Today, Dr. Sierra Dawson from the biology department came to class and gave us a lecture on anatomy, procedures, and philosophies. One of the most interesting exercises she had us do was to draw a heart, the way we thought it looked. The point she was trying to make was that we have never actually seen our individual hearts, and technically have no idea what they each look like. However, when asked to draw a heart, everyone in the class drew the same image for the most part, although some people were obviously a little more artistically talented than others. But that is irrelevant. The conclusion that the class came to for why we had all drawn the same thing was because society and media have shown us what a heart is supposed to look like. This was an interesting perspective exercise for me because I had never questioned what something such as a human heart, or Mars, or an asteroid looks like.
This was the first result when I searched “Human heart” on Google Images
This was the first result when I searched “Mars” on Google Images
This was the first result when I searched “Asteroid” on Google Images
Those three things all have one thing in common: I have never seen them up close. Now, that is not to say that I have never seen pictures, models, or that I have no idea what they look like. It’s actually the opposite. If I were asked to draw any of those things, I would have no trouble drawing an accurate picture. But how do I know that what I am drawing is accurate, and not only accurate to my brain? It was the same situation with the heart exercise that Dr. Dawson had the class do. Through society and media, we accumulate and compile different experiences to form an idea of what things look like without ever seeing them in person. This exercise helped me to think from different perspectives when presented with seemingly normal activities or tasks.
My drawing, when asked to draw a human heart
In my project, which is looking to track the flow of University of Oregon students, there are many aspects that are new to me. Some new things for me include 3D printing and time-lapse videos. I am going to rethink my preliminary assumptions of these things before I actually see or encounter them. For example, instead of just making every building a square or rectangle, I am actually going to look at the exact shape of the architecture and be as accurate as possible in my 3D printing of buildings on campus. I am also going to try and take a short cut by only getting a little time-lapse video data of students. I want this project to be awesome, so I am putting in the time to make it great.
The points that I took from Dr. Dawson’s presentation can not only be applied to my project, but also my life. I’m going to rethink my initial assumptions of ideas, phenomena, and objects before I actually see or encounter them. I think this will give me a more optimistic perspective on life, which everyone could use a little more of.