Category: Theory

It Only Takes 3 Seconds to Identify the Whitened Personality

Posted on by Brook Thornley

You can tell the Whitened design or personality within three seconds when they walk through the door.

“You are here, I’m so excited!”
Their movement busy and is maximum movement
“I have an appointment, I’m so glad it’s you…”

Copyright Human Art: The Original Personality Test

It is so beautiful; the room seems to come to life. It’s as if a fresh, yet light, swirling breeze came in the room; similar to when leaves pirouette in circles when caught in a warm summer wind.
You feel yourself relax and you are suddenly caught up in enrolling with those around you. It’s like springtime when you hear the first bird start singing. It feels as if you are watching the sun come through the door after a cold rain. You forget all your worries and for a few minutes you smile and get caught up in the conversation. This is an example of what it feels like to get softly yet swiftly bounced into a 3 second interaction with someone who has a lot of Whitened in their design.

We sometimes forget to notice their advanced social engagement and how they can somehow pay attention to everyone in the room. That ability to absorb so many dynamics with so many people at the same time is their brilliance, and yet it’s done in such a light and no-guile way with no agenda, just being present to see what will happen next. Sometimes we make the mistake of labeling this unassuming and youthful attitude for one that is scattered or random; but if we stop and peek into their method, we understand just how much information they can take in at one time, and truly concentrate on all of it, yet keep it so light at the same time. Do not underestimate their emotional intelligence. Instead ride the ride. They will bring you along in a fun commentator role.

Common questions they might ask usually have something to do with either social engagement or change.

“Hey come see, can you believe this?”…
“You know what would be so fun?”…
“I have an idea, so you want to just…”

We can engage them by enrolling them into our conversation. Often we won’t have to engage them because they usually initiate the conversation, so it is a service to them when you will jump in and participate in what they are doing. If you are introverted and find yourself not prone to participate comfortably, its ok, they also appreciate you participating by paying attention to what is going on. It is the same for them. The general rule with someone with a lot of Whitened is “if you’re happy, they are happy.”

“Oh I see that you have gathered some of the people around and are playing a team building game. I LOVE WATCHING THIS. It is so fun to observe.”

OR
“I WOULD LOVE TO JUMP IN.”

The Whitened personality is joyful. It is a happy state that is spontaneous and youthful. It has to have a free component to interactions. They thrive and recharge when people they love are around them. Social engagement is key. Any job is done better when someone is with them.

This week make it a point to find as many people as you can that have a high amount of Whitened in them. Even though we all have amounts of all four personality types in us, it is pretty obvious that someone has high amounts of Whitened in them when you look for these traits we’ve discussed. You will see it. Please take the time to enjoy the beauty of it. Even if you don’t get exactly the amount of Whitened in the person you are paying attention to, That’s ok, at least you are giving them some of your time to see their beauty.

Remember, everyone is a masterpiece.
Brook

Read about the other designs:
Saturated
Grayed
Blackened

It Only Takes 3 Seconds to Identify the Saturated Personality

Posted on by Brook Thornley

You can tell the Saturated design or personality within three seconds when they walk through the door.

“Hello.” They speak precisely.
Their movement is still.
They stand erect.
“I have an appointment….”

Photo Copyright: Human Art

It is so beautiful; the room seems to settle into complete order and peacefulness. No chaos to be found. From that first “hello” (with their arms peacefully by their side or their hands simply clasped in front of them) you feel yourself stand a little straighter, and you are aware of your pronunciation and grammar. It feels like standing on the edge of a serene lake on a still, cool, crisp night; alone with the icy glow of the moon shining in all its majestic beauty and its shadow or silhouette of a dome somehow feels like silver in the winter. This is an example of what it feels like to get smoothly slid into a 3 second interaction with a human that has a lot of the Saturated personality in their design.

Some of us forget to notice this type of beauty and we miss the small yet profound beauty of this interaction. We excuse it away and file it in our brain as running into someone that did not talk and in our interpretation comes off a bit stuffy or aloof. What a miss.

Common questions they ask usually have something to do with clarifying or making something more clear.

“When you say that, do you mean this?”
“Explain how that is true.”
“What do you mean when you say ….”

We can engage them by getting to the clear objective first, or we can tell them how things ended and then go back and give details.

“I lost my directions while traveling but I DID GET THERE SAFELY. Let me tell you what happened…” It has the potential to frustrate them if you walk them through all the details without the outcome first.

The Saturated personality is sensitive but it is a private and appropriate type of sensitivity. They appreciate small groups and alone time to recharge.

This week make it a point to find as many people as you can that have a high amount of Saturation in them. Even though we all have amounts of all four personality types in us, it is pretty obvious when someone has high amounts of Saturation when we look for the traits we discussed. You will see it and, please, take the time to enjoy the beauty of it. Even if you don’t exactly get the amount of Saturation in the person you are paying attention to, that’s ok! At least you are giving them some of your time to see their beauty.

Remember everyone is a masterpiece.

-Brook

Read about the other designs:
Whitened
Grayed
Blackened

The Colors We Crave

Posted on by Brook Thornley

What does it mean when we are drawn to color? We all crave color. That is one of the reasons we can have a big closet of clothes in front of us, and still say, “I have absolutely nothing to wear today.” Because whatever it is we crave may not be in our closet that day.

Each day we wake up and find ourselves in different circumstances and different moods. The color we desire to surround ourselves with in that circumstance usually ends up being the remedy for what we need emotionally and physically to forge forward with our tasks.

Case in point. On one particular day working at Human Art one of our employees was skeptical of this theory. We were discussing it and it made sense to her but, still needing to process it, she decided to go to lunch. When she returned she had in her hands a green soda drink, some bright green licorice, and a pack of green spearmint gum. The interesting thing about this lunch selection was she had purchased her food at a local meat market that also provides lunch. Not really the standard purchases when she usually went there. When she came back she said, “I don’t even know why I chose these items for lunch.” I explained that they were all green and explained the attributes that accompany that color. Green is healing and has the ability to refuel or revitalize you. It represents tranquility and order. Think of when you go to the mountains and walk or run or ride a bike; it feels like you can go forever. But when you come back to the city and the absence of the green it seems like sometimes you can only do a half a block. Because of the rejuvenation of the green while you’re in mountains you seem to have more energy and be able to go longer. As I explained this to the worker she related that was exactly the traits and attributes that she was craving that particular day. She was tired and really was craving some tranquility.

When you are craving a color and need to (and DO) surround yourself with it you are desiring the traits that color possesses. So think of what color you might be craving and the correlating activity that you might need in your life.

 

RED—PHYSICAL

When we crave red we are craving our authentic talents. Red is a grounding color. It helps put our feet back on the ground and allows us to move forward in the best way we know how. When we need red we usually need more physical activity in our lives.

 


ORANGE—SOCIAL

When we need orange we need more social experiences, or sometimes just more connections with people in the social events we are already part of. Orange can bring people together and help them interact in a more meaningful way.

 


YELLOW—LIBERATION 

When we crave yellow we are craving liberation and initiative. Yellow clears the cobwebs of confusion from our mind and allows us to break out in new and liberating ways. It is clarity. It is like the sun shining on a dark day. When we crave yellow we need to jump into activities and get going on them. Usually when we need yellow we lack initiative and just need a jump start.

 

 

GREEN—STRUCTURE

When we crave green we need peace and tranquility, but we also need structure. When we need green we usually need to [provide structure and organize our life. When things feel chaotic and uptight green is the answer. The task is usually organization or creation of structure the areas that we are in charge of.

 

BLUE—INTROSPECTION

When we crave blue we are craving introspection. It is time to sit down and think about what we need based on our own thoughts; our own connection and morals. We start with what is important to us; without somebody else telling or dictating to us what we need. Blue is intangible. We can’t control it; it is completely out of the box. It is like the sky or the ocean—free to think or move in whatever way it desires. Trying to control blue is like fencing in the ocean. You can try to but probably won’t be that successful.


VIOLET—AUTHENTIC SELF

Violet is how we express ourselves. It allows us to see things clearly and get in line with our true self and true convictions. It allows us to get back on track with our inherent qualities and talents. It opens us up to emotional creativity. 

 


INDIGO—LOVING YOURSELF

Indigo is when we crave our authentic self. We just need to be put back together at a cellular level. Indigo helps us see the beauty in ourselves, our surroundings and the life that we created. When we need indigo we need to go out and relate and work with and collaborate with people in the way we do it best. It’s like an infant when they are young they love who they are no matter what anyone else says or believes. They may have their hair a mess, a dirty diaper and food dripping down their belly, but you cannot convince them that they are not the most wonderful person on the planet just the way they are. Indigo takes us back to that.

 

 

*********

So look at the colors each day see what you crave and allow yourself to be exposed to that color and involved those types of activities that you need. Be true to who you are and think about what you need to be authentic. And remember: everyone is a masterpiece.

 

 

Personality Typing Dilemma and How Human Art is Different

Posted on by Brook Thornley

I was talking to a friend awhile back about a personality test she took at work. She told me it didn’t mean that much to her because it was relatively easy to pick the items which supported her outward image as a creative, competent, strong leader in the organization. I told her that I was working on some personality typing with the Human Art theory and she said, “You can have my test if you want,” and tossed it to me.

This experience got me thinking about the dilemma we face when we are asked to take a personality test online or at work. We are all eager to be validated for who we know we are, but it can be scary, at times, to answer questions which may present a side of ourselves which has been disapproved of in the past. We often feel the pressure to mirror what others like about us or what our work culture values.

This led me to think about what I like about the Human Art approach to understanding personality. I remember 25 years ago when Brook’s mother, Donna, was doing my personality reading. At first, I was skeptical because she started holding colors up to my face. It caught my attention when she held up a new growth green color to may face. I already loved the color but then she started to interpret it for me. She said it was like the color of grass under a rock that is determined to get over or around the rock and just doesn’t give up. This trait of perseverance was something that rang true to me and I liked about myself. It was true for me even though not many people had noticed it in me. It lifted me and gave me a little bit of confidence that day. It was powerful to me that someone could bring that forth even though they didn’t really know my history. It became an anchoring point for me to hold as a truth about my personality.

Since that time, I have been able to witness and participate in the Human Art personality discovery process with others. What I enjoy most is that the process does not require the recipient to say anything. When the colors are held up to your face, it is like perfect pitch in music. When your truth is interpreted for you in a strengths based environment, it is life changing.

Being “unique” is no longer a cliché because we can measure your authentic self and reveal the harmonies in nature that you most relate to. For example, I am Grayed and Blackened. With that combination my personality communicates a sensitive, no-nonsense kind of guy. I care about others feelings and want to protect, but at some point things need to get done.

After going through the process, many of our clients will say, “I will never apologize for being me again.” One of my colleagues who attended a workshop told me, “I thought I always wanted to be Blackened in high school but now I know that I am Saturated, and I can see my strengths more clearly.”

Human Art personality assessment is different from others because it helps us to stop comparing ourselves to others. It reveals how we can have opposing traits at the same time, such as being both introverted and extroverted, and in what order they manifest themselves. In relationship compatibility Human Art can help you to know how opposites attract rather than merely matching you on various items of compatibility.

It is fun to discover how you fit into the broader scheme of nature and how you relate to what is true in design. That is what Human Art can do for you.

 

~Rod

(Licensed Clinical Social Worker [LCSW])

“What Am I Best At?” Understanding Your Central Focus

Posted on by Brook Thornley

A client recently asked me,” With my design, what am I the best at?”

Usually I get asked that in a different way. For example, “what job would I be the best at?” or, “what kind of spouse will I be?” When this client asked me so simply, “what am I good at?” I realized we ask ourselves that a lot. My answer is: you are best at being you. You are the master of that because you already know the rules.  We get in trouble when we look externally for the answer to that question or for our worth (that means we are comparing ourselves to someone else). If you find yourself doing that, you will fail. If you stay with your “great” or your “best” self you already know how to do that innately so you will have success.

It’s like ballet dancers in a dance class. Each dancer eventually becomes a graceful and talented dancer; they all just do it in their own way. As young dancers in class one might be very organized in her training with lots of lists to help her practice. Another girl might use her imagination to visualize the dream of being a prima ballerina to drive her to practice. Yet another is social and just can’t wait to get to class each time to see her friends. Years later you can find each one of them under the lights somewhere receiving cheers and a big bouquet of beautiful flowers. So the question should not be “what am I the best at?” the right question is, “how best do I tackle being something great?” (No matter what that “something” is).

 

It all boils down to your Central Focus.
Your central focus describes what is important to you to accomplish and in what way for any event or task.

 

If you are SATURATED……….. The central focus is quality. Whatever you deem to be quality is at the center of everything you do.

If you are WHITENED………. Your central focus is social and change. You need a lot of both things to stay involved in what you are doing.

If you are GRAYED………….  The details are so important. They become your central focus and you feel lost without them.

If you are BLACKENED………… You are the “get ‘er done” type of person. Just fix it!

The Door Fell Off
We often use the analogy of the door to help you figure it out. If you were in a room somewhere and the front door just suddenly fell off, what would your reaction be?

All the Saturated people would stand up and announce, “the door just fell off,” and would immediately take charge and start delegating.

All of the Whitened people would jump up and say, “Wow the door just fell off!” and call all their friends and tell them to come (and bring cupcakes) to see that the door fell off. (In other words, turn it into an opportunity to socialize and have fun).

The Grayed people would start processing the details. Something like, “the door fell off and it is late. We need to get something done about it because it’s almost dark, and oh yeah it might rain. I wonder if there is something wrong with the hinges…” and so on.

Finally, all the Blackened people would just get up and put the door back on.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Remember that we all have all four types of personality in us, so we may relate to each in some way. But we lead out with our dominant one and that is where we find our central focus.

The next time you are thinking of what you are best at, stay true to your authentic self, no matter what it is you are doing. That is what they really mean when people say “just be you.”

And always remember, no matter what you choose to do everyone is a masterpiece.

~Brook