DAY 041 – DESIGNING DANGEROUSLY

Intuition and Analysis

If I have to think of a sense-corollary to intuition, it is touch divorced from sight. Rather, it’s the seeking of touch without knowing when you’ll find something solid. Analysis on the other hand is sight, coldly observing and naming anything that falls within our scope. If you’ve ever struck out in the pitch black looking for a door, a light or that glass of water you’re about to knock over on your nightstand, you’ve experienced intuition. With a lack of external information, you’re still moving, intrinsically motivated, arms outstretched, looking for land. Nothing is guaranteed, things may go sideways, depending on whether you find that Lego on the hardwood floor (always), the light switch, or the bathroom door handle. Intuition always ends with an epiphany, but not necessarily a comfortable one.

Analysis on the other hand is sitting idly in your optometrist’s waiting room, watching the receptionists watch the people coming in the door. Watching the kids figure out the Highlights magazine puzzle, looking at all the inane magazines Dr. So-and-So subscribes to for our comfort. Everything is named, categorized, and filed with similar documents. Everything has a tidy place, but you’re still there, circling yourself waiting for the thing that’s scheduled to happen to happen. Watching the people get the little puff of air in their eyes, seeing them flinch even though they know it’s coming and knowing that you too will flinch when it’s your turn to get eye-puffed.

Turns out, as I’m sure you’ve put together, the two are complementary. If we see an orange, we can desire it, reach out our hand, touch the cool, waxy, dimpled surface, bring our thumb into opposition with the thing, and dig in.