Brain Space

Big clear out and an attempt at restarting this old blog. It may not last long, but it's worth a try! Shouldn't life be a constant revolution or reinvention, or both?

I was thinking about a problem, or rather difference, I've had all my life, from as young as I can remember. It stems from the fact that I cannot remember the names, or often details of all sorts of things, particularly in history, stories, musics, crikey! Everything. It has always put me at a terrific disadvantage in conversations that rely on this kind of knowledge, in fact shared knowledge. You know when you sit around chatting about a film, for example. I may know the film, but I have trouble joining in, or only at a very superficial level, because I can't remember the names of the actors, when it was made, the director, etc. often the name of the whole film. I just don't retain this information.

With music it has meant that I no longer listen to it, even though I like it. The problem is I can't remember the names of the musicians, pieces, songs I like, all the information you need to enter a record shop, or online store, to buy the music to listen to it. Sometimes I will hear something I like and ask someone who it is by, etc,. but I then forget the information.. even if I write it down I can look at the name, but the link to the piece is lost. The only area where I do retain the information is very, very well known artists and pieces, but only barely.

The upshot is that I often feel unable to join discussion about shared cultural experience. I'm guessing the reason is that my mind is very capable of storing visual information, as you'd expect of an artist. I do know many other artists though who can store both, visual and cultural information. the only conclusion I can come to is that I have rather a small brain.