It’s June! It’s nearly summer! As much as I don’t do the greatest in heat (without air conditioning I must add), I absolutely love summer. I love strawberries, peaches, cherries, and all the fruit that is plentiful in the summer months. I love beach days and feeling warm. I love cool California camping nights by the fire, making s’mores. I love the opportunity to stay outside later since it’s still light. I love that my birthday is in the summer (basically) and it feels like it’s the best time to enjoy ice cream and popsicles. Growing up, it was time by the pool and even more time doing arts and crafts. That’s what sticks to me in my memories.
I am currently taking a Brain Psychology and UI Elements Masterclass, looking at the, you guessed it, brain and how it influences how we design. I’ve been learning a lot about mental loads and memory - it is fascinating! If it sounds like something you’re interested in, I would recommend the two books we’re reading for the class - “Don’t Make Me Think, Revisited” and “100 Things Every Designer Should Know About People.” They are quick reads, and super digestible.
The concepts that have resonated with me most from the book, “100 Things Every Designer Should Know About People,” come from the studies that have been conducted surrounding what we actually remember as humans. The book discusses how it’s important that we don’t remember everything - because can you imagine if we did? Within our daily lives we have so many experiences that would be nearly impossible to remember. The book also talks about ‘flashbulb memories’ which are defined as vivid/detailed traumatic or dramatic events and how inaccurate these memories can be over time.
I think of my ‘flashbulb memories’ around the time when my dad was sick and wonder what I am remembering correctly, or incorrectly? What do we make of the feelings we had at that time and how they have felt over time? Is there any information about how active healing over the time passed affects these memories?
Do you ever talk with a friend about a shared memory and find that you both remember it differently? The book touches on how every time we remember something, we’re actually re-constructing it. The science behind it is related to the pathways in our brain between neurons! Like I said, fascinating! So, if it ever turns into an argument about who remembers what correctly, there’s some science to ensure you may both be right! ;)
What do you remember about summers as a kid? Your summers during stressful periods of your life? Your summers during the happiest times? Your summer in 2020? Did you have a journal at the time that you can look back and understand your memory of events or how you felt?
It makes me want to record more - but then I also think - how much should we document, what needs to be documented? Does that defeat just ‘living life’? I could really go down a rabbit hole of questions here…
I love how these moodboards and musings I create each month force me to think about what’s relevant to me now - and how it relates to my past, present, and future - this month being summers and memories of summer. Clearly, I often have more questions than answers, but I love the forever pondering of humans and the lives we live.
All images were snagged from Pinterest, therefore I do not take credit for any original thought surrounding them individually. They will not be used to make any profit on.
