I invented a new word today.1 On the traditional introvert-extravert spectrum I'm pretty far toward the introvert end, but it's never been quite right, and I finally realized that, as most things, it's just not the right spectrum. I spend energy from socializing, and I gain energy from being alone, and that gets lumped into "introvert" but I don't think that's what's actually going on.
What I think actually happens is that I gain energy from text.
I say "text" rather than "words" because numerals are included as well. That's reflected in my art in the
(Con)Text series, as well as in the photo here that I chose to use on my business card.
It confuses people, but is memorable. The added text of my name and contact info is all right-side-up and forwards, so you think people would be able to tell which it was right away, but apparently not.
On a similar level, I read fluently upside-down, which is apparently a skill that isn't very common. I don't yet read fluently in reverse type, but I can already read that way a little bit, and I expect it won't take too much more letterpress work to get there.
In that last paragraph I meant when the text is upside-down, but actually I read fluently when I'm upside-down too. I don't do that as much now as I did when I was younger - hanging off of furniture is harder to get in and out of these days, but still comforting. As a kid I did it all the time; in elementary school I would take a book to the gym, hook my legs around the pull-up bar, and hang there and read. I miss that a bit.
So I read a lot, and I write fast, and that's reflected in how I interact on Steem. I don't hate your videos, but they don't give me energy the way text posts do, except sometimes the ones with music. A lot of people's streams and vlogs I can't manage at all, and even those I really like are still more tiring than energizing.
When I think about posts I want to make, it's almost always in text, even if what I'm posting about is visual art. And of course text keeps creeping into my visual art as well. (Con)Text tends to be the series of mine that people have the hardest time understanding, and I've always realized that it was because they don't have the same relationship with text that I do, but I never thought to think about it in quite this way before.
Text is comforting, energizing, easy to work with, fluid, friendly. I sometimes get writers' block with the thing I want to be working on, but the way I get through it is by writing about other things. I can do fairly complex math in my head but it's much more enjoyable if I write it down.
I know I'm unusual in this, but like many things I often forget how unusual, especially because all of my friends are also weirdos. But it works for me, and as long as you don't all convert to video2 I expect to get along just fine.
I'm a lexivert. And that's OK.3
1. And we're going to release it in Kent's room.
2. At which point it will just be me and Taraz talking to each other.
3. I read all night and I work all day.4
4. Which reminds me, I have the new Murderbot book. Time to get off of Steem.