Post number two for my Principles of Art and Design class.

1. When have you best been able to accept new knowledge and ideas?

I have found it easiest to accept new ideas when the person or entity presenting the new ideas has my respect. Also, the attitude of the person presenting the ideas has great impact on it: if they have a “know-it-all” feel about them, or, to put it simply, are prideful in their knowledge, I am less likely to listen and learn from them than I am to learn from someone who presents themselves and their ideas with wisdom and humility, being willing to listen to others opinions even if they are—and know they are—right.

2. Why do you think that was?

Accepting new knowledge and ideas takes humility. If you are prideful, you will be apt to hold onto your own ideas because accepting someone else’s ideas implies that you were either wrong, incomplete, or ignorant in your previous knowledge. In my experience, if the other person you are talking to shows humility first, it is much easier to be humble yourself.

For example: even in arguments, if my fiancé and I are both wrong in something (as is usually the case), if he lets go of his pride and apologizes—even if I was furiously set in being right—I will find that my heart melts and I am humbled myself and am able to apologize as well. I am sure it goes the other way as well when I apologize first.

3. How would you prepare yourself to do that again?

Unfortunately, one cannot do anything about someone else’s pride. However, I can definitely make sure that, before attempting to teach another, I am fully aware of my own shortcomings and have rid myself of any pride in my own ideas. That way, the person receiving knowledge or ideas from me will hopefully be free to listen to what I have to say with no pride holding them back. Then they can judge for themselves whether what I say is true or not regardless of whether they had the same opinion or not.

4. When are you best able to generate new ideas?

I find that, when I get talking to someone with whom I share common interests, especially late at night, we can bounce ideas off one another and come up with some really interesting things. Unfortunately, since they do usually occur late at night, we don’t often remember all the great ideas that we come up with, and none of them ever come to fruition.