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Here you will find scattered pictures from my point and shoot camera, random thoughts from my little world, treasured memories of days gone by, hopeful dreams of the days yet to come, and a bunch of ideas - because I've always got ideas!



Thursday, March 29, 2007

Who Is In Your Imaginary Audience?

(this is a rerun from March of 2004 - the first eight comments are from when it first appeared - i'm trying to develop this into something more - feel free to add your thoughts)

This question has intrigued me for years now. I've come to the realization that in all of my life, there have been a number of people who have been in mine. As I've gotten older, the size of my imaginary audience has dwindled, but their invisible presence has increased in importance.

In my mind, they are perched precariously close to the edge of a balcony, and have notepads and pencils in their hands.

Thankfully, for most of my life the real visible people in my audience have been supportive. But those imaginary ones - they can be heartless.

This is a thought I plan to develop more. I've noticed that so many people are DRIVEN by people in their imaginary audience, who in actuality pay no attention whatsoever to them.

Let's let them go. Let's rip up their notes, snap their pencils in two and get on with what really matters.

Please add your thoughts and experiences with this in the comments, or write about it in your blog (and leave a link), as I think it is an untapped resource for all of us to come face to face with those people who we think are always watching us. Of course, this is imaginary. But so much of what is imaginary sucks the life right out of us.

14 comments:

Melodee said...

Oh, what good insight! I will blog about this if the children God gave me ever leave me alone long enough! ;)

Anvilcloud said...

You're on a roll -- two stupendous blogs in one day. I have no answer right now, but I like the question.

Just curious, did you design your own template?

Jan said...

I definitely have an imaginary audience. I was much more aware of it when I was younger, but it is still there. Do you know how to accomplish the snapping of the pencils and, in my case, the un-rolling of the film? That's my trouble, I don't know how to get rid of them.

Thicket Dweller said...

I love your blog. It's so sweet and conversational.

As for my imaginary audience...oh, yeah. I have one, that's for durn sure. There are many critics perched on the edges of their seats, pencils poised. I think of them often, and they even contradict each other.

I'd love to exorcise them!

d said...

My imaginary audience seems to grow from day to day...I want to please so bad that I listen to all the rules that I have to do and then I get a grade...most of the time failing. I too like other would love to knock a few off their might horse!

Anonymous said...

Judy, I have never thought of it that way. I always imagined that I was the critic but you're right. There is an "other" that I strive to impress and the sooner I realize that "they" aren't even paying attention to me the better. Would you say this is the same thing as the desire for credit or acknowledgment? That is unfortunately a pretty strong one for me.

Tarasview said...

Yep, my imaginary audience is a doozie. I have the perfect mom, the perfect pastor's wife, the messed up grown-up versions of my children blaming me for my shortcomings as their mother, a very judgemental harsh version of God, an intellectual mocking my stupidity, a career woman looking down on my stay-at-home mom-ness, and the list goes on. Today I will concentrate on ignoring the masses that don't really exist anyway and certainly don't care about what I do with my day! Thanks Judy.

Tarasview said...

By the way I have put a link to your blog on my blog and to this post. I think this is a great idea.

Anonymous said...

I am not sure this is the case for anyone else, and this is not to cast blame, but it seems that we might be "hearing" those voices we actually did hear in childhood, be it a parent or someone who was (or still is) a strong presence in our lives. At least I recognize in my case, where these came from. I can remember a day when I realized that a VERY important verse follows John 3:16...it is verse 17! And my question posed alongside it in my Bible I wrote down as: "If HE did not come to condemn me? Then who else has the right to do so?" I realize that one of my biggest problems (procrastination) has its origin in my learning as a child that some criticism (even the constructive type) could be avoided if one never was FINISHED with the project...and now as an adult, it is hard for me to finish anything...part of that is just life, but part of it, like the child, wants to say, "well, wait a minute...I have not finished it yet." And from some standpoints, it is true...we are not a "finished product" until we leave this world, right? Or so it seems to me.

Debra said...

Hi Judy... I wrote about imaginary audiences last year... You can read about it here (if you're bored out of your mind with nothing else to do...heh...):

http://debrasotherthoughts.blogspot.com/2006/03/for-artists-who-are-sitting-waiting.html

Blessings! ...Debra

~Jennifer said...

My imaginary audience is usually the person or people from whom I am desiring approval at that moment. I am such an approval junkie, and when I admire a person I want their approval above all else. Sometimes that's not practical though, so I use my imagination.

Like when I was younger, and going through a very judgmental phase, Dr. Laura was in my head. I used to have long talks with her. I'd ask her advise and she'd tell me how smart and morally upstanding I am.

Right now I'm not sure who my imaginary audience is. Maybe that's because I'm turning a corner in my life, and need a new audience.

Pat said...

I think my imaginary audience is someone akin to those people who hold score cards up at athletic competitions and they usually give me very low scores. I have to imagine a new audience that isn't so filled with critics, but an audience that cheers instead of jeers. If I imagine them, it's within in my power to do that - so why haven't I? HMMmm - that's a very deep question.

joyce said...

fantastic, Judy! This may be just the impetus I need to get some of the roaming thoughts out of my head and down on "paper".

check me later today, maybe I'll get to it.

joyce said...

got to it, Judy. Its not comprehensive, but maybe frightening enough for now...