30, 2023 by Brook Thornley

The minute Thanksgiving is over, before you can pause to take a breath, it seems as if we turn our attention to gifts. We make our list, we shop black Friday, and our attention is on what we are going to get those important people in our life for Christmas.

When carefully creating a list or a least a plan for gift giving, are you a “Deck the Halls” kind of person, or do you find yourself in more of a “Bah, Humbug” kind of mood in that moment? I find that whichever attitude best fits you for gift giving can significantly determine your attitude over the entire Christmas holiday season.

Most of these attitudes have to do with how confident we are in the gifts or gestures we are planning for our loved ones. We want them to know how we feel, and our gift or expression of giving is a

direct correlation to how that might be perceived from our loved one’s point of view. Sometimes we give the gift a lot of thought but it doesn’t seem to translate in that spirit all of the time.

Let us help you out. First, knowing the person’s personality or design is important when it comes to expressing our love to our loved ones. What is important to them and how we give it shows that we really pay attention and know what they like. At Human Art we call this our “Love Designs.” Here are some tips for each personality or harmony to make things a little easier for you this Christmas.

♥ For your Saturated loved ones:
Their love design is Wine and Dine. They love and appreciate when you set time or resources aside to really do something special. Listen to what that one most important thing for the season is. They will usually state in declarations, such as:
“If I could have one thing this year…”
“All I want for Christmas is…”
“I really don’t want anything except…”
When they say this, they mean it. They really don’t want a lot of little gestures.They would rather you save your resources to get what they deem important. It’s not the quantity, it’s the quality for them. And make it special. Punctuate the importance of whatever you are giving.

♥ For your Whitened loved ones:
Their love design is surprise, and social. Anticipate their needs. They love a lot of fun things and activities but it increases the magic when they can share it with those they love. The more the merrier. Listen and see what they do for others and turn it around and do it back for them. They love surprises with others there to experience it with them. If you could turn Christmas into a surprise party they would love it.

♥ For your Grayed loved ones:
their love design is romance through the details. They love the tradition of things. Connecting with others during the holidays is so important to them. Honor their traditions and romance all of the experiences through the details. Talk about it before hand, involve them in the details as you go, then connect with them after to see how they felt about it. It will go a long way and will create a Christmas to remember.

♥ For your Blackened loved ones:
Their love design is “get ‘er done.” They would love for you to get them something that can lighten their load. It is all about the tasks. Think of what has been on their list of things to fix for a while and then get them something to make that happen; make it easier with a tool, spend some time helping them do it, or give them the resources they need to do it. It will make for a merry one for all involved.

So as you are going down your list, also write a note to the side of each name that reminds you of their design and think more of their love design rather than just buying them something just to have gotten them something. It will lead to a “Deck the Halls” kind of Christmas and you will experience more excitement than they do as you really communicate with their design.

Remember, everyone is a masterpiece.

Brook

For a downloadable love designs reference guide, become a member of the Human Art Classroom

→ Related Post: Valentine Validation: The Love Designs