Girl Before a MirrorPablo Picasso
1932
“O wad some Pow'r the giftie gie us
To see oursels as others see us!
It wad frae mony a blunder free us,
An' foolish notion!
What airs in dress an' gait wad lea'e us,
And ev'n devotion!” ... Robbie Burns
If you were given six words -- and only six words -- to describe yourself, what would they be? You can give this some thought, or you can jump in. And then, if you were given six words to describe yourself as you think others see you, what would those six words be? It's strange how often the two lists are quite different. One of the words that would be on both lists is "funny". People often describe themselves as funny, and they think that other folks perceive them as funny as well. Humor is a bonding emotion.
What is even more interesting is how the sexes differ in their descriptions of themselves and each other. Women rarely describe other people -- male or female -- by using physical characteristics, whereas men almost exclusively use physical characteristics in describing themselves and others.
You're invited to give it a try. Use six words to describe yourself as you see yourself, and then six words to describe yourself you think other see you. Don't be shy...
I am going to leave this post up for a few days, because I have had so many wonderful visitors to my blog, and I haven't had an opportunity to visit everyone. So, for the next few days I will visiting all you folks. Put the coffee on.
Jo goes first. :-)
ReplyDelete~Lorna
Lorna is right. Where are your six words?
ReplyDeleteI will have to give this sone thought and get back to you.
Where are your six words ? :P :D
ReplyDeleteUm wow this like filling another slambook/yearbook...haven't come across many in a while,the last one i filled was three years ago in 10th grade :D
um,so me describing myself:
funny(lol there you go),bookworm,short-tempered,compassionate,forgetful(at times,but I always remember dates...reflects my love for history see? lol),optimistic
Anyone at a first glance would describe me as short(5 foot nothing :( lol),shy,(tad bit) arrogant,crazy(if I'm with my friends,and then I'm always laughing),childish....uh I can't think about any. Only six? lol took me about a quarter of an hour .
well there you go,me-a wierd mix of words!!
-Sweta
descibing myself:
ReplyDelete1) sensitive (over sensitive at times)
2) gullible
3) confident (to the extent of being complacent)
4) appealing looks
5) overweight
6) pleasant person
others would see me as:
1) normal but fun
2) sharp witted
3) not a great listener/ unresponsive
4) dependable
5) big hearted
6) they can take me for a ride.
There...! I am sure what I think others think of me is probably wishful thinking for most part.
But this was good fun. I have tried to be honest. and waiting for others to follow suit.
Six words?
ReplyDeleteMost times I feel like black.
Maybe it's because I used to be kind of a funky singer in a nightclub.
Play the funky music, White Boy.
I was an entertainer to a largely black audience in Newmarket, Ontario, ttraining white chicks to be Raylettes in a Ray Charles rendition of I wonder, which is different from I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now, funkier.
I't lead off
Sometimes I sit here in this chair, and I wonder.
Quasi -Raylettes: I wonda....
I wonder where you can be this moonlit night.
Raylettes: I wonda...wonda....
I wonder if someone is holding you tight now
Raylettes: I wonda....
And I wonder if you've a million miles away now
Raylettes: I wonda.....wonda...
Makes this man on a wonder, (Wonda, wonda...I ...wonda...
We all feel at times what used to be called black, that's why a honky can sometimes do blues.
Ah,behind the tracks Chicago.
I sometimes wish I'd grown up there. To be a real bluesman.
Art is like music, no?
A mirror shows one's physical side only. It's not what one thinks, it's what one sees - facts.
ReplyDeleteStrange thing about Bloggers. They are willing to tell us about their innermost thoughts and feelings, yet many of them won't offer in their Profile,even a vague image of themselves ,to give us some idea of the physical person behind the words.
Self Description
ReplyDeleteDimwit
Tired
Solitary
Clueless
Boring
Sad
Others
Opinionated
Dullard
Foolish
Stinky (smoker)
Broken
Dumbass
Me:
ReplyDeleteFunny
Creative
Impulsive
Abstract
Passionate
Spiritual
Others:
Cranky
Ascerbic
Creative
Overbearing
Opinionated
Eccentric
Me:
ReplyDeleteChristian
Artistic
Spinster
Juno ( female genius )
individual
bookworm
Others:
Christian
artistic
hip
packrat ( includes books )
opinionated
friendly
I would discribe myself as...
ReplyDelete1)disorganized
2)messy
3)wondering
4)sensitive
5)compastionate
6)quite
I just had my evaluation at work so I will use some of what they said about me...
1)eye for detail (that one shocked me. I don't have an eye for detail. I guess I fake that really well.)
2)hard working. (I'm at work right now... )
3)organized
4)fun to work with
5)attentive to others
6)always says what is on her mind.
That's so true, about the differences in men and women describing someone. I've noticed that myself.
ReplyDeletedescribing myself (I'm sure this would change on a daily basis): thoughtful, emotional, smart, opinionated, loyal
others describing me: quiet or shy, snobby, smart, kind, guarded
It's always been interesting to me that because I am thoughtful (aka I listen more than talk) and am slightly guarded when I meet someone new, they often assume I'm a snob. I've had several people tell me when they first met me they thought that. It seems a weird conclusion to which to jump, but I don't know how to change their initial perception of me. Luckily that perception doesn't seem to last very long.
oh this is fun!
ReplyDeletehow i view myself: strong, happy, intelligent, aware, growing, loving
how others view me: confident, smart, supportive, pretty, organized, easy-going
you did say not to be shy (:
thanks for the great exercise!
so what are yours?
Let'see.
ReplyDeleteMyself
1. Not part of the volgivagant group
2. But not part of the isangelous bunch either.
3. old
4. Shakey
5. Having perspicacious judgment
6.Deeply Religious
Others
1. An expert at causitry
2. Reteller of quondam experiences.
3. Believer in cynicocratical government ( at least in the family)
4. Old
5. Funny
6. Nice guy ( like "Your one nice guy".
I've seen this question go around alot, and I find it really hard to answer. The other versions i've seen mainly used 6 word sentences, so i'll try my best to respect that rule. I'm going to modify the questions a bit though - I feel the need to focus on my future instead of the illusions of the present.
ReplyDeleteWho I want to become : Know thyself, observe others, understand life.
How I want to be perceived one day : Rare diamonds are formed under pressure. (Hey, I can always dream, right?)
Those kinds of questions always feel awkward to answer.. for me, anyway. Just like at a job interview "tell me who YOU really are." or some such question. But I'd love to see your answers. ;)
ReplyDeleteI think that can be explained by a 6 word story can not go more than nonsense.
ReplyDeleteSee myblog
Please all come to my blog and read/comment. I have done so with some of yours.
ReplyDeleteTo describe myself:
1) Bubbly
2) Passionate
3) Swishy (!?)
4) Magnificent (~)
5) With hidden depths (dont know if there's a single word for that)
6) Bitchy (!)
Other people................. ummmmmmm....... annoying?
Six words to describe me. Dancing as fast as I can. Sometimes holidays and deadlines catch me off guard so I thought I had another week.
ReplyDeleteWell... I certainly wasn't expecting this! I was all set to tell you how I had seen this painting at the High Museum in Atlanta when bang!=-)
ReplyDeleteMy six:
Nonjudgmental
Loyal (sometimes to a fault)
Passionate
(Reasonably) Happy
Undisciplined
Guarded
Six I've heard from others:
Social
Strong
Opinionated
Unconventional
Nonjudgmental
Good hair
Yes, good hair. I once attended a women's group for six weeks where towards the end the only consistently positive thing anyone said about me was I had good hair. Go figure.
Good exercise for self-reflection, Jo.
six words i would use.....funny, quick, shy, messy, dreamer, observant........six words someone might use....funny, meanspirited, lazy, cocky, wacky, messy
ReplyDeleteMy...
ReplyDelete1) Room fan
2) Sociable
3) Adaptable
4) Lyricism
5) Humorist
6) Honest
Others...
1) Internet fan
2) Gent
3) Epicurean
4) Arrogance
5) Boaster
6) Narrow-minded
-----------------
Strong
ReplyDeleteImpatient
Driven
Spiritual
Loving
Demanding
hmm toughy
ReplyDeletedescribing myself:
confused
optimistic
bootylicious
bright
maternal
cuddly
Others describe me:
outspoken
responsible/irresponsible (depends on who you talk to about me being a mom)
exuberant
mom-shaped
contradicting
redhead
Me:
ReplyDeleteMelancholy
Introverted
Creative
Sensitive
Bittersweet
Caring
Others:
Quiet
Introverted
Friendly
Honest
Intelligent
Scaredy Cat
Okay, Josie, you're next! D
"Trying to live life beyond ordinary"
ReplyDeleteThanks for playing, everyone. Okay, my turn.
ReplyDeleteMe:
Artistic
Curious
Kind-hearted (is that two words?)
Loving
Crazy
Intellectual
Others:
Outspoken
Intelligent
Artistic
Generous
Crazy
Opinionated
Self Description - Budh.aaah
ReplyDeleteSad
tired
Clueless
Gullible
loving
optimistic
Others
Talented
Helpful
Pushover
(as in spirit) weak
(dependent/)stupid
(yet) optimistic
ok, this one is real fun
ReplyDeleteme: 1.skeptic
2.confused
3.kind
4.conscious
5.reticent
6.sleepy
others view me as:
1.gullible
2.proudy
3.innocent
4.cute
5.reticent
6.sham
Here I go (sorry for the lateness, trying to read all the blogs I follow):
ReplyDelete1. driven
2. content
3. stubborn
4. curious
5. helpful
6. loved
By the way Jo, the painting that you posted, in a design class, we had to do a project based upon the "girl in the mirror" but could only use black and white paper. I will have to take a shot of the project and post it for you sometime. It was hard to describe myself, because I feel sometimes that others really do not take the time to see me for who I am...I can get a bit introverted, but that is only because I love to observe the world around me!