Thinking About Thinking a Story About Meta-Cognition

Thinking About Thinking, Colored pencil on paper, 26 × 19in, 2020

Yesterday I came back from work, and I thought the work can be complicated. It can be difficult to connect with the works, because I have always created them with the intention to be experienced in person. The works are designed to create a stage of contemplation between you and the artwork. A moment of meditation. So I came up with the idea to share a story about one of the artworks so you can connect with them. 

The story about “Thinking About Thinking”

Around 2017 or 2018, professor Jake Weigel who become one of my mentors during undergrad, gave a presentation at CSU Stanislaus about his work. As he shared his interest, he mentioned the word “Meta-Cognition,” And it hunted me. 

Thinking About Thinking-Learning About Learning

The word Meta in greek means About, and Cognition means the mental process of knowing, understanding, learning, and thinking. I could not understand the concept of the word, so I researched it. I ended with two ways to see the meaning behind it. In a straight forward understanding, it means to think about thinking, but to simplify it you can perceive the word as the process of learning about learning.

Reframing meta-cognition to learning about learning made sense. Is the investigation of our thoughts, why we have them, what causes them, what they make us do. The awareness of our thinking helps us shape our perspective, to educate oneself, determine how we see the world and continue to see it the way it is or change the way we think about it. You could call it having self-awareness. 

I adopted this idea deeply in myself. And it pushed me to change. I was a pessimistic person who saw the bad in things, but I was also very optimistic. the problem was the pessimistic side of me was winning. I would complaint about things I could not control. I was lazy and irresponsible. I allowed anger to control me instead of learning why I got angry. Part of it was wanting to have control over things I could not control. I learned because I questioned myself, my way of thinking, my perception and perspective. Pushing myself to read books about emotions, even watch YouTube videos on how to handle it. And that’s what meta-cognition did, it pushed me to become better, to have the self-awareness to allow myself to be free, and be in control over the things I can control like my emotions. Not to oppress them but to process them.

YOU STILL EXIST

The big painting in the drawing with the text “YOU STILL EXIST” is the freedom you can achieve by questioning the way you think. Most of us are unaware of why we have certain thoughts, but if you give yourself the chance to question everything, you realize you are still existing. Not just living passively, seeing everything flow and never becoming who you want to become. Instead you seek awareness or what I learned from the book called “The Forty Rules of Love” by Elif Shafak, one of those rules being “to doubt is to seek the truth.” If you began to doubt your ideas and beliefs you will realize you aren’t living your truth, but someone else’s. Give yourself the permission to exist to follow and live your truth.

El Tomate

The red figure in the middle was inspired by a tomato. Thinking about thinking made me think about tomato-tomato. Same thing as meta-cognition until you make meaning out of it. The figure sees Hellmo on the canvas with a lightsaber, a meme where Elmo the poppet is in a fire with his hands raised calm and under control. It was my first meme ever used and there is something captivating by this funny meme that keeps me thinking about ways I could use it. Hellmo became an image and meaning making matching for me. 

The tomato figure is not just seeing a canvas, is a mirror, like Las Meninas by Diego Velázquez. A painting within a painting (meta-art). Both Hellmo and the tomato (El Tomate) are red, with eyes, and an orange nose. They are mimicking each other, that’s what memes do, they mimimc our expressions, allowing us to translate online our thoughts and emotions with emphasis. The tomato is not just seeing a funny meme, he is imagining of the impossible. In its body the words, You Suck, Ambition, Pleasure, and LOL are engraved. A cluster of thoughts. Three abstract legs hold the tomato and from one leg a kite is raised. But how could a kite be raised in a gallery? Hellmo with his Jedi force, raises the kite. This is the power of your mind. An invisible force waiting for you to use it wisely. To raise your kite.

I invite you to question your thoughts, and allow yourself to exist.
With love,

-Saul Acevedo Gomez.

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Look at yourself, be honest, and tell yourself the true… Then find your purpose.