7/14 Class Recap

Instead of continuing our dream work, today we took a brief pause to review sense streaming. The process of sense streaming is meant to help us not to rely just on sight when streaming. It’s about connecting you to those primitive impulses in order to relate to the sense. Your sense must be heightened since other senses can sometimes trigger you more effectively. The upcoming sense streaming class will help open up the senses therefore opening up their emotional core, heightens senses, and creates a catalog of sense to access. Jon astutely pointed out that this sensework is especially beneficial in this world of CGI and green screens. And accessing more senses help to solidify that image for you.

So, today’s exercise was meant to be a taste of sense streaming with the goal of triggering imagery another way so we can have alternatives. The foundation of this method is to pretend we are blind and can only deal with sensory triggering imagery by using other senses. Allow your mind to go blank, experience the sense he provides you then allow others to flow in. However, your mind should only see the image of your location when you are instructed to open your eyes. Try not to let your mind create a narrative as that is not the objective. Since the goal is to have your senses propel that image once you see it- stop. In reflecting upon the exercise, think about what sense, other than sight, was most powerful.

In the beginning, I was able to keep my mind blank as my senses filled in the space and only saw my location when I opened my eyes. This was for vaguer prompts like “hear a crackling fire” and “smell saltwater.” I would experience that first sense in my white blank mind and once my mind realized the location, other senses would appear. I found it amusing that, once again, I saw a mountaintop camp scene that has appeared in similar exercises before. I think it proves that imagining that campfire scene is the closest I’ve ever come to camping! What was also interesting about these examples and the “smell of perfume” is that I started with a blank space and it was as if the sense or object creating the sense was directly beneath me. That way it was out of sight for the most part. I could see those tiny particles of flame that float into the sky and the edges of the perfume bottle as the smell was emitted from it. I believe this is due to the use of specific objects rather than a larger place (like for “feel a forest breeze”). Using the taste of spicy food and ice cream brought on a location rather quickly. I guess because, on both occasions, my memory goes to restaurants when I think about that delicious food rather than my fridge to cure my 3AM Ben and Jerry’s craving. As I mentioned in class, I actively had to think of potential locations for the “smell a musty closet/basement/garage” because I’m not as familiar with the odor. So, I thought of a couple of places at my grandmother’s house and had a complete “lightbulb moment” when I remembered her basement closet has that precise smell. I pictured it from afar at first, with the door open wide enough to peer in but, when I opened my eyes, I was in the middle of the room as if I was looking for something. Funnily enough, when given the “hear traffic” prompt, my mind gave me a typical helicopter shot of LA traffic. Maybe it’s because LA is the extreme of this scenario or maybe because I’ve been lucky to not be stuck in terrible traffic while I’ve been driving. Either way, in true worst-case scenario fashion, I immediately associate bad traffic with summer heat and humidity. My mind ran away from me for two in particular: “feel a warm body next to you” and “hear distant music.” The former almost immediately brought forth an image of my now ex-boyfriend. To keep myself from getting so emotional it would affect me even after class, I wiped that image away and went back to my blank space where I just felt man’s warm presence standing next to me. The latter, I created the tiniest bit of narrative. I specifically heard the song “It's Been a Long, Long Time” by Kitty Kallen and The Harry James Orchestra. In the film I first heard the song in, it was in fact playing from another room. I pictured looking into one of the event rooms at a local bar here in Richmond, The Hof. It quickly turned out to be a wedding and I could suddenly feel the formal dress I was wearing on my skin, the round sequins, and the slight tipsiness from champagne. And that tinge of sadness from being alone at a wedding, looking in at loving couples, felt so real. I think it’s a testament to how much music can evoke emotions and create images.

So, overall, when I went through this process, that first sense would appear to a blank slate. In the beginning, my mind stayed blank but, as we went on, I’d get the sense then almost immediately see an image associated with it. But by seeing my surroundings, it helped me to discover those other senses all the easier. I enjoyed this exercise because it does force you to naturally explore every sense other than sight, which is something I sometimes have to actively remember to do. I thought by writing out my experiences with each sensory phrase, I would get a better idea of which sense other than sight works best for me. I know that when I’m streaming, that sense is feeling/touch. Looking back at my notes, it seems sound tended to come before the rest. I heard the waves and seagulls at the beach for saltwater, birds chirping by the crackling fire, the sound of the spray bottle for perfume. Touch played a part too- though I heard the chatter of other patrons when tasting ice cream, I also felt that summer air. Hearing the music made me feel the dress I was wearing and that slightly off feeling from drinking. Even tasting spicy food made me feel the cool table and chair at the restaurant I was eating at. Even when I finally found my grandma’s musty closet, I felt the prickle of her Christmas tree stowed there and the cold concrete beneath my feet. Maybe it’s a tie between the two? It just depends on what serves me best in that particular situation.

Fun fact: if anyone’s interested, there are YouTube videos out there that add effects to songs to make them sound like they are coming from another room or an old radio, etc. It could be interesting to use to practice this sort of thing.

Thanks for the tip on YouTube. This is a great post. I am going to use it for a guide when I rewrite this class. You rock!