I meet a lot of people who say, “I’m not a visual person.”
Have you ever said that? Well, good news. You will be a visual person by the end of this post. Guaranteed.
Maybe you would describe yourself as more verbal. Or more intuitive. Or logical by nature.
I can’t figure out a way of telling you gently, so I’m just going to pop your balloon:
You’re wrong. Science has revealed…
… that seventy-five percent of the human brain is dedicated to visual processing. Which means that the other senses—smell, touch, hearing, and taste—have to share the final five percent.
The first few words of the Bible go like this: “In the beginning, God created…”
A few verses later, we’re told that we’ve been created in God’s image, in his likeness (Genesis 1). Which means you’re creative like God is. And the very first sense God is described as using is seeing: “God saw that it was good.” Which means you can see, too.
You are a visual person.
You protest. So let me help you see the truth.
Question: when you imagine what you’ll eat for breakfast tomorrow, do you see the cereal box next to a bowl on the kitchen table, or do you see a paragraph describing what you’ll eat on paper?
When you recall what you did last summer, do you see words in your mind? Or do you see places, people, and things?
Can you do algebra and complete mathematical equations by hearing them, or do you need to look at them on a page? And even if you hear them, do you simply “figure it out?” or do you try to “picture it” in your mind first?
When you lose your car keys, do you really work out the logical place for them to be, or do you visually rewind your day back through where you’ve been and what you’ve done?
When you imagine the last argument you had with your special someone, do you merely hear the words that were spoken, or do you also see the people saying it?
Right. See?
You’re a visual person.
And as the G.I. Joe mantra bellows, “knowing is half the battle!”
Own it. Believe it. Start acting like it. Say it out loud: I am a visual person. Who knew? Well, I did.
But don’t throw down your laptop, cartwheel in to the streets, and fist-pump with a war cry just yet. Because the second half of the battle awaits. But good news, Part Two is also the most fun. Part Two is where we learn how to unleash the 75% of our brains we’ve been underrating.
Tomorrow you’re going to start with the objection, “But I can’t draw.” And by the end of that post, you’ll be drawing up a storm.