paradox

Mae | XVI | INTJ • erudite | STEM | PH | st★rlight | epistemophilic

[srsfunny]

[anonymousintp]

MBTI Terms vs Conventional Meaning

One of the main problems with MBTI is that this theory uses rather common words to indicate types, but these MBTI “jargon” actually have completely different meanings from their conventional usage. This leads to misunderstandings of what the actual MBTI theory is about.

Moreover, most MBTI tests give you results based on percentages of I vs E, S vs N, T vs F, and J vs P. This creates a misunderstanding that the theory is based on the dichotomies between each letter pair, and that someone can be half J and half P, for example.

Let’s explore what MBTI terms really mean, and how they differ from the conventional meanings of these words, and the misinterpreted stereotypical/dichotomous “MBTI” meanings.

Introvert (I)

Introvert (conventional & stereotypical/dichotomous MBTI)

Someone who likes to spend time alone, preferring to be in their own room reading books

Someone who dislikes parties or any kinds of social gatherings

Probably shy and doesn’t talk much, may have social anxiety

Has few close friends, or, no real life friends

Has low energy

Introvert (MBTI)

Having a dominant introverted function (Ti, Fi, Ni, or Si)

A preference for focusing their energy inward e.g. tending to their own thoughts alone, analyzing themselves and their environment

A preference for formulating complete thoughts or theories on their own first before sharing them with other people

An MBTI introvert can be outgoing and sociable, but they still feel more at home being with their own thoughts and get worn out faster when interacting with people than extraverts

Extravert (E)

Extravert (conventional & stereotypical/dichotomous MBTI)

Someone who’s outgoing and a social butterfly

Loves parties

Has a large group of friends and large network of acquaintances

Great at networking and making new friends

Talkative and socially confident

Energetic

Extravert (MBTI)

Having a dominant extraverted function (Te, Fe, Ne, or Se)

A preference for focusing their energy outward e.g. interacting with the outside world by talking to others or taking actions and interacting with their surroundings

A preference for formulating their thoughts as they talk out loud to other people without having completely polished thoughts beforehand

An MBTI extravert can have social anxiety and dislike spending time with a large group of people, but they still have a preference of interacting with the outside world. An MBTI extravert may only prefer spending time with their few close friends, but they need to interact with those few close friends a lot to feel fulfilled and balanced.

Ambivert

Ambivert (conventional)

Someone who has both qualities of the conventional introvert and the conventional extravert in moderate amount

i.e. pretty much everyone on earth

Ambivert (stereotypical/dichotomous MBTI)

Someone who gets 50% E and 50% I on MBTI tests

Ambivert (MBTI)

This is a trick. It doesn’t exist in this theory.

Why? Because of each type’s thought process works based on 4 cognitive functions (out of 8). You can’t be half this type and half the other type because you’d have conflicting cognitive functions - i.e. constant cognitive dissonance with every single living thought, so you’d not be a functioning human (get the pun?).

For the more advanced MBTI enthusiasts: Yes, introverts and extraverts with the same last 3 letters have the same functions (e.g. INTP and ENTP), but you still can’t really be half-half because Ti-Ne and Ne-Ti approach the world differently. They experience different problems and stress factors (Ti-Si loop and Fe grip v.s. Ne-Fe loop and Si-grip).

If you don’t know what cognitive functions are, start with this.

Intuitive (N)

Intuitive (conventional)

Knowing something to be true without conscious reasoning or the need to go through information

“Women’s intuition”

Having an almost psychic ability to “get” people

Fluid intelligence (e.g. an intuitive learner)

Intuitive (stereotypical/dichotomous MBTI)

An intelligent, interesting person who gets all the funny jokes and subtle hints that people give

Imaginative, creative, artistic, explorative

Intuitive (MBTI)

Someone who prefers to use interpretations of information they receive from the 5 senses - e.g. possibilities of what these things could be, their theoretical usage, and what they relate to (Ne), or what these things symbolically represent and will become in the future (Ni)

A preference for discussing theoretical, abstract, symbolic topics

A preference to understand the global, overall picture before getting into details

Being an Intuitive does not equate being intelligent. There are plenty of boring Intuitives around. It depends on how you develop yourself.

Sensing (S)

Sensing (conventional)

Quite similar to the conventional meaning of intuition - having a feeling that there’s something going on beneath the surface (e.g. “I’m sensing something wrong here”)

Perceiving or becoming aware of something

Sensor (stereotypical/dichotomous MBTI)

An unintelligent, boring person who always misses hints and has no sense of humor

Bland, boring, dull, mediocre

Sensing (MBTI)

Someone who prefers to use direct information they receive from the 5 senses - e.g. what these things are and what I can use them for right now (Se), or what these things are and how they have been used effectively in the past (Si)

A preference for discussing practical, applicable, immediately relevant topics

A preference for learning details first, then building those details up to an overall picture

Sensors can be intelligent, creative, and artistic (yes, even SJs)

Thinking (T)

Thinking (conventional)

The process of considering or reasoning about something

Directing one’s mind towards something or someone

Thinking (stereotypical/dichotomous MBTI)

Someone who thinks a lot

Making decisions based on logic and rationality

Someone who is calm and intelligent

Someone who is robotic and stoic, and doesn’t have any emotions

Someone who is doing something technical like hard sciences and maths

Like a stereotypical man

Thinking (MBTI)

A preference for making decisions based on facts, truth and logical analysis (Ti), rationality and empirical evidence (Te)

MBTI Thinkers can learn to be considerate and not offensive to others, especially if their feeling function is in the tertiary position.

MBTI Thinkers have emotions, and can act emotionally/irrationally, especially in times of stress or if immature

MBTI Thinkers are not automatically good at science and math, and may not even like those subjects. They can be amazing artists and musicians.

Feeling (F)

Feeling (conventional)

An emotional state or reaction

Experiencing an emotion or sensation

Feeling (stereotypical/dichotomous MBTI)

Someone who feels a lot and doesn’t think a lot

Making decisions based on emotions

An emotional person; someone who’s dramatic, may be animated, sweet, and nice

Most likely unintelligent, not academic, and incapable of logical thinking

Someone who is doing something involving arts, languages, or humanities

Like a stereotypical woman

Feeling (MBTI)

A preference for making decisions based on what is morally just, personal ethics (Fi) or keeping social harmony (Fe)

MBTI Feelers can be logical, think empirically, good at science and math, and do not act emotional

MBTI Feelers can be bashful and inconsiderate, especially if immature or under stress

Judging (J)

Judging (conventional)

Forming an opinion or conclusion about something

Being judgmental; determining whether qualities someone or something has are correct or desirable

Judging (stereotypical/dichotomous MBTI)

Someone who is organized, responsible, structured, neat, clean, tidy

Someone who is always on time

Someone who loves schedules and needs to plan ahead

Judging (MBTI)

Having a dominant (if extraverted) or auxiliary (if introverted) extraverted judging functions (Je) - Te, Fe

Judgers can be messy, spontaneous, and always late (especially in leisure). These are learned behaviors/habits. Their external behaviors do not dictate their MBTI (i.e. thought process).

Perceiving (P)

Perceiving (conventional)

The way the brain processes external information through the 5 senses

Becoming aware of something

Interpreting something in a particular way

Perceiving (stereotypical/dichotomous MBTI)

Someone who is messy, scattered, disorganized, lazy, unreliable

Someone who is always late

Someone who is easy going and always go with the flow

Someone who is spontaneous and loves surprises

Perceiving (MBTI)

Having a dominant (if extraverted) or auxiliary (if introverted) extraverted perceiving functions (Pe) - Ne, Se

Perceivers can be outwardly organized, tidy, and always on time (especially in the work place or if they grew up in that environment). These are learned behaviors/habits. Their external behaviors do not dictate their MBTI (i.e. thought process).

If you want to know more about MBTI, visit MBTI Resources - a compilation of the well-written, informative, and accurate articles on the web.

-eilamona

(images source)

[studyingwarrior-deactivated2015]

TO THE STUDYBLRS WHO:

Don’t get “good” grades

Can’t afford fancy school supplies

Are terrible test takers

Don’t know what they want to do with their lives

Barely ever get notes on their posts

Are terrible procrastinators

Don’t take pretty notes

Have to work double as hard to catch up to everyone else

WE CAN DO IT TOO! KEEP WORKING!

[bloggerforstudentprogress-blog]

hi, i saw on a post that you have depression, yet have great af grades. do you have any tips for someone who also battles depression?

Hi there! Both of those things are correct, yes. I will say that my depression is pretty mild comparatively speaking, so things might be different if your illness is more severe than mine, and at the risk of sounding like I’m bragging again I’ve never had to work too hard to keep my grades up (my mom blessed me with an amazing brain, I guess). But I do still struggle, so here are some things I try to do to tip the scale in my favor (I’d like to publish this publicly if that’s okay):

Go to bed early and consistently. Seriously, I cannot stress this enough. Staying up late was probably the worst thing I did for my health, because I’d want to sleep all day and that will cut in on your study time, which will stress you out and just generally snowball into general awfulness. You don’t have to be in bed by like, 8, but try to shoot for 10 or 11. I found 10 works best for me. Try to wake up at the same time every day, too, depending on how many hours of sleep you need. This will vary from person to person. My best friend only needs like 5 hours of sleep to function fine. I need more like 8 or 9. That’s okay. Don’t let yourself feel bad for needing more sleep.

Budget your time wisely. One thing I like to do at the start of every semester is bust open Google Calendar and enter all my classes and my work schedules (this can also be done in Excel, just fill in the days and hours as your first row and column). Then I look at all the blank space. Those blank spaces are going to be my critical study periods. If you use Google Calendar and have a smartphone, you also have the benefit of setting up alarms so you know when and where you need to be at any given moment. I don’t even bother remembering where I need to go anymore; I just make my phone tell me.

Start assignments the second you get them. Even if it’s just printing things that you need out or writing your name at the top of the worksheet or whatever. Do something with your homework. The hardest part of any assignment is getting started, but once you do you might find yourself building a little momentum. If you don’t, don’t force it if you don’t have to. Some days you might, especially on time-sensitive work.

Plan. Everything. It doesn’t matter how. Buy a planner. Use an online planner or app or something. I actually use two things: A physical planner (right now I’m trying Passion Planner), and Any.Do. For Any.Do, I have folders for every class I’m taking, and I entered all the important tasks and due dates for each class in (exams, project due dates, anything big, set-in-stone events you can find in the syllabus). I also have it set up to remind me a day in advance, so I’m never surprised. My physical planner is used for homework and day-to-day, smaller assignments. This system works really well for me, but it might not for you. There will probably be a trial and error period where you find your groove.

Do as much work on campus/at school as humanly possible. I know some people are more productive at home. I am not one of those people. When I go home, I am done for the day. I might work a little bit if I couldn’t finish everything I wanted to on campus, or if I’m just sick of campus and wearing pants, but for the most part I try to get as much done on campus as I possibly can. I find it to be a much more productive environment for me; I don’t screw around nearly as much.

Eat. It might sound kind of silly, but seriously. Eat. Eat breakfast. Eat lunch. Eat dinner. Eat snacks. And buy foods you know you’re going to eat: I have a very sensitive stomach in the morning (I always wake up nauseous), but I know there are certain foods I can choke down in the morning, like bagels and granola bars. I keep my pantry stocked with those things. They’re quick to eat, easy to prepare, and I can have a hot breakfast if I want or not. Sometimes a hot meal can make all the difference. And definitely on high spoon days make as much food as you can. Low-spoon you will thank high-spoon you for the leftovers. Also try to sneak in as many fruits and vegetables as you possibly can, even if you don’t like them. I love vegetables, so it’s not a problem for me to eat them, but I hate…HATE…HATEfruit. Passionately. But I can tolerate like…banana-chocolate smoothies (I make them with chocolate flavored Carnation Instant Breakfast for a vitamin boost), or like…apples and cinnamon in oatmeal. If you’re anti-veggie (how dare you) (jk), sneak them into meals by adding them into pasta dishes. Add salsa to tacos. Wilt some spinach or mix some broccoli into your fettucini alfredo. But definitely try to get in some fruits and veggies. Your health should always come first.

Make a good study playlist. People’s tastes tend to vary, but having music or at the very least white noise can make or break a study session. I personally like the ambient channel on Pandora; it’s got soft, relaxing music without words so I don’t get distracted and try to sing along. But sometimes even that’s too much, and I’ll use Simply Noise (a free white noise generator) to just have some kind of sound running in the background. I get distracted very easily by people speaking, or miscellaneous noises happening around me, so I need to drown those out. I actually prefer the brown noise over the white noise though; the pitch is a lot lower, and doesn’t hurt my ears.

Take care of yourself as much as you can on the weekends. I use the weekends probably about 80% for self-care and 20% for homework and studying. I let myself sleep in an extra hour, do fun and relaxing things, take a bath, whatever you like to do. If you budget your time wisely (your planner will come in handy for that), you can fudge it so you have more spare time on the weekends. Sometimes it won’t work out that way, and you’ll have to dedicate full weekends to working. That’s okay. Just try to be a little more gentle on yourself throughout the week.

Take a daily vitamin. If you forget to eat or just can’t bear the idea of making something (which I totally get), at least make sure you’re getting the basic vitamins and minerals your body needs. B-vitamins, Vitamin C and Vitamin D are the top three most important that come to mind for me. I also recommend finding vitamins with iron, but mostly because I have trouble with anemia. Vitamins with iron can be tricky to find though, especially if you have difficulty swallowing pills (I have yet to find a gummy vitamin that contains iron, even for adults). But gummies are totally an option and I highly recommend them! It’s like starting your day off with candy. :D

Speak to a guidance counselor or see if your university has a disability services you could register with to receive accommodations for your illness. This is probably one of those things most people don’t think of, but it’s so amazingly helpful during bad times. My university has a department called Disability Services, and if you have a documented illness that affects your performance in school (my university considers depression and mental illness a disability), you can register with them and receive certain accommodations to help sort of even the playing field between you and healthy students, and it is COMPLETELY confidential. I, for example, am allotted a few extra excused absences, and a few extra minutes to get to classes or take exams. I have so far only used these services once or twice, but the fact that I have them is a huge weight off my mind. See if your school does something similar.

Try to get some gentle exercise in a few times a week. This is kind of hypocritical for me to say because I have the most horrible relationship with exercise you’ve ever seen, but it really can make a difference. Go for a gentle walk, or do some stretches, or dance around your room in your underwear while passionately singing into your hairbrush (…not that I do that or anything). Just get up and move a little. Personally, I consider my hikes to and from classes enough exercise, but this semester I’m trekking back and forth across campus a LOT. I am trying to get back into yoga though.

Go to your professor’s office hours. I used to hate asking questions in class, to the point where I’d panic and have to sneak away to the bathroom to calm down at the very thought of it. I’m a lot better about it now (it takes a lot of practice and I had to realize that…well, damn it, I’m paying thousands of dollars to be here. I have the right to ask questions, no matter how stupid they are, because I’m the reasons these bitches get paid every week and they owe it to me to cater to my every whim), but if it’s something that still freaks you out, write your questions down. Ask them after class. And definitely, definitely go see your professors during their office hours. Not only is it a great way to get to know them better (networking! and even friendship; one of my best friends is my old Italian professor!), but it also shows them that you’re really putting in the effort to do well, and they’ll remember it. You specifically chased them down for help; professors notice that, and they like it. They’ll bend over backwards for you if they know you’re trying. Even my meanest professors were amazingly kind the second I made an appointment to see them during their office hours, because not a lot of people do it.

Look into tutoring services. My university offers free tutoring, which is great if you need extra help. But even if you don’t, schedule a tutoring appointment anyway. That way, you’ll have a set period of time once a week where you’re studying that subject, so you aren’t as likely to put it off. Plus, you’ll have someone helping you in case you get stuck, or just need to reinforce some things.

Learn it. Do it. Teach it. When I was a Girl Scout, my mom (our troop leader), set forth three rules in order for us to earn badges. First, we had to learn how to do something; be it tying knots or starting a fire. Then, we had to do it to prove that we could. Then, we had to teach someone else how to do it, usually in a workshop our troop would host. By doing those three things, we really solidified that knowledge into our brains, and honestly? I graduated Girl Scouts almost six years ago, and I still know how to make a bandanna bandage and how to build a lean-to style fire. So if you’re having trouble remembering things, use this method. And if the idea of teaching someone something is scary, teach your pet. Teach your stuffed animal. Hell, teach your wall. It’ll be better if you have like an actual person so you can see if they’re understanding it as well as you need to, but if someone’s not available, screw it. I used to teach my sister everything I learned in Italian when I was studying it in high school. She was like four. The child barely had a good grasp on English. Didn’t matter to me. Still doesn’t.

Don’t be afraid or ashamed of taking care of yourself. This is probably the hardest habit to adapt for anyone struggling with depression, because our whole mindset is based around shame. Nobody likes having to take a day off because they can’t keep up with “normal” people (and I say “normal” with THE BIGGEST AIR QUOTES EVER). But you know what? Sometimes you have to. If you’re up at three in the morning sobbing your brains out because you don’t think you can keep going anymore and the whole world feels like it’s closing in on you, then holy shit step back for a moment. Take some breaths. Hug a stuffed animal. Then email your professors to let them know you’re not coming in tomorrow, call off work if you have to (tell them you have a cold, fuck it, you as a person is more important than you as an employee), and go to bed. Then use the next day to take care of yourself. Work on stuff if you feel up to it, but don’t if you don’t. Person-You should always be top priority. Not Student-You, not Employee-You, not Any-Other-Category-You, nothing. You are always a human first, and sometimes you need a mental health day. It happens.

Reach out. If you’re having a bad day, talk to someone. Vent to a friend or a family member. Talk to a counselor, be it on-campus or off. You don’t have to spill your guts and explain every negative thought you’re having (I personally feel really uncomfortable doing that), but you can still voice little annoyances you had during the day and you’ll feel better. For example, if I’m having a really bad day emotionally, I’ll talk to my mom or my best friend and like…complain about the parking situation on campus, or some other minor annoyance that happened to me. Then they’ll complain too, and before we both know it we’re cracking jokes about the horrible parking situation or how unbelievably bad it smells in the math building and we’re both laughing and I feel much better. Even if I’m not addressing the exact problem, I’ve still managed to boost my mood enough that maybe I feel brave enough to talk about those problems, or just address them on my own time, or even just realize that things aren’t as bad as they felt a few hours ago. My communications professor (and friend of mine) always says this: A positive attitude can and will make all the difference. She’s right.

Use the pomodoro method of studying. A lot of people recommend it to prevent burnout, but I think it’s doubly important for people who get overwhelmed easily. I can’t focus on things for more than half an hour. The pomodoro method says to study for twenty-five minutes, then take a five-minute break. I find this works very well for me. You might need to tweak the times to fit your needs better, but generally speaking it’s best to study in smaller clumps with frequent breaks in between than it is to cram everything into six solid hours.

Stay hydrated. Drink water! It’s good for your brain and your body. Don’t like water? Flavor it! My mom hates water but knows she needs to drink more, so she adds grape flavored Propel powder to her water, and I think that’s a fair compromise (she calls it her “purple water” (’: ). Green tea is also acceptable; I like mine iced with a little Splenda and some lemon, but lately I’ve been on a huge water kick. Try to carry a bottle with you to your classes and stuff, too. I just use an old 16-ounce Dasani bottle I bought ages ago (if you do use old plastic bottles like this, try to recycle it after a few uses cuz the plastic will start to disintegrate).

Be proud of yourself. What you’re doing is not easy. Going to school and getting good grades comes easier to some than others, but it is not in and of itself “easy”. It’s even harder when you’re mentally unwell. You’re amazing, and don’t ever forget that. Praise yourself often, because like L'Oreal says, you’re WORTH IT! GOOD JOB YOU.

That’s about all I can think of right now, but I hope it gave you some good ideas, or inspired you to deal with things in your own way. If nothing else, I hope it helps to know that you’re not alone. Mentally ill people all over the place are going to school and succeeding. Some have to work harder than others, but we all know how the challenge feels, and if you have nobody else you’ll always have a support system here. I believe in you. It is possible to be successful in school, mental illness be damned.

I’m rootin’ for you. If you ever need anything, please shoot me another message.

Best of luck to you!

[violaboss]

I’ve seen a lot of curious people wanting to dive into classical music but don’t know where to start, so I have written out a list of pieces to listen to depending on mood. I’ve only put out a few, but please add more if you want to. hope this helps y’all out. :)

stereotypical delightful classical music:

battalia a 10 in d major (biber)

brandenburg concerto no. 5

brandenburg concerto no. 3

symphony no. 45 - “farewell” (haydn)

if you need to chill:

rondo alla turca

fur elise

anitra’s dance

in the steppes of central asia (borodin) (added by viola-ology)

if you need to sleep:

moonlight sonata

swan lake

corral nocturne

if you need to wake up:

morning mood

summer (from the four seasons)

buckaroo holiday (if you’ve played this in orch you might end up screaming instead of waking up joyfully)

if you are feeling very proud:

pomp and circumstance

symphony no. 9 (beethoven; this is where ode to joy came from)

1812 overture

symphony no. 5, finale (tchaikovsky) (added by viola-ology)

american (dvořák)

if you feel really excited:

hoedown (copland)

bacchanale

spring (from the four seasons) (be careful, if you listen to this too much you’ll start hating it)

la gazza ladra

death and the maiden (schubert)

if you are angry and you want to take a baseball bat and start hitting a bush:

dance of the knights (from the romeo and juliet suite by prokofiev)

winter, mvt. 1 (from the four seasons)

symphony no. 10 mvt. 2 (shostakovich)

symphony no. 5 (beethoven)

totentanz (liszt)

quartet no. 8, mvt. 2 (shostakovich) (added by viola-ology)

young person’s guide to the orchestra, fugue (britten) (added by iwillsavemyworld)

if you want to cry for a really long time:

fantasia based on russian themes (rimsky-korsakov)

adagio for strings (barber)

violin concerto in e minor (mendelssohn)

aase’s death

andante festivo

if you want to feel like you’re on an adventure:

an american in paris (gershwin)

if you want chills:

danse macabre

russian easter overture

if you want to study:

eine kleine nachtmusik

bolero (ravel)

serenade for strings (elgar)

scheherazade (rimsky-korsakov) (added by viola-ology)

pines of rome, mvt. 4 (resphigi) (added by viola-ology)

if you really want to dance:

capriccio espagnol (rimsky-korsakov)

blue danube

le cid (massenet) (added by viola-ology)

radetzky march

if you want to start bouncing in your chair:

hopak (mussorgsky)

les toreadors (from carmen suite no.1)

if you’re about to pass out and you need energy:

hungarian dance no. 1

hungarian dance no. 5

if you want to hear suspense within music:

firebird

in the hall of the mountain king

ride of the valkyries

night on bald mountain (mussorgsky) (added by viola-ology)

if you want a jazzy/classical feel:

rhapsody in blue

if you want to feel emotional with no explanation:

introduction and rondo capriccioso

unfinished symphony (schubert)

symphony no. 7, allegretto (beethoven) (added by viola-ology)

canon in d (pachelbel)

if you want to sit back and have a nice cup of tea:

st. paul’s suite

concerto for two violins (vivaldi)

l’arlésienne suite

pieces that don’t really have a valid explanation:

symphony no. 40 (mozart)

cello suite no. 1 (bach)

polovtsian dances

enigma variations (elgar) (added by viola-ology)

perpetuum mobile

pieces that just sound really cool:

scherzo tarantelle

dance of the goblins

caprice no. 24 (paganini)

new world symphony, allegro con fuoco (dvorak) (added by viola-ology​)

if you feel like listening to concertos all day (I do not recommend doing that):

concerto for two violins (bach)

concerto for two violins (vivaldi)

violin concerto in a minor (vivaldi)

violin concerto (tchaikovsky) (added by iwillsavemyworld)

cello concerto in c (haydn)

piano concerto, mvt. 1 (pierne) (added by iwillsavemyworld)

harp concerto in E-flat major, mvt. 1 (added by iwillsavemyworld)

and if you really just hate classical music in general:

4′33″ (cage)

a lot of these pieces apply in multiple categories, but I sorted them by which I think they match the most. have fun exploring classical music!

also, thank you to viola-ology and iwillsavemyworld for adding on! if you would like to add on your own suggestions, please reblog and add on or message me so I can give you credit for the suggestion!

[studyinginfonts]

This list is so good I wanna cry

[typicalmbticonversations]

INxJ: *thinking*

INxJ: *runs into a wall*

[mindedwings-blog]

me: please don't panic and overanalyze things again

brain: how bout i do a n y w a y

[quam-celerrime-ad-astra-deactiv]

NT MEETINGS I saw this cat picture with captions on Pinterest and this was all I could think about. ENTP starting the argument, ENTJ the group spokesman, INTJ the resident evil and INTP thinking really hard about how to build the real life Millennium Falcon prior to the release of the next Star Wars movie. (Credit for the cat picture & the captions goes to a crazy cat lady/gentleman probably. I just added the types.)

[mindedwings-blog]

adorable lil kitties who secretly wants to scratch off people's faces

[tastefullyoffensive]

Chemical Elements as Humans by Brightside

[mindedwings-blog]

So cute!

[sejient]

supercalifraglisticexistentialcrisis

[studysection]

Part four of my quotes collection is dedicated to the artists! This one is a little bit longer, but this is because there were so many good artists and quotes I couldn’t pick a select few. As always, I hope you enjoy these quotes!

Leonardo da Vinci

“You can have no dominion greater or less than that over yourself.”

“Learning never exhausts the mind.”

“Time abides long enough for those who make use of it.”

“It’s easier to resist at the beginning than at the end.”

“I love those who can smile in trouble, who can gather strength from distress, and grow brave by reflection. ‘Tis the business of little minds to shrink, but they whose heart is firm, and whose conscience approves their conduct, will pursue their principles unto death.”

Vincent van Gogh

“What would life be if we had no courage to attempt anything?”

“Great things are done by a series of small things brought together.”

“The way to know life is to love many things.”

“Even the knowledge of my own fallibility cannot keep me from making mistakes. Only when I fall do I get up again.”

“One must work and dare if one really wants to live.”

“It is better to be high-spirited even though one makes more mistakes, than to be narrow-minded and all too prudent.”

“The more I think about it, the more I realize there is nothing more artistic than to love others.”

“Do not quench your inspiration and your imagination; do not become the slave of your model.”

“Love many things, for therein lies the true strength, and whosoever loves much performs much, and can accomplish much, and what is done in love is done well.”

“As we advance in life it becomes more and more difficult, but in fighting the difficulties the inmost strength of the heart is developed.”

Florence Scovel Shinn

“Every great work, every big accomplishment, has been brought into manifestation through holding to the vision, and often just before the big achievement, comes apparent failure and discouragement.”

“You will be a failure, until you impress the subconscious with the conviction you are a success. This is done by making an affirmation which ‘clicks.‘”

Camille Pissarro

“It is absurd to look for perfection.”

“Everything is beautiful, all that matters is to be able to interpret.”

“Don’t be afraid in nature: one must be bold, at the risk of having been deceived and making mistakes.”

“When you do a thing with your whole soul and everything that is noble within you, you always find your counterpart.”

Pablo Picasso

“Inspiration exists, but it has to find us working.”

“Action is the foundational key to all success.”

“Everything you can imagine is real.”

“Only put off until tomorrow what you are willing to die having left undone.”

“I am always doing that which I cannot do, in order that I may learn how to do it.”

“He can who thinks he can, and he can’t who thinks he can’t. This is an inexorable, indisputable law.”

“Our goals can only be reached through a vehicle of a plan, in which we must fervently believe, and upon which we must vigorously act. There is no other route to success.”

Andy Warhol

“They always say time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself.”

“People need to be made more aware of the need to work at learning how to live because life is so quick and sometimes it goes away too quickly.”

Salvador Dali

“Intelligence without ambition is a bird without wings.”

“Have no fear of perfection - you’ll never reach it.”

“Mistakes are almost always of a sacred nature. Never try to correct them. On the contrary: rationalize them, understand them thoroughly. After that, it will be possible for you to sublimate them.”

Georgia O’Keeffe

“I’ve been absolutely terrified every moment of my life - and I’ve never let it keep me from doing a single thing I wanted to do.”

“You get whatever accomplishment you are willing to declare.”

Artemisia Gentileschi

“As long as I live I will have control over my being.”

Henri Matisse

“Creativity takes courage.”

“You study, you learn, but you guard the original naïveté. It has to be within you, as desire for drink is within the drunkard or love is within the lover.”

“There are always flowers for those who want to see them.”

“He who loves, flies, runs, and rejoices; he is free and nothing holds him back.”

“Instinct must be thwarted just as one prunes the branches of a tree so that it will grow better.”

Corita Kent

“Flowers grow out of dark moments.”

“Life is a succession of moments, to live each one is to succeed.”

“Love the moment and the energy of that moment will spread beyond all boundaries.”

Michaelangelo

“Faith in oneself is the best and safest course.”

“A beautiful thing never gives so much pain as does failing to hear and see it.”

“There is no greater harm than that of time wasted.”

“The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low, and achieving our mark.”

“Every beauty which is seen here by persons of perception resembles more than anything else that celestial source from which we all are come.”

[mochi-studies]

things to put in your cool ass bujo (๑•̀ㅂ•́)و✧

[mindelevator]

10 Tips and Tools for Writing Catchy Essays

Writing an essay is hard enough, but writing an essay that is catchy or one that instantly grabs the attention of the reader, can be even harder. Thankfully, we’ve rounded up 10 tips and tools to make writing catchy essays easy for you.

The tips and tools compiled here are just as good for writing catchy blogs, articles or any other content.

Pick A Catchy Title

A catchy title is the most important “hook” you need to grab the attention of your readers. The title is what draws the reader in. You need to make it interesting enough to make your reader curious and even impatient to read your essay. According to Jeff Goins, here are a few ways to write catchy titles:

Use numbers

Use interesting adjectives such as strange, fun, essential

Use unique rationale such as reasons, facts, principles

Use what, why, how or when

Make an audacious promise that your content is of value.

For instance, the title of this article encompasses all these aspects. Numbers+rationale+reason+promise = 10 Tips and Tools for Writing Catchy Essays

Brainstorm Ideas from Different Angles

Picking a title is perhaps the last task. You have many other tasks to complete before you pick the best title that matches your content. So now that you have a topic in mind, you need to brainstorm ideas from different angles. You could either sit down with your friends and talk it out, research online or go to the local library to soak in everything you need to know about the topic.

Hook Your Readers with A Catchy Introduction

An introduction is what will entice your readers to move on further. Once they read the title, introducing the first three sentences must lead your reader to the main points of your essay. There are many ways you can begin the introduction to your catchy essay:

Define the main keyword of the topic but define it with your own unique twist.

Quote famous authors or celebrities. You could even paraphrase it to make it more catchy.

Statistics is an interesting way to begin your introduction.

Explanation on why this essay is a good read (check out the intro to this article!)

Start with a question and answer it in your main content.

Read the full article on Students Toolbox!

This is an article written by one of our amazing contributors Alice Honeycutt.

If you want to read more similar articles, make sure to subscribe to Students Toolbox on the sidebar, and also follow our social medias Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Tumblr | Feedly | Pinterest | Google+ | Bloglivin’ | Snapchat.

Meanwhile, f you would like to tell me some of your ideas for blog posts or printables, or you have some questions regarding the blog posts, I am happy to answer you through email or write a post for you! Tell me on the Contact Us page!

[healthyeyes]

How to Write a University-level Essay

Heyo, so school is fast approaching, and seeing as Tumblr is made up of a lot of younger users who will soon be shipping off to college or university soon, I thought I would take it upon myself to help spread my knowledge of essay-writing. Essay-writing is my thing. I love it. I live for it. It’s how I make up for my shitty test marks, and still get by with an 85 average+ in University classes. I’m a historian by trade, so perhaps this information will seem a bit off from what you’re used to, but hopefully, It’ll help you out. If you have any questions, feel free to shoot me an ask.

1. Consider your question and find your thesis.

      I know, I know. People always say, no! Never start with your thesis/intro paragraph! Go to the body!! Well i’m here to say forget everything you’ve been told. Forget that, forget the stupid hamburger shit they teach you, forget it all and start reading. 

I ALWAYS start with my thesis. Why? Because you cannot make good paragraphs without knowing what you’re researching. You need direction, and a thesis is your map.

So, the question we’ll use shall be: What is one way in which the Union won the American Civil War?

Now remember, your thesis is your map. It shows you where to go, what to look for. The thesis is the heart and soul of all your work. You want a good, solid thesis. What does that include, you ask?

An idea

A reason for said idea

Evidence to support said reason, and thus validate the        idea.

So, lets do an example. Let’s say I’m writing on the use of media during the American Civil War. I like photography, and wrote a paper on this in my second year, but im gonna be doing this example freehand(idk where I put that essay lol) so lets work with how I got an A+ on that paper. This will be my idea:

                “Photography during the American Civil War influenced the war’s outcome in the Norths favour.”

This is VERY vague. This is an example of a thesis in bloom! Let’s take it further. Look at the above. What questions would you have from this thesis?

-Who was taking photos at that time?

-Why did it influence the outcome?

-How did it influence the outcome?

-Who consumed photography as a media at that time?

This is where you STOP, and start the next step.

2. Research

                Start your basic research with your idea, and the above questions in mind. Look at libraries, ask your professor or TA or librarian, or just do some basic google searches to get to know the subject(but for the love of god if you include a google link in your citation I will personally hunt you down and castrate you.)

I like to start with the basics of any inquiry: WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN, WHY, HOW. Who was taking photos? Where were they displayed that caused influence? ect…These, in relation to your beginner thesis, will help guide you in what form your thesis will take.

Once you’ve finished that, and have a general feel for the time period, go back to your thesis.

3. THESIS 2.0

Go back to your original question: What is one way in which the Union won the American Civil War? Now look at your thesis again. It’s too vague, isn’t it?

As you can see, our original thesis was too vague to be a real thesis. So, we NARROW IT DOWN using our WWWWWH progress we focused on during early research!

                “Photography during the American Civil war influenced the war’s outcome by providing a visual for ordinary citizens about the horrors of war, and thus helping to increase donations and awareness to the cause.”

Great! But once again, too vague! Questions that may arise include:

Who was taking the photos

Evidence for donations?

Evidence for social awareness?

So, we NARROW IT DOWN again. I’m going to use Andrew Gardner’s photography during the Civil war, as he was one of the most famous and influential at the time.

                “Andrew Gardner’s photography during the American Civil war influenced the war’s outcome by providing a visual for ordinary citizens about the horrors of war, and thus helping to increase donations and enlistment in the Union through awareness to the cause…”

The above then gives us the following(why and how are sometimes grouped together):

Who: Andrew Gardner

What: Photography helped the north win the war.

Where: Union-aka northern states

When: American Civil War

Why/How: Because Andrew Gardner’s photography raised social awareness through this new and budding medium

Use this sort of outline to guide you in the next step!

4. Now that we have a thesis, you need to do some more research and evidence gathering.

The way I like to do this is to go check out a few books from the library(look for text books in particular), and leaf through the index for matching terms. Our matching terms would be:

                Photography, civil war, Andrew Gardner, media

From there, you read over the pages, and see if any of the info relates to your subjects. Copy down quotes, page numbers, book title, author, publishing date and publisher. You need these for your bibliography. Pick and choose relevant information. The filter for relevant information relies entirely on your thesis, because it decides what you need to be looking for—this is why I hate when people tell me to start writing paragraphs before I write a thesis! It’s simply impossible and counter productive, and will cost you hours in revision.

So, gather your information from the library, and cross-reference with peer-reviewed articles and data. For our thesis, we would need data on enlistment numbers in an area after a date of Andrew Gardner’s photography exhibit showcases. No matter what type of essay you’re writing, you can always back up your evidence with data, and it won’t hurt one bit. Don’t be afraid of the numbers, kids!

So, if we were to go back to our thesis, we could now expand on it like this:

             “Andrew Gardner’s photography during the American Civil war influenced the war’s outcome by providing a visual for ordinary citizens about the horrors of war, and thus helping to increase donations and enlistment in the Union through awareness to the cause. An increase in  donations and enlistment in relation to exposure to Gardners work is seen in data/evidence point A, as well as in data/evidence point B, which will be fully outlined in the points below.”

This gives you an example of how to lead from a thesis, to your opening paragraph.

5. Data and Evidence Justifications—Paragraph making

This is the section where you can branch your essay into your data and evidence points you gathered in steps 2 and 4. You can have as many paragraphs as you like, just make sure your evidence and data is strong and supported. I personally like to work with my thesis copied and pasted onto the top of every page I write on. This keeps you on track, with your clear goal in mind, and will help you from straying. I will give you an example of how a paragraph might sound.

                Andrew Gardner’s photography during the American Civil War became heavily influential upon the American population at the time, particularly the north, wherein which his work was showcased. The influence of Gardner’s photographic works is seen in the _____, which shows us that without the influence of Gardner’s media influence, war efforts and awareness may not have been as successful as they had been.

This is an alright opener for you to work with. The ___ is where you could put in your data point or evidence piece. The point of the paragraph is to show your support for your thesis by confirming it with evidence.

Your paragraphs should take this form:

Present, Confirm, Conclude, Lead.

You present your evidence, confirm its relation to the thesis and confirm the validity of the thesis, conclude by brief revision of evidence, and then lead into your next paragraph. 

6. Conclusion

        Your conclusionary paragraph should be a look-over of the above paragraphs. Restate your thesis, present a summarized version of your paragraphs(one or two sentences only), and perhaps take the time to look at your own views on the subject. An example might look like this:

        “Taking a moment to step away from the above mentioned evidence, I believe it to be scholarly acceptable and even necessary to state my own views on the subject presented. In drawing conclusions, I felt that the above information was correct in that it presented a reality of the time period, in which photography was becoming a medium to be embraced by popular society. People were not only astounded by Gardner’s photographs on a social level, but also a technical level. The astonishment people held at seeing the war-torn battle fields spurred them into action, and even today can still present feelings of dread, fear and loss when looking at his photos…blah blah blah”

Why is it scholarly acceptable and perhaps necessary to state your views? Oftentimes, it is to reassure the reader of your own personal bias’, which exist whether you like them or not, to the subject at hand. Having a small tidbit on your own thoughts about your research ect, breaking away from the third-person droning of an essay can be refreshing and welcoming for a prof at the end of his stack of essay reading. 

7. In summary

Thesis

WWWWWH

NARROW IT DOWN

Data and Evidence

Present, Confirm, Conclude, Lead

Self opinions/Conclude

All in all, do unique things. Professors love it when they come across something that’s not cookie cutter! Even if they present you with a list of essay topics, take the leap and ask them if you can do your own research topic!! Take risks with your essay writing, talk to your professors about what you want to do, and try to have fun with your research. I’ve written on everything from civil war photography to Disney princesses in american media, to the religious formation of idea of heaven and earth. Remember, so long as there’s credible, documented evidence, it’s possible to write about it.

[introvertunites]

INTROVERT PROBLEM: When spending a heavenly weekend alone means that you’re missing out on time with friends.

[mindedwings-blog]

YESSSS

[pois0niv3y]

[legallychic]

is it just me or is studying late at night by yourself kind of comforting? Like you’re at the library or in your room on a thursday and its 2 am and you look at the window and everything is so quiet and peaceful and you have some hot coffee with you. You make a list of the things you want to get done and you feel accomplished for even studying right now and getting ahead in your classes and wow its great

[authorkurikuri]

shout out to forgotten asians.

shout out to south asians: asians from india, pakistan, sri lanka, bangladesh, afghanistan, bhutan, maldives.

shout out to ignored east asians from countries less romanticized than china, japan, and south korea: to mongolia, taiwan, vietnam, and further southeast to singapore, malaysia, the phillipines, east timor, brunei, cambodia, myanmar, laos, thailand.

shout out to ethnic groups within more known asian countries, like the tibetan people in china and the ainu and ryukyuan people in japan.

shout out to russian asians. shout out to central asians in former soviet countries, to people from kazakhstan, turkmenistan, tajikistan, uzbekistan, kyrgyzstan.

shout out to western asians in countries that don’t fit neatly into trivial western/european geographical boundaries of the middle east, of south asia, of europe, of africa. 

shout out to mixed asians, to latinax asians, to black asians, to indigenous asians, to mixed south and east asians, and every combination.

asian people are more than just the same few ethnicities shown on tv.

[starlightjimin]

thanks for the shoutout, op! also i’m pretty sure viet nam is part of south east asia, not east asia. :)