Aesthetic Intelligence by Pauline Brown

Author:Pauline Brown
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2019-11-25T16:00:00+00:00

Understanding Attunement Through Style

Attunement with another person is when we can communicate without saying a word and are still understood—through an expression, a look, a wink of the eye, or a raised eyebrow. When we are fully engaged while posing in a yoga class, jogging in a park, or browsing in a bookstore, we are concentrating heavily on what we are doing at that moment; we are attuned to those experiences. In food, attunement is the ability to discern the layers of flavor in a dish, appreciating how the wine we are drinking affects the flavor of the food, and how the ambience of our surroundings—for example, the lighting, table setting, and music—impacts our overall dining experience. With personal style and fashion, attunement comes from paying attention to how different styles—colors, fabrics, and fits—make you feel.

Today we often talk about being “in the moment” or “fully conscious” to describe attunement. For example, lying on a beach on a hot summer day, you might feel the warmth of the sun on your skin and the rough sand against your feet. You also might pick up the distinctive smell of sea salt in the air. Most people experience these sensations with delight, though some of the associated experiences—such as the feel of a tight wet bathing suit or an inadvertent gulp of seawater—are not at all pleasant. The more attuned you are to your physical environment and its sensations, how they affect your body, and how you feel about their effects, the stronger your foundation for developing AI.

As with so much of AI, our bodies are better guides than our minds when it comes to ascertaining the effect of all these sensations. I remember the first time I tried a cigarette as a young teen. I wanted to enjoy the experience, because I wanted to be cool and it seemed to me that all the most sophisticated kids enjoyed smoking. A cigarette dripping off your lips or held between two fingers was, in fact, a fashion statement. However, I found the actual experience revolting: the burning sensation in my throat, the bitter smell of tobacco, the dizziness, the mild nausea. Not to mention the coughing and hacking after the first attempt to inhale. Most people do not enjoy their first experience with cigarettes. The difference between addicts and me is that they persevere and eventually develop an entirely new set of emotional responses to the same physical sensations—until ultimately, they crave them because of the ritual of smoking as well as the addictive nature of nicotine.

Applying attunement to personal style and “fashion” often begins with a keen understanding of your own body. How do you want your clothing to look on your body? That may dictate the shapes and silhouettes of your choices. It may also suggest specific colors and patterns (or lack thereof). How do you want your clothing to feel on your body? That may guide your choice of materials, textures, and fit. I’ve gone through many fashion stages in

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