Making Meaning:

In the Art Room

By: Danielle Davidson

The book A Whole New Mind: Why Right Brainers Will Rule the
Future, by Daniel M. Pink introduces the six senses of the
Conceptual Age. These senses are the right-brained
characteristics of: design, story, symphony, empathy, play, and
meaning. All of the six senses are connected. The last of these
senses, meaning, can be found within all of the other five senses.
As an educator, it is important to guide students on a journey to
find meaning in their lives. There are many ways to help
students with this concept.

Design

Pink defines design as the human

nature to shape and make our
environment in ways without precedent
in nature, to serve our needs and give
meaning to our lives. When a
companys products are both functional
and affordable, they are able to focus on
making it aesthetically pleasing.
Thanks to companies like Target and
IKEA, good design is more accessible
Lato B series, Teste di Legno
and affordable than ever before. These companies
allow

everyday people to purchase items that are more meaningful to
consumers than their function-focused predecessors.

Story

Cognitive scientist Mark Turner says that story is our chief

means of looking into the future, of predicting, of planning, and
of explaining. Most of our experience, our knowledge and our
thinking is organized as stories.

In the pursuit of meaning,

people tell themselves
stories, and they tell stories
about themselves.
- Roger C. Schank, cognitive scientist
Companies often tell a story

about their product,
because stories are more likely to have meaning to consumers.
A consumer is more likely to buy a product that creates
meaning for them.
Humans are not ideally set up
to understand logic; they are
ideally set up to understand
stories.

Symphony
Symphony is the ability to put together pieces. Pink says that
Metaphor, the understanding of one thing in terms of
something else, is an important element of symphony.
Metaphors help us understand others and ourselves; they help
people find meaning in their lives.
The ability to see the big picture is
another important element of
symphony. Approaching life in a
big-picture fashion helps people
find what really matters in life.
Pink believes that this ability to
perceive ones own life in a way
that encompasses the full
spectrum of human possibility is
essential to the search for meaning.

Empathy

Empathy is a stunning act of

imaginative derring-do, the
ultimate virtual realityclimbing
into anothers mind to experience
the world from that persons
perspective.
- Daniel H. Pink

Empathy is the ability to

put yourself in someone
elses place and feel what
they are feeling. The ability
to connect with another
and find meaning in their
life adds meaning to our
own.

Play
Pink believes that Play is becoming an
important part of work, business, and
personal well-being, its importance
manifesting itself in three ways: games,
humor, and joyfulness. Play leads to joy,
which makes us feel more fulfilled. Feeling
fulfilled gives ones life meaning.

Meaning
Viktor Frankl, the author of Mans Search for Meaning said
mans main concern is not to gain pleasure or to avoid pain but
rather to see a meaning in his life. It is human nature to find
meaning; it allows us to make sense of what we do.
Spirituality is one way that many people
find meaning in their lives. According to
Pink, spirituality is simply the belief in
something larger than ourselves. The
Dalai Lama likens spirituality to science.
Science and Buddhism are very similar
because they are exploring the nature of
reality, and both have the goal to lessen
the suffering of mankind.
Another way to find meaning in life is by finding happiness. Dr.
Martin E. P. Seligman has found that there are different levels of
happiness. The Pleasant Life is being satisfied with work,
avoiding negativity, being married, and having friends. The
Good Life is when you use your skills to achieve gratification
in the main areas of your life. Then there is the pursuit of
meaning - knowing what your highest strengths are and
deploying them in the service of something larger than you are.

Classroom Applications
Children are quick to judge themselves and others based on
their imperfections. They need to be taught to take the time to
find meaning in their lives and see their importance in the
world.
A teacher could help students find meaning by asking them
essential questions such as: What makes a meaningful life? Are
some lives more meaningful than others? Asking these
questions leads students down a path of self-discovery, helping
them uncover their purpose in life. A lesson could start with a
narrative, where students examine their spirituality and find
their happiness, and be expanded by viewing others narratives
and empathizing with them.
There have been studies that show that experiencing awe is one
way for students to find their purpose. When experiencing awe,
we feel a sense of vastness and our place within it. Experiencing
awe allows us to step outside of ourselves and see the
interconnectedness between living things. This leads to the
belief in something larger than ones self, and the desire to make
a lasting impact.
According to William Damon, leading expert in human
development and author of The Path to Purpose, without this
larger connection, students are less likely to maintain their
inspiration, motivation, and resilience in the face of challenges.
It may help students to understand that making a difference
doesnt always mean they have to affect the lives of a lot of
people. It could just be one other life that they are impacting.
They just need to think outside of themselves.

Conclusion
The six senses Pink shares with us make it clear that the
future belongs to those with the ability to use right-brained
skills. All of the six senses are connected to each other, and
meaning can be found in all of them. If we want our students
to be successful in the 21st-century marketplace, we have to
ensure that they are prepared for the Conceptual Age. One
very important way to do this is to help direct them to find
meaning in their lives.

Pink, D. H. (2006). A whole new mind: Why right-brainers

will rule the future. New York: Riverhead Books.
Zakrzewski, V. (2013, June 11). How Awe Can Help Students
Develop Purpose. Retrieved June 22, 2016, from
http://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/how_awe_can_h
elp_students_develop_purpose/success