Feeling vs Knowing
by Neely Catignani
Have you ever been in a certain place and felt a certain way, maybe at the top of a mountain, at a music show, seeing children playing at sunset, and you just wished you could bottle up the feeling you were experiencing in that very second of time?
Perhaps you felt a strong desire to share your inspiration with others, and you tried tactics like writing a few things down in your journal, taking a picture, or sending an energized text to a friend.
But still we are left wishing for a better way to share our true feelings.
Robert Fabricant, the Creative Director at Frog Design, explores this human desire, imagining a new kind of shoe that you can take anywhere.
Recently, Nathaniel Whittemore from Change.org recognizes the true genius of the imagined invention writing, “The video is profound because it reminds us that our society is incredibly intellectualized. That is not to say that our society is intellectual, but rather that feelings and emotions are subjected incessantly to the tyranny of the commentary of the brain. We interpret everything, and sometimes it’s overwhelming and the reality is we simply can’t think our way out of a feeling.
So, what do you think? Do you live your life governed by allowing yourself to feel, or do you wait to act based on what you rationally know?
And, how does this play out in our industry? How can you support your fellow creatives when they have an idea in their gut that they know is larger than what they can rationally explain?
How do you conquer your feeling vs knowing gap when it strikes?


This makes me think that we need to re-train ourselves to think “How can I cause others to feel what I’m feeling right now?” instead of “How can I sell this idea I have?”
Posted at 11:15 am on August 13th, 2009
Great idea. Reminds me of that movie, “Videodrome”, where you just insert the video tape into your stomach and then off you go to whatever was on the tape. Ok, kind weird different, but it made me think of that.
Posted at 10:29 am on August 17th, 2009
Great idea. It would also be a fabulous way to be able to recharge yourself throughout your day and feel refreshed and energized. So cool.
Posted at 7:35 am on August 20th, 2009