Good Morning Sunshine! How does your mind work?

The mind, our consciousness is a marvelous thing!

What is the mind all about? First, we need to break things down into what the brain does. The conscious mind is where our memories are, and our feelings come from the conscious part of the brain. It is also where we work out what we want out of life. We call upon this awareness to sort out what we plan to do. All of our thoughts are a part of our mental abilities to think and have conversations.

The conscious mind holds our memories. Memories however differ in one facet and that is that they are not always a part of our conscious mind. However, memories can be brought into our awareness because they are filed away in the mind. The mind consists of what we call the preconscious mind this gives residence to anything that could potentially be brought into the conscious mind. Last we have the unconscious mind also known as the subconscious mind. The subconscious mind is like a big filing cabinet chucked full of our feelings, our thoughts, various impulses, and even more memories become stored. These memories are outside of our conscious awareness but they can become triggered, brought out for use! This is the case when we use such info in the creative processes. A lot of what is filed away is the unpleasant, unacceptable feelings such as conflicts, pain, and what creates our anxieties. Such things evoke stronger emotions.

But what does any of this have to do with the creative processes? We use the information we have filed away when we create art or write. The brain keeps on doing what it does best. We, our brains are a part of the equation, Our art is not separate from us. We use what we know and this is how it happens when the brain works.

So, what happens in the brain; within the conscious mind? The answer is neurons begin to fire, and take action! The neuron sends out what is called an excitatory signal to another neuron. Then the signal is added to all of the other inputs of that particular neuron. The neuron has a threshold, and if that threshold exceeds what is known as the “given threshold” then it will cause the target neuron to fire what is called an “action potential.” On the other hand, if it is below the threshold then no action potential happens. And what happens when a neuron is at rest? The resting potential of a neuron means there is no transmission of impulses. The “resting potential” is seen as the difference in the voltage between the inside and outside of the neuron as the neuron is at rest. “Action potential” happens when the signals are transmitted along the axon of a neuron.” A convergence neuron drives the circuit, here it selects a single output neuron and it is at which point it stops firing. This stability neuron prevents a second output neuron from becoming active once the convergence neuron has been prevented from its action. The self-feedback circuits from the output neurons heighten the effect. And again, no matter what we do these neurons are busy at work. They are a part of creating art, and they are a part of the healing process in art therapy. If the brain is damaged they are a part of what it does to heal itself. The brain is a marvelous thing! It sends out these neurons which connect to other neurons, and it continues on and on.