Tag: celebrate

Opposites Attract: Celebrating the Differences (The Grayed Design)

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

Learning to appreciate the opposite attraction in all of our close relationships will enhance all aspects of those relationships, but it is our job to pay attention to it and to keep it in the proper perspective. To many times as humans we forget to look at that important opposite tension in our relationships, and instead of letting it do its job naturally and keep the relationship growing, I fear that sometimes we put it in the “annoyance” category and let it get in the way of growth. This has great potential to break down relationships without us even noticing that it is doing so. In some cases, we don’t notice it until it feels too late to do something about it.

I will tell you that it is never too late to do something about it if you value healthy relationships.

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We’ve already discussed this opposite tension with the Saturated, Whitened, and Blackened designs, so let’s talk this week about Grayed.

The Grayed design loves details and they love taking their time in relationships. It is part of the romance, no matter what stage of the relationship you are in. If you are on the front end and in the “getting to know each other” part of the relationship, you will notice that they love to take time and really evaluate the connection. At the same time though, they also are internalizing those connections and really enjoying them and living them as they do that analysis. If you find yourself in the “years later” part of a relationship, they have connected with you through your history and they are deeply loyal to that type of connection.

Grayed with Saturated People
Because of the fact that Grayed people love to take their time to analyze everything, the opposite clear-thinking aspect of a Saturated person is very attractive to a Grayed person. They admire their ability to sequence and move forward with competence in each decision. On the other hand, it can become a barrier to getting closer to the Grayed design because that can later come across as immovable and rigid to a Grayed person. They might take that initial admiration for precision and later see it as a reason to lose credibility with them and also with others.

Grayed with Whitened People
The Whitened design moves quickly and spontaneously, and to a Grayed person that is attractive because it feels free. They feel full of life and can even bring a Grayed person along and nudge them a little. It is very attractive to the Grayed design for an amount of time. It can, however, lose credibility when components of the relationship start to have a pattern of losing their conservatism and seem random to the Grayed person. It can be very threatening to the Grayed design’s way of life.

Grayed with Blackened People
The Blackened design is initially very attracted to the thoroughness and conservative nature of the Grayed design. They both love to mute anything too bright or dramatic, so the opposite attraction can seem very comfortable in the beginning, but if not navigated in a healthy way with healthy independence, both designs take completely different routes to getting their needs meet. That might make each design think that things are changing when it comes to the attraction, when they really are not. The Blackened will get busy trying to fix the problem, which might seem forceful to the Grayed design. That can also seem like a confrontation and Grayed people are very uncomfortable with confrontation. The more the Blackened person forces the issue, the more the Grayed tends to avoid the issue all together.

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Again, it is so important to navigate and collaborate from the position of the initial attraction, by remembering how important it was to us when we first met the person in our relationship. Letting people be free to express themselves in their authenticity is required in celebrating each other in opposite relationships.

And just as an interesting final note…we seem to have a habit of surrounding ourselves with our opposite designs, that’s just the way we tend to set up close relationships. That makes it even more important to remember and learn to navigate this important concept of “Opposites Attract.”

It is also equally important to remember that everyone is a masterpiece.

Brook

Opposites Attract: Celebrating the Differences (The Blackened Design)

Posted on April 23, 2019May 30, 2023 by Brook Thornley

“We just don’t see things the same way.”

“I just don’t get why they do things that way, it makes no sense to me.”

“No matter how much I try to talk sense into them they just can’t see it.”

Again, I have heard all of these, which just reaffirms how important the concept of “opposites attract” is to understand.

Whether it is in romantic or committed relationships, work relationships, or just socially interacting, learning to really appreciate that “opposites attract” is crucial to human interaction and to finding happiness in relating with others. Conflict and attraction go hand in hand, and understanding both and, more importantly, learning to accept that they have to exist together, is key. It is a part of that beautiful tension that keeps us connected.

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We have already talked in past weeks about the Saturated and Whitened designs, let’s talk this week about the way opposites attract with the Blackened Design.

The Blackened design is so logical and practical; that is part of the strength of the design. They love the fix and when there is a problem they just move to solutions. They nurture through tasks and that is often how they connect with others.

Blackened with Saturated People
Blackened relates well to the Saturated design. They both relate to logic, and even though it manifests in different ways, they still appreciate it in each other. Where the opposite attraction lies is in the contrast between the Saturated introverted appropriateness and the Blackened extroverted assertiveness. The Saturated way of coping will feel aloof to the Blackened, who will jump into a “fix it” mentality. They might have a logic war, and in conflict Saturated will tend to withhold and Blackened will tend to get forceful.

Blackened with Whitened People
The Whitened design can be attracted to the stability and structure of the Blackened design. They will love the feeling of that in the beginning. As time goes on however, if they are not careful, they will move into a place where they might see that same dynamic as stifling and controlling and feel that their spontaneity is threatened. The Blackened might feel out of control with the Whitened light-hearted approach to everything and feel the need to change them into a more structured person. This is a dangerous game because it moves them out of being someone to interact with and they will find themselves in a parental-type role instead.

Blackened with Grayed People
The Grayed design is very attracted to the strength and abruptness of the Blackened design’s ability to move on things. It is rejuvenating to be around a Blackened person, especially if the Grayed person is feeling overwhelmed or avoidant. This will last as long as the honeymoon phase of the relationship lasts. If we don’t keep the concept of “opposites attract” in its healthy place, the potential for an extreme change to take place is high. When the Grayed person moves into an analytical place and starts to over think the Blackened’s directness, the Grayed person could see that as too direct or even abrupt, and start to be embarrassed by the attention that it might bring to the couple.

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The best approach is to always try to see what we loved when it comes to our opposite. Remember how it felt when we first experienced it. It is also critical to remember that we always have our own autonomy and it is not defined by others. This is important because it frees us up to be independent and allows us, and others, to accept and celebrate the differences, even in a committed relationship. The best part of relationships is that we are all different, and when someone is our opposite we need to accept, and even go as far as to anticipate, the differences.

Just pause every once in a while to see just how beautiful they are and recite to ourselves what it is that we love about the opposite design. It will put us in a place to love deeper, negotiate in a healthier way, get more needs meet, and definitely gain a deeper understanding. We all need that, and we all crave validation for who we are. Loving the other person in our opposite attraction is the first step into letting them influence us for the better. This is important to navigating any relationships.

And remember, everyone is a masterpiece.

Brook

Opposites Attract: Celebrating the Differences (The Whitened Design)

Posted on April 16, 2019May 30, 2023 by Brook Thornley

“Why doesn’t my mom fix the disposal instead of putting polka dots on the cake?”

“Why don’t I love and admire my spouse like I did when we first met?”

“I used to criticize my daughter because she is so opposite of me. Through Human Art I am back to appreciating who she is and how she is made.”

These are all statements that I have heard about the Whitened design from the other designs and personalities.

One of the most important things that come out of being willing to recognize how important it is to have opposite dynamics in our close relationships, is a chance for us to grow. If we were all the same design it would be too easy. We would all agree all the time; there would be no need to compromise or negotiate. I do admit there are moments that we wish we were the same, but having opposites gives us the opportunity to take someone else’s perspective. It enhances our individual relationships, our family relationships, and our community relationships.

It is impossible to have empathy if you do not have the ability to take someone else’s perspective. Without taking someone else’s perspective it is also difficult to validate. Taking time to really slow down, to be curious about the opposite dynamics or central focus in all of the relationships in our life, is critical to strong relationships.

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When it comes to the Whitened design, some things that are important to know about them in relationships is that they are socially driven and they love to enroll in a spontaneous way. They have no guile, so when someone criticizes them without empathy, they don’t even relate to that and the criticism feels hurtful. They also love to anticipate the needs of others. The Whitened person is quick to surrender their perspective to the other designs’, but with a cost. They will walk away with resentment, and their version of pushing back is to shut down the relationship.

So let’s talk a little about the dynamics of the Whitened design with the other three:

Whitened with Saturated People
The Saturated person is quality driven and focused on their sequencing and is driven by that agenda, so when the Whitened person starts to feel that inflexibility, the Saturated person in the relationship starts to lose credibility with them. The Saturated person usually feels this, so in an attempt to gain control of the situation they become more strict with trying to restore order and that has great potential to come across as rigid to the Whitened personality.

Whitened with Grayed People
The Grayed personality is driven by attention to the details. They are connectors, and they do not like change without thoroughly thinking through the possibilities and contingencies. The Whitened person moves so quickly and has a great deal of flexibility, so taking time to think things through can sometimes frustrate the Whitened personality. They want to move with spontaneity and see where things take them, so they might view the Grayed person as stalling or being too conservative.

Whitened with Blackened People
The Blackened personality just wants to get things done, they focus on the fix. They are direct and honest to help protect. The Whitened personality, however, can see this as stepping over the feelings of those in the relationship and then they don’t want “the fix” because they believe it was at the cost of the relationship. The Blackened could see too many feelings as dramatic whereas feelings are key to the Whitened who sees them as the foundation of relationships.

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The important part of all these dynamics, again, is curiosity—being curious about the differences and accepting them, then negotiating from that place. When we love our own authenticity but also create space in our thinking for the authenticity of others’, we are strengthening our capacity to love those in our life with opposite designs and have richer interactions and deeper connections.

So this week dive deeper into our important relationships, and instead of comparing them to ourselves and criticizing them, think of life through their lens. If we are confused when we try to do that, just clarify with them; ask questions and get to know them better. They will love that and you will get to know them better and love them more. It will work, I promise, because everyone is a masterpiece.

Brook

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

Silent Night

Posted on December 4, 2018May 30, 2023 by Brook Thornley

We have talked a lot the last couple of weeks about the holiday season. There has been so much good energy at Human Art around this holiday season and it has only just begun. We have talked about relationships and how this time of year is a perfect time to enhance those relationships with others by really understanding them. The celebrating of each other and honoring their design seems to be the focus of everything we discuss this year.

I want to take you back many years ago to a time that had that same feeling. It is also one of the reasons “Silent Night” is one of my favorite Christmas songs. It happened in my parent’s home on Christmas evening. First, let me give you a little background on what was happening leading up to this particular Christmas.

As you know, I come from an extremely artistic family. We grew up developing the Human Art program in our home. We are all artists of some sort. Our parents were artists by trade and we spent much time developing the program and understanding personalities and composing and creating things that each personality would love. It was no different when it came to creating something for someone within the family. It was always emphasized in our home with our siblings and parents that we were always to honor and celebrate each other’s designs or personalities. This particular year was no exception; the instructions for gift giving were the same—we drew a name and bought a gift for that family member and it was always in their design. The difference this year was that we had to do something special for the person that we drew out. There was a new rule put in place just for this one year. You had to use your creative abilities to do something really special for that person. It had to focus on what they loved and celebrated them. The main rule was we had to make it from scratch and we could only spend three dollars on supplies. It was declared a “homemade Christmas.”

We all spent the weeks before discussing how we were going to make this happen. “THREE DOLLARS, WE ARE SUPPOSED TO MAKE SOMETHING WORK FOR THREE DOLLARS?!” was a common quote that rang through the family at that time.

Christmas afternoon came and it was time to gather at my parent’s home for the “Homemade Christmas.” We ate and then the gift exchange began. The first gift was my dad’s, he had one of my younger sisters names. He had taken five one dollar bills and made a contemporary statue of sorts of a sleek dinosaur. It was beautiful. Then one of my sister-in-laws had collected natural plants and dried them for another sister who love to arrange flowers. It went on and on and with 12 siblings and one adopted. It was an afternoon full of loud, happy laughter, and love.

The last present was from my brother Sean to my mother. He had sat so quietly watching all the others laugh and celebrate each other. He seemed to just be taking it all in. Then we announced it was his turn to give my mom her present. He left the room and returned a few minutes later with a wrapped package in his arms. He knelt next to my mom where she was sitting on the floor and handed her the package wrapped in brown grocery sack paper. She opened it and I will never forget this image. The room went quiet, and in seconds a spirit filled the room, the spirit of Christmas, yet not one word was uttered or no sound made. Just a feeling. She had put her forehead tenderly against the frame of what we could conclude was a picture but it was facing her so we could not see its subject. She sat there and cried for I don’t know how long. It didn’t matter how long. I was so caught up in the feeling. It was night by now, and all of us were there and it was completely silent. We all just sat there and experienced this exchange between my brother and my mom.

Silent night
Holy night
All is calm
All is bright

*The picture of Sommer done by Brook’s brother Sean*

That’s exactly how it felt. I wished I could just freeze that moment forever and enjoy it over and over again.

Finally, without saying a word, my mom caught her breath and turned the picture around to reveal a beautiful piece of art that Sean had composed for her of our beautiful Down’s Syndrome sister Sommer who was an angel in heaven looking down on my family at that very moment. She had passed a few years prior to that Christmas.

That is what I now refer to as a “Silent Night moment.” Just as we celebrate the gift of the baby Jesus, we can also celebrate and give service to each other. When we learn to love each human for who they are and what they love, we can listen to them and their story and understand where they are coming from. No agenda except to serve them, to understand them. That’s how we can truly serve one another.

Everyone once in while we get it right, and we know it because it just happens. That “Silent Night” moment where no words are spoken, it is just a feeling. An exchange of sorts from one human to another that seems to whisper, “yes I get you” and, “yes I do care.” There are no appropriate words, just the exchange of a feeling. We have chances every day to create this, we just have to pay attention and act on it. That’s when it comes; it comes in a feeling, the spirit of a Silent Night moment and it leaves behind a feeling of peace—

“Heavenly peace.”

That is my wish for you this year while entering this holiday season. Look for those Silent Night moments and take advantage of them. Celebrate someone, anyone. Your family, someone at work. a friend or even a stranger on the street. You know you have understood their authenticity when you have that quiet exchange that seems to say, “I understand.” There is no better gift at Christmas time.

It is so important to remember, everyone is a masterpiece.

Brook