Handedness seems to be around. The other day I had an interesting dialog with Darrell Wakelam, that artist who makes wonderful works with young children. I'd noticed on his videos he cuts with one hand, draws with the other. I don't think he'd mind if I share
The bottom one is mine. The top is his reply. Then Mary Anne brought up dominance in the comments.
So I thought it would be fun to explain what I did with adult drawing beginners to show them that handedness is fluid.
We established eye, ear, hand and foot dominance. If you're right dominant with all, chances are you're good in sports, especially those needing aim.
Anyway to find out, I ran these again yesterday to see what was what chez Boud.
Do these without thinking.
Roll up a piece of paper like a telescope, immediately hold it to your eye to look through. You'll hold it to your dominant eye.
Even if the vision isn't as good in that eye, the brain will insist. Handsome Partner was very amused when he tried this and the paper went to his left, blind, eye!
Mine: right
Which ear do you hold the phone to? Mine is left, even though my right ear hears better.
Which hand do you throw and catch with? Write with? Draw with? Paint with? Deal cards with? Thread a needle with? I throw and catch left, draw and paint with either, write right, deal left, which my father described as the card sharper's deal, thread left, stitch right.
Your best foot forward now. If you can. Stand up, take a step. Which foot went first? And start to climb a step, note which foot. I step up right, down left.
This is just fun, not to be taken too solemnly. But a lot of people get a surprise when they realize they're more complicated than they thought. Then when I suggest they switch hands to draw, it doesn't seem as unlikely.
In fact a lot of people draw better with the non dominant hand because they're less set on the results. It's just here goes nothing, a relaxed frame of mind which is good for making art.
So I hope this has resulted in a lot of people testing their assumptions and letting us know how it goes.
Meanwhile food on top of the stove is going.
This unlikely combo is the start of a stock. It began to smell heavenly and I remembered putting the ginger peelings in the bag.
Then I made a cream of carrot, cashew, ginger soup with nutmeg.
And later, not being able to bake bread till the stove's fixed, tomorrow we hope, I made pancakes, using the homemade butter.
I finished the First Purple Sock before my arm started fussing about the booster. And before a few waves of shivering and self pity.
Hoping for better today.
Happy day everyone.
Very interesting exercises. I tend to anchor movement to the right.
ReplyDeleteYes! Of course there is more than one part to dominance but we tend not to think of that so much. Very interesting!
ReplyDeleteI'm right side dominant except for my ear. I hold the phone to my left ear but I think it's because it frees up my right dominant hand. I did switch to my left for using the mouse about a year ago but that was because it was one of several changes I made to address the rotator cuff pain in my right shoulder.
ReplyDeleteOne of my childhood friends was very ambidextrous in that she could do most things equally well with either hand. I am left eyed and eared and a mix of handedness. Deal cards left, hang clothes left, throw for accuracy right, toss or catch either, stitch right, cut right, write right, apply makeup either, mouse either. I bet most people can do things with either hand if they try, but habits solidify ability. I had always brushed my teeth with my right hand until I hurt my shoulder and learned to do it left. Now I can do it with either without it feeling odd. I can't draw at all! Maybe I should give it a go with my left and see what happens - couldn't be any worse!
ReplyDeleteWell I must say it's a good thing nobody walked by my sewing room door just now because I was going through all the motions to see which 'dominance' I have. Results....paper roll, right; phone, left; writing, right; stepping (lead with my right); stairs, up right, down left (but that varies it seems...depending on if my knees are hurting at any particular time). However, I often stitch with either hand although my right is more dominant.
ReplyDeleteWhile I am predominantly a leftie (in more ways than one...), I have always tried to foster ambidextrous behavior, such as being able to write with my right hand--not necessarily pretty, but readable. Frankly, a lot of this came about due to a lack of left-handed devices growing up. Left-handed scissors were a revelation I didn't discover until I was in my early 20's. Also, as a kid, I wanted to play golf with my Dad, but I only had access to right-handed clubs. Never did play with left-handed clubs. Could play tennis with either hand. Does help not to pigeon-hole yourself into thinking there is only one way of doing things.
ReplyDeleteRight for everything except left for the phone! Coincidentally, also my "best" ear.
ReplyDeleteI am right for everything but have a left dominant daughter and grandson. I found it impossible to teach knitting etc to my daughter. She has learned on her own. She guides her son at activities with his left hand so he is luckier than she was.
ReplyDeleteI am a complete lefty...I hope you feel better soon!
ReplyDeleteAn accounting friend of mine, back in my accounting life, was a lefty. She wrote with her left hand. But, she ran her ten key adding machine with her right hand, and thus never has to put down her pencil to write her answer.
ReplyDeleteRight eye, left ear, throw with right arm, catch with left hand (or equally well with both), write and draw with right hand, deal with right hand, thread a needle with right hand, take first step with left foot, same as you going up or down a step (that strikes me as really weird). And finally, I'm surprised I can draw as well as I can with my left hand. It's not as comfortable (and certainly not a good drawing), but I draw the shape of an item better (at least no worse) with my left hand, than with my right. I think it's because I'm more intent (or have to rely) on drawing the shapes (in a thing) I see, rather than what I think the whole thing should look like - which my right hand wants to do. Cool.
ReplyDeleteI am very right-handed and footed. Like you, however, I hold the phone to my left ear, or used to when we put phone to ears. Strangely enough, I held my hockey stick left-handed although I batted and golfed right. One daughter is fairly ambidextrous. She eventually favoured right, but when we had a game/app that tested right and left, she she better with her off-hand than other people.
ReplyDelete