Pareidolia Much?

Why yes, I do! Quite often, or perhaps I should say, at most times, I’m in a space where the natural lines and definition of an object are dulled, and instead, I see patterns, synchronicities, and shapes that come together to form a new image. Except, of course, when trying to see prehistoric cave drawings of buffalo and deer at Grotte de Pair-non-Pair, led by a French-speaking tour guide as shown in the first photograph. I promise to eventually circle back to the cave drawings and why they are relevant.

I anticipate that most of you are questioning what Pareidolia is. I honestly didn’t know there was a name for what I and others experience until recently. There are countless varying definitions of Pareidolia online, defining it in an aspect that is negative, connecting it to schizophrenia, while others tout Pareidolia as a creative gift. For my mental sanity, I’m going to run with the idea of it being a creative gift. To shed more light on what some of us see, I’ve included some of the words I’ve found online that resonated with me. Please excuse my lack of notations crediting the authors. These are officially not my words listed in quotes. I started writing this 60 days ago, got sidetracked looking at shapes, lost track of time, and the sources.

“Creative individuals seem to process external sensory stimuli differently, in that they will tend to more easily connect unrelated elements.”

“Creativity is about tolerating, and making use of, ambiguity. The world is continually presenting us with images and experiences that are indeterminate, that don’t have a definitive meaning or explanation. Creative people seem to be able to linger longer in this space of indeterminacy, not rushing to assign a label or a conclusion, taking enough time to see all of what might be there. A capacity to tolerate ambiguity allows us to reap its benefits, one of which is this: Ambiguity in the outside world draws out material from inside us—emotions and beliefs and memories of which we may not have been aware. When we are confronted with an indeterminate or incomplete stimulus, we ourselves supply the missing parts, and those parts are drawn largely from our unconscious. Pareidolias lead us to project our own internal “stuff” onto the world, making it visible to us and allowing us to work with it in a creative fashion.”

“As a child, painter Paul Klee was fascinated by the vivid faces he saw in the swirly surfaces of the marble-topped tables in his uncle’s restaurant. As a pupil in school, the artist Salvador Dalí gazed up at the ceiling of his classroom, perceiving outlandish scenes in the stained plaster. And as a master offering advice to other creators, Leonardo da Vinci recommended that they look to clouds and rocks, among other natural formations: If you have to invent some scene, you can see the resemblances to a number of landscapes, adorned in various ways with mountains, rivers, rocks, trees, great plains, valleys, and hills. Moreover, you can see various battles, and rapid actions of figures, strange expressions on faces, costumes, and an infinite number of things, which you can reduce to good, integrated form.”

I’m always on the lookout for a face or shape in the clouds, while in nature, when my eyes are closed, and frankly at all times. Following my visit to the Grotte de Pair-non-Pair, I was required to participate in a mandatory talentless talent show, and TBH, talent shows are my worst nightmare. Dakini Jeager

finds this to be her life’s mission. I do actually enjoy performing, but I prefer surprise performances amongst trusted friends vs. required ones, and this pressure and the chateau ghosts kept me awake at night for days. Until, one night after copious amounts of Bordeaux wine, the walls in my room revealed my hidden talent. The miniature room, aka the hot air balloon room I shared with Sheila Swanberg, was full of hidden animals just as the Grotte de Pair-non-Pair, and they too could be found in the Sandstone throughout the château dating back to the French Revolution. Needless to say, it was an unexpected talent, and I’m grateful to have not sung or danced, but those that did were quite memorable. I’ve included pics of the chateau sandstone and my animal doodle overlays for kicks. I channeled a terrible French accent in my presentation, which I’ve perfected during time spent in Switzerland and France, which has never been popular with the French.

The reason I bring all of this up is I’m still trying to capitalize on my creative talents. So,…has anyone heard of a paying gig where I could use my pareidolia skills to reveal patterns, synchronicities, and shapes, or quite possibly utilize my terrible French accent? Because at this point, it seems they are only useful for peculiar non-monetized Instagram posts. 😜

Always Pareidolia-ing,

Ms. MORE