AUTOMATIC VISUAL PROCESSING

What exactly is our state of mind when we are drawing to solve problems? Much of what goes on between our ears is automatic.

The common act of seeing is automatic. We are continually and automatically processing a three dimensional representation of what we see before us. We are continually computing the location of objects, the shape of objects, color, whether we recognize them, etc. And all of this is done in the background without us having to apply any effort.

So if automatic visual processing is our default mode, then how much of drawing is also automatic? Quite a lot, I submit. The amount of reasoning that occurs when we problem solve is far less than we think. Instead, as we are drawing lines and applying tones, there is a high degree of intuition. Certainly when drawing transparently in 3D, we are not rationalizing the location of each line and plane. Picasso has even said that he did not know where he would end up when he starts a drawing.

When in this automatic mode, we are relying on feelings and inclinations. There is little sense of effort. There is a strong reliance on our associative memory; this has been touched on here. We have a tendency to solve an easier problem if what we are working on is too difficult.

Again, this is a rough idea of what is going on in our heads when we are in the early stages of our problem solving. We will take an analogus look at concerted, effortful and problem specific drawing modes as well.