Who are you?
My name is Jessica, but I prefer to go by Jess. I’m a 22 year old woman living in Florida who currently works as a bartender. I graduated Cum Laude from Seminole State College with my Associate's degree focusing in Psychology. My original plan was to eventually transfer to UCF to continue my education and eventually work as a forensic psychologist; however a series of changes of heart and self discovery lead me to first decide to go into law enforcement but then decided to follow my true dream which is to live my life in the most authentic way possible. To be as happy as I can be, to work jobs that call to me or that I enjoy. To take classes and learn things that speak to my heart. I will not be forced into a box. I will not force myself to do things that drain my happiness or damage my spirit. Right now, I love bartending. I love the people I get to meet. I love the fast paced nature of the job. I love how few days I need to work, so that in my free time I can do things like run this blog. In time, that may change. But for now, I'm just a person doing my best to make the most of my time here on this earth.
Why did you start this blog?
Honestly, I'm not entirely sure. I have always had an interest in philosophy and other musings of the sort like ethical questions and questions about who we are as individuals as a society, and have always loved to write, especially poetry. I had toyed around with the idea of creating a blog, and my younger brother, Zachary was the one who encouraged me to give it a try, so I did. I never expected to have much of an audience and am still absolutely taken aback and grateful for each and every page view or comment.
If by 'why did you start this blog' you meant, 'why did you start this blog;' My interest in such writing and pondering the universe has been ever present however the flame in my heart turned forest fire when a friend of mine introduced me to this video of a clip from a lecture by Alan Watts. The first time I watched the video I found it profound but the more I internalized it, I realized it was changing the way I viewed the world around me and my own decisions and I began to search further. My interest was then furthered by a Contemporary Ethical Problems class that I took at Seminole State College where the very foundation of my ethics and moral compass was turned upside down. Through this I developed confidence in my own intuition and also a desire to learn more and travel further down the path of enlightenment. I started this blog to both chronicle my journey, so to speak, but also to hopefully inspire others and to offer any bit of guidance that may be provided by my own experiences, as I believe we can all learn from each other. I originally started this blog on Tumblr, however I wanted to move over to a more approachable website so I decided to move it on to this Blogger website. It's my first time using it, though.
If by 'why did you start this blog' you meant, 'why did you start this blog;' My interest in such writing and pondering the universe has been ever present however the flame in my heart turned forest fire when a friend of mine introduced me to this video of a clip from a lecture by Alan Watts. The first time I watched the video I found it profound but the more I internalized it, I realized it was changing the way I viewed the world around me and my own decisions and I began to search further. My interest was then furthered by a Contemporary Ethical Problems class that I took at Seminole State College where the very foundation of my ethics and moral compass was turned upside down. Through this I developed confidence in my own intuition and also a desire to learn more and travel further down the path of enlightenment. I started this blog to both chronicle my journey, so to speak, but also to hopefully inspire others and to offer any bit of guidance that may be provided by my own experiences, as I believe we can all learn from each other. I originally started this blog on Tumblr, however I wanted to move over to a more approachable website so I decided to move it on to this Blogger website. It's my first time using it, though.
What does the title of your blog mean?
The title of my blog is “Reality is only a Rorschach” which is a snippet of a quote from Alan Watts that reads; “But my dear man, reality in only a Rorschach inkblot, you know”. To me, I feel as if this quote compares the way your brain understands reality to the way your brain tries to construe meaning from the inkblot used in the psychological test the Rorschach Inkblot Test. You form your perceptions and try and extract meaning based upon your experiences that you’ve had throughout your lifetime. I feel as if it calls attention to the fact that everyone’s mind can view a situation slightly differently and that reality is only a product of your perceptions. Just like every person’s interpretation of an inkblot will be distinct, so will everyone’s reality. Essentially that we create our reality and personally, I quite like the idea of that.
What philosopher would you say has influenced you the most?
Although many people argue that he is not technically a philosopher, I would have to answer Alan Watts. Not only was finding him the oar that paddled me further up this creek, but his concepts and lectures, quotes, books, etc resonate the most with me. That isn’t to say that I agree with every one of his ideas because to do that would be to concede to whatever he has thought before me and to not form any ideas of my own, plus many of the ideas of Eastern philosophy are not entirely in line with what I believe, but they’re all important just the same. I do consider him to be my favorite and probably one of my “idols” so to speak.
Do you meditate?
I try to mediate often, though currently, I am not quite as good as I would like to be. I mostly use guided meditations (you can find a few of my favorite videos in my resources page here), as sometimes it can be difficult for me to quiet my mind, however fairly recently I have begun experimenting more and more with motion meditation and even more recently, with meditating on my own for short periods of time. I also try and practice yoga often, though I am only a rookie and can only help to become better and better through practice. Mastering the mind is just like any other skill, it takes practice and patience with your progress which is something I am grateful to be learning.
What religion are you?
To be completely honest, my ideas on religion are not fully formed as of yet so I’d have to consider myself agnostic at this point in my lifetime. I plan to explore spirituality and religion more thoroughly, however I don't ever think I will be the person to "count out" any religion. Who am I to decide who's beliefs are "correct"? I think they all are valid because if you believe something, then it is real to you, and I think that believing in anything, and having faith in anything is absolutely commendable.
What is your background image for this blog?
My background on this blog is a Mandala with a galaxy behind it. A mandala is a spiritual image. The literal meaning of the word "mandala" is 'circle' or 'like a circle', and the image represents wholeness, balance and perfection. It is a highly popular image in the Hindu and Buddhist religions as it is used as a spiritual tool for worship and meditation, but is also quite popular among pagans. Mandalas are supposed to remind people that life is never ending and of journeys through life, and are also meant to remind people of their relationship to the infinite, and that life extends beyond their body and mind. There are different types of mandalas, such as the "Native American Labyrinth Mandala" and they all have slightly different meanings. You're supposed to "get inside" the mandala, let it absorb your attention and slip into your meditative state. That is a very basic explanation, and if you're interested in learning more I would recommend visiting this website, or reading my post about it here in which I break down the concept of mandalas pretty simply and include lots of photos!
What songs are in your playlist and how did you make it?
I made the playlist using a website called Wikiplayer and then copied and pasted the HTML code into the code for my blog. If you click on the link I provided to WikiPlayer there are clear instructions on how to make a playlist. My particular playlist plays and shuffles automatically, so I can't tell you the songs in order however the songs included in the playlist are: Unfold - Alina Baraz & Galimatias, IDNY - Ozzie, Lose It - Oh Wonder (Jerry Folk Remix), Fantasy - Alina Baraz, We Rise - San Holo, Will Calls - Diplo, Blood Bank - Bon Iver (JacM Remix), How Did I Get Here - ODESZA, A World of 100 - Johnny Rain, Say It - Flume, Closer - Devault, Maybe - Alina Baraz, Take Three - Jerry Folk, Show Me Love - Skrillex Remix, I'll Be Your Reason- Illenium, Weight In Gold - Louis Futon, Isolate - Miro's Child, I Can't Keep Up - Tourist, Budding Trees - Nahko and Medicine for the People, and Hope - Tim Legend ft. Br/\ve , Sleep On The Floor- The Lumineers
What type of music do you listen to?
I am a huge music enthusiast and love and appreciate all genres. Although all of the music that plays on my blog is of a similar style, I do listen to a huge variety of different types of music that usually depends on my mood, environment, or what I'm doing. If I'm driving, hanging out with friends or working out, I probably won't be listening to the same type of music I would have on whilst writing or painting. My favorite song changes nearly every day.
Do you have any other social media besides this blog?
I actually do have several social media accounts just like I'm sure the rest of you all do as well, however the only ones I'm comfortable sharing outside of my friends and family would be my Youtube channel which is discussed and linked in the section below, and my two Instagram accounts. If you're interested in following me on Instagram you're welcome to do so. My username for my personal account is Jessi_leexo, and the account I use to share my journey with art is called RorschachChild.
What is the link to your YouTube channel and what types of things do you post?
My YouTube channel doesn't really have any rules or guidelines. I just started it a few weeks ago (at the beginning of August) and so far there are only about 4-5 videos of me and some of the people in my life, taken with a GoPro exploring. There is a video of a camping trip, a beach trip, and even a hike up a mountain in Georgia! I also have a video from my one month anniversary of hooping. I plan on posting many more videos of whatever strikes my fancy and I would recommend you all check it out to be honest, and I'm always open to suggestions or requests for what type of videos you all would like to see. If you click HERE, it will take you to the front page of my channel and from there you can navigate through all of my videos and other playlists I have made.
I have a question that wasn't answered in any of your above categories. How can I get it answered?
If anyone has a question, a suggestion for something they would like to see a post or YouTube video about, or wants to discuss any topic or any of my posts you are all free to email me at Jl.whitacre@yahoo.com
Please remember to include a subject line in your email and allow 1-3 business days for me to get back to you. If you are specifically discussing a post, you are also free to leave a comment on that specific post.
I commented on one of your posts, but it never got published. Why?
Please allow for at least one business day to pass for your comment to be reviewed and published. If several days have passed and your comment still has not been published, it is likely that it did not pass the review, and will not be published. The only reason a comment would not be published is if there are blatantly offensive remarks in the comment or it is overly profane and inappropriate. I will always post comments that are polite, even if it is someone who disagrees with a point I am making in one of my posts. If your comment was not published, and did not contain any profane or offensive content, it is likely that there was a technical error and I would attempt to return to the post and try leaving the comment again.