Two Types of Intelligence: Analytical v.s. Abstract

There are many types of intelligence that exist in this world. There’s social intelligence and academic intelligence, but I want to focus on two I am intimately familiar with; analytical and abstract intelligence.

Analytical Intelligence

We’ve all heard the saying “Think outside the box”. Well, analytical intelligence is the exact opposite of that. Analytical people will look inside the box, describe and break down every thing inside the boxes. They may even get lost in the boxes inside the boxes! This type of intelligence is great for understanding the nuances of specific objects. It’s like taking a magnifying glass and notating all the like cracks, crevices and colors. This lends well to math and science. The problem with this intelligence is that getting lost in the details is all too easy.

Abstract Intelligence

Abstract intelligence is the counterpart to analysis. Theses are the ones who “think outside of the box” and realize that all ideas are in one big box with infinite smaller boxes. Stated simply, abstraction is the act of generalization; stripping away the specifics and focusing on the similarities. For instance, “Color” is an abstraction of the specific colors “Blue” and “Orange” or “Sport” is an abstraction of the specific sports “Soccer” and “Baseball”. An abstraction is, like a big box that you fit other smaller boxes in to connect them together.  This lends well to poetry because you can abstract two unrelated words like, “bullet” and “shark”, into a simile such as “The shark swam like a speeding bullet”.  Abstract minded people usually are good at creative writing, art and music. The problem with abstract thought is that if the relation between the two ideas is too loose communicating the thought could be disastrous.

Final Thoughts

No intelligence is better than the other. I’d say analytical intelligence tends to be more practical, but abstract intelligence tends to be more beautiful. Although, in practice we use both simultaneously, there tends to be a preference for analytical over abstract. There’s nothing wrong wrong with this but without understanding the balance we miss one half of the equation that makes subjects like math interesting. Math is the analysis of an abstract concept called numbers. While writing composition classes are the abstractions of multiple pieces of writing. By framing school work or problems in this way it could help with finding solutions. If you know all the details and are still stuck, try to find a loosely similar situations that you relate to and try to tackle it that way (analytical to abstract). Or if you are confused on a dense concept, try to ground the idea in a metaphor, by relating the parts you do understand to something familiar. (abstract to analytical).

What do you think? Leave a comment. Thanks for reading.

Check out the new song I composed for the game I’m working on.

 

Free Write -Vacancy

So I’m trying to get into the habit of writing daily, so everyday I’ve decided to write 16 lines of poetry/lyrics and if I create something I’m proud of I’ll post it here for you to enjoy. (Ps. subscribe to my YouTube channel for more content)  Next week I might do some more cohesive poetry than just hip-hop like lyrics.

Vacancy

by: James Revels III

I’m outta this world like exosphere.

I’m better than the me of Yester-year.

Outside of the box. No metal gear.

I’m the captain watch what happens when I steer.

Stars below and the future above.

Friendship roots are deeper than subs.

Smooth with speech make any girl blush,

but tomorrows we build is what makes it love.

A heart of a lion. Skin of an elephant.

A wordsmith with elements of eloquence.

Breaking bills is the only time I change.

Numb to the competition. Novocaine.

I may modulate the frequency.

but never degradate the decency.

There’s a vacuum in power of prowess with words

and I’m here to fill the vacancy.

Here’s the instrumental that inspired these lyrics

Freewrite (1/3/2015)

So I’m trying to get into the habit of writing daily, so everyday I’ve decided to write 16 lines of poetry/lyrics and if I create something I’m proud of I’ll post it hear for you to enjoy.

by: James Revels III

Surf on a sea of serotonin,

Chemically Imbalanced.

Everyday’s a challenge so watch me hop a hurdle.

Moving steady like a turtle although my mind’s racing like hares.

Walking on opticals the way I climb these stares to heaven.

After exiting the interstate to hell. I park.

Blood thirsty for success like a pack of malnourished sharks.

Thoughts they spark.

No Tony Stark but Hip-Hop I’ll Avenge her

Although, someday I fall outta love with her, better download Tinder.

Burn the past to cinders and scatter the ashes like Rayleigh

Too logical for promises.

I only take “Yes and No”s keep your “maybe”s.

Lately waking early so I can be on time for destiny

Kill the old me in effigy, my psyche gave the eulogy.

Fueling me is rocket fuel propelling me to new heights.

The futures kind of fuzzy like a rear view adorned in dice.

Kites envy my flight due to my aviation pedigree.

Sick of this.

Pencils, papers, songs are all the meds I need

Here is the instrumental I wrote to for inspiration

Please Support My Content

I’ve been making music for 6 years and running this blog for 4 years. I appreciate all the support I’ve gotten over the years. That support and my love of creativity is what keeps me going, but I must keep it real with you. I don’t get payed for any of my content and haven’t for about upwards of 8 months. Now, money isn’t the main goal, but I need to survive. It’s affecting my life, relationship and well-being so this is why I am writing this. My loved ones are worried I’ve been investing all my time and money ($1,000+ over the 6 years)  into this dream without any returns and think I should rethink my life choice. I disagree and I hope you do too. If you’re convinced please support financially or, at the very least share the content with people (Which I posted at the bottom of the post) . The hardest part hasn’t been making content, but getting people to see the hard work. I am a one man team, humbly asking for your assistance. If you’re not convinced the stay tuned because I’m about to do a brief breakdown of my investment into my dream over the half decade.

• A $400 Desktop computer to upgrade from laptop because it had horrible RAM (2gb) and no storage space (200 gb).
• A condenser microphone, stand, interface and cables (Approx. $300)
• A drawing tablet ($100) So I could work in Photoshop to create my own album covers and now animations.
• Instruments ($300) – This includes my acoustic guitar, keyboard, and MIDI keyboard.
• Reason 8.3 ($400) when I first started out I have a pirated version of Reason 5 and after a couple year of that for studying I decided to invest in craft and upgrade to the recent version,
• Multiple Cameras ($300) due to some breaking over the years from use or accidents.

That alone is $1900 investment over the last 6 years and I’ve only made maybe a tenth of that back.

My equipment

MY keyboard

List of My Content

On this blog. I post original content such as How to Overcome Writer’s Block  or the Death of the Facebook Like Page. I even post poetry such as Man in the Mirror. Speaking Man in the Mirror did you know I made a music video for that song. (embedded below the paragraph). While we’re on the topic of poetry I’ve also published a book  of poetry earlier this year titled Yesterday’s Tomorrow.  I even made an accompanying Soundtrack for my book.

On my YouTube channel I post a music semi-daily and have been working on a daily music making challenge where I try to make a short 1 to 2 minute theme every day or two. I also occasionally post music theory/mixing tutorials (embedded below this paragraph

I’m thankful for anyone who has read this in its entirety and I hope you continue to follow me on my creative journey. Thanks for the past support. Let’s make something great.

 

Bonus! Here’s a short compilation of clips from my animation practice

An Idea

The following is me brainstorming an idea so please forgive any grammatical mistakes. Feel free to leave your two cents as well.

So, I was reading “Think and Grow Rich” and there’s a chapter about the “Mastermind”, which is a group of experts you gather to augment any weak points in your own expertise. I’ve always been into S.A.M.M. (Science , art, math and music) and writing. I’ve always had dreams (literal dreams) of me gathering expertise in those fields and we create a network of artists and geniuses to help up and coming talent obtain jobs or collaboration with each other without all the binds of formality and bureaucracy that normal corporation impose. In a way like mentors because we not only have the knowledge but the connection that an artistic master usually had. The only think is a couple of road block occurred that I haven’t wrapped my head around quite yet.

1) Where do I go to find these people and how do I approach them? Especially since this idea is in it’s infancy. The most I can say is I’ve gathered some friends to collaborate musically, but I also need to figure how to get the non-artist mathematicians and scientist. (I’m well versed in both for a laymen so talking technical isn’t an issue)

2) What do we do once I get the initial batch of people?Assuming the initial batch of people I gather aren’t well connected or financed like myself. What do we do to get the attention of those who do. What kind of projects do we create? When I think on this and try to flesh out the idea, I feel like there is a Gate. Like I need a key from someone else or an idea I don’t know really. I know if together we can help solve a problem maybe I need to pin point said problem, but I don’t want to be over-zealous on the first project since I want to prove to concept successful in the early stages.

3) How to get every to work together? This may be something out of my control, but with something like this it’s possible for leeches to emerge or people to disagree. What do I do to mitigate or prevent tension and conflict?

NEW MUSIC VIDEO – Man in the Mirror

Today is day 48 of my music making challenge and I decided to do something different. Instead of just a short music composition I decided to add lyrics and do a full scale music video all done since I woke up this morning. It’s based on my poem I posted earlier today of the same name. Enjoy!

 

Man in the Mirror

To compliment my earlier post on writer’s block I wrote a poem (Edit: created a music video for this it is embedded below the post)

by: James Revels III

At this precipice, with no Pegasus

Wondering if, I should take this leap of Faith or call it day

It’s evident that if I don’t jump today

I could lose my chance and fade away like face in acid rain.

Should I blaze? So friends and foes can see my light.

Should I Laze? And have a life one setting above alright.

I ask myself staring in this chasm of goals.

As they say, I feel this abyss staring back at my soul.

Then I feel a kiss on the back of my clothes.

An angel. The angel of death I presuppose.

Because as I felt the frigid zephyr blow.

The old me died and the last chapter closed.

Falling into darkness to appreciate the light.

Hard of hearing. Had to see the future with these iron eyes.

Success is just a head or a cranium,

Achieved with skill and little luck from lady bugs.

Trying to leave my mark on the skin of this era

I’m trying to splice ideas like I’m breeding chimeras

Trying to learn the method. It’ll come any second

How to turn a boy into the man in the mirror

Further Reading

The Death of the Facebook Like Pages

Weird Genres: Abstract Hip-Hop?

Pros & Cons of Mass Media

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How to Overcome Writers Block

By: James Revels III

After making music daily for about 40 days for my YouTube Channel writer’s block was inevitable s here 3 things I try to do to overcome it.

Ignore the Initial Quality

Most people get stuck in writers block because they are trying to hard to make the Mona Lisa when they aren’t capable of it yet. There’s nothing wrong with dreaming big and grand, but be aware of your limitations and go with the flow when something doesn’t come out how you want it initially. You can refine later. Use this as a first draft to at least get a first draft going so you have a springboard to jump from when inspiration does return.

Try Something New

One reason we fall in a rut artistically that we find a groove and stick with it. The way to counter this is to try something knew. Come at your work from another angle. Do you hate writing in first person perspective? Write a silly story that is in 1st person. Not only will it be good for practice, but it could inadvertently inspire a new idea.

Do  Something Else

Sometimes you just have to know when to quit and do something else. If you’ve tried and tried and it’s more frustrating than productive. Take a break and relax. Start another project or just go and play for a little while you calm down and let inspiration take its time. Inspiration is like a finicky girlfriend and you never know when she’ll be in the mood 😉

There we go another one bites the dust. If you liked this article check out my other articles linked below or watch an embed from my YouTube channel. Thanks for reading. James Out!

Further Reading

The Death of the Facebook Like Pages

Weird Genres: Abstract Hip-Hop?

Pros & Cons of Mass Media

Journal Entry 12/07/2015

Today, was a productive day. Woke up and wrote a blog post on the death of facebook like pages, then started the pre-roll for the next video for my audio mixing tutorial series on my youtube channel. Mid way through the day I had a couple friends, Dre and Qais come through and we worked on refining a hip hop track we are working on. We recorded 1 of 2 then just relaxed and clowned the rest of the day. Dre left and our other  music homie quan came up we drank a little tequila and shared lyrics then I composed and posted a short theme, Day 43 for my daily music making challenge on youtube and then began writing this post. Today was a great day. Productivity and fun is the greatest combo.

(From Back To Front: ME, Qais, Dre)

Music as Language: The Parallels of Linguistics and Music

Before I got into music composition, I wanted to be a linguist. I didn’t necessarily want to learn the language itself, but the structures and rule that governed language and language change thoroughly interested me. For years I’ve heard music is the “Universal Language” or something along those lines and you’d be surprised how close this statement is to the truth.

Phonetics: The Acoustics of Language

Acoustics is essentially the study of wave phenomenon, usually sound since it’s the easiest to reproduce and observe.  It’s like Physics for sound. In linguistics, this is paralleled by the branch called phonetics. They study the acoustical properties of sounds used in human speech. They also study how sounds are articulated and how they are perceived.

Phonology: The “Music Theory” of Language

Music theory is a study and classification of common structures that occur across different songs. Phonology does the same but with languages. They study how sounds are group together and organized in a given language. Phonologists study the phonotactics, or rules and constraints for how sounds can occur in the syllables. Phonologist also study the “prosody” or quality of a sound. This includes its stress, intonation, and pitch, all three of these also important for analyzing music as well.

Grammar: The “Music Composition” of Language

Music composition is how different musical motifs and phrases are placed together to create a unified whole. In language this is reflected in grammar, which is the study of the rules that govern how words and phrases can be combined to create sentences.

There’s a lot more I could go into, but for now I’ll leave it simple.

Check out Yesterday’s article on my musical ideals or check out my Youtube playlist where I post a daily short musical piece as practice.