What kind of things are you drawn to – as in when you happen to come across them, you can’t keep yourself away, suck you in, maybe inspire or excite?

The brain – I love to hear the way other people think or process information, love getting inside their head, trying to determine how they tick, how they view life, the lens through which they see things. How the brain itself works, the different patterns and sections that work and when. Anything related to thinking/processing is completely fascinating to me and sucks me in immediately. I also love to “problem solve” thinking when I see people talking past one another – conflict resolution with misunderstandings (in comparison to maybe emotional conflict resolution).

Visionary people – Love Steve Jobs.. reading his quotes and thinking, thinking how his designs have impacted the world, how he has managed to both usher in a PC world, and the start of a post-PC world (think iPad). Very awe-inspiring.

Nostalgia – being drawn in by smells or music, remembering different moments in childhood. It’s one of the easiest ways to draw out my emotions as well. Just yesterday, I went to Farmer’s Fair, which is a fair that the small town I grew up near has every year, and I watched the marching band perform, and because of a certain combination of things – it was pouring down raining, the woodwinds weren’t performing so it was just the drumline and brass and so was a more intense sound – made me miss it, not all of it, but certain parts of it – the performing moment, the push to go on in even in the rain, the friends, the integrity/pride.. The whole fair (and parade) went on last night even though it was pouring and everyone was soaked and all of the bands cancelled except ours – but yet, people stayed, a lot of people stayed. (I really don’t think a lot of places/people would do that.) I dunno, something about that..

Mood/atmosphere/intensity – This is what draws me in music and art.. art/photography needs to be intense (not necessarily emotionally intense) or expansive/vast. I’m drawn to music with strong sound – rock anthems or blues, strong brass, dissonance. No light-hearted or pop music.. To rain and thunderstorms over sun.. Winter and fall over spring and summer. To strong words. Atmosphere of a group/event, not the event itself.

Fascinating characters – I’m not quite sure how to explain this one, but I get giddy when I read or watch certain complex characters.. like Severus Snape from Harry Potter, or Dr. House.. I can’t get enough of them.

Charisma – I’m not talking elite, snobby people who seem to charm everyone around them with their fakeness or sex appeal – but passionate, inspiring, real people who put themselves out there and do it completely. The Joseph Gordon-Levitt video I linked to last week is a great example of the kind of people I’m thinking of.