Sh(ape)s

I originally had a blog in my drafts that was ready to rock and roll and get posted, but I feel as if it is a bit much given the times. May you all wait in anticipation for that one to get posted as I delve into the world of thinking.

For now, I shall write and see what comes of this one.

To be honest, I started writing with no idea what I was going to write about and at this exact moment I am still uncertain as to where it will go.

Seems appropriate to talk about the current times and staying positive. Give some brief insight as to what I am doing as to how I am surviving in a foreign country with no real permanent contract in place and ineligible for any government subsidy. However, that seems completely boring, a bit selfish, and no one really cares.

Perhaps, I’ll talk about shapes. Shapes seem fun, light hearted, potential to be funny and relieving. Cool, we will go for it.

Shapes.

When I first thought of shapes, I thought about chips. Chips as in potato chips not French fries. How fun would it have been to be the person that gets to test the best shape and size of a chip? Doritos decided a triangle is the best way, others believe circles, some take more of a natural shape in the way it was cut. What dimensions did someone start out as to what they thought the right size would be?

Was there a test about the average size of a mouth? Is there a difference between cultures and countries? Similar to that of television where cartoons as slightly changed to seem more appropriate for the audience depending on what country you are in.

Would you have signed up to get your mouth measured? Are there shapes that you would refuse to try? Are chips only capable of being certain sizes depending on their density? Who decides the texture?

I could ask a billion questions, but I suppose I said I would talk about shapes.

Shapes are interesting because we automatically give a meaning to something based off of a shape. For instance, when people see an octagon they tend to think of a stop sign. People see a circle and they think about how there is no end point, a never ending cycle. Triangle, strongest structure.

Do these subconscious thoughts about shapes play a part in how we are perceiving and interpreting different things in our everyday life? I feel as if they probably don’t really play too much of a role, but probably more of a role than we realise.

People argue that there are an infinite number of shapes. I do believe that, but wouldn’t all shapes end up breaking into a small sub group of basic shapes? For instance a cross is two rectangles. An arrow is a rectangle and triangle (good thing I know my shapes, aye). You get it.

I suppose that is the interesting thing about shapes and what we could learn from them. Shapes have their own identity, but that doesn’t mean that they can’t use what they already know and what already exists to create themselves.

Humans come in all different sizes and shapes. The basics seem to be consistent for all such as having a heart (arguable, some people are heartless… jokes), head, lungs, etc. What differentiates us from one another is what we decide to do with the shape we are given.

Some people may be in the experimental chip stage where they are uncertain what size is the best fit for them. Others may enjoy their shape and now are working on their colour and what will set them apart.

Just like chips, we all have our own flavour, our own spice. Similar to shapes, we are uniquely built and a simple adjustment can change what we are viewed as. People sometimes even get described as being a square as in not well rounded, bland, categorised. Others may have a ‘bubbly’ personality.

Some shapes like to be symmetrical, others have no rhyme or rhythm to them.

What kind of shape do you want to be? What flavour are you adding to your chip? Dipping sauce? Oh la la.. spicy!

Create your brand. Decide what is a good size for you and freaking own it. Play with spice, the flavour, even the ingredients that create the chip (you).

What are you doing for yourself today that is making you better?

What’s adding the spice to your life? Are you looking for the next flavour of your brand or are you just trying to improve the ingredients to become more sustainable? Whatever it is, make sure that no matter what is going on in the world, no matter the circumstances, that you don’t lose yourself.

Be the chip. Be the spice. Be the flavour. Be the whole dang package! Be YOU!

Time to ‘shape’ up world…