When I think of how my body feels or reacts when collecting data I think of the adrenaline surge I feel in my body when I discover a pattern that leads me to an answer. Sometimes the search for a pattern to answer a questions reminds me of a dog actively sniffing a trail. His nose guiding him to his goal. As the dog passes through grass so do I sift through data searching for a pattern to help me answer a question. I feel that my heart can race as fast as the snout would sniff. As you first see the pattern it feels like my heart stops. As a dog’s pacing stops and one paw lifts to signal, “could this be what I’ve been looking for?” The surge of energy at finding the pattern will cause the hair on my arms to raise and adrenaline to rush, rewarding my body with physical satisfaction, hard work being rewarded. This feeling reminded me of how Root-Bernstein wrote about Helen Keller’s experience with the ballerina. “The gathering of physical energy and its sudden release in the dance jump reminded her of the manner in which ideas burst into consciousness (Root-Bernstein & Root-Bernstein, 2001, p. 163). The physical or external movements may be less obvious but my blood and heart are definitely moving and pumping faster than usual. Just as Keller described the “wordless sensation may be called a thought (Root-Bernstein & Root-Bernstein, 2001, p. 164). Using “tactile feelings combined with reasoning,” is how I know when I’m onto something when searching through data (Root-Bernstein & Root-Bernstein, 2001, p. 173). However, the same physical energy that lets me know when I’m getting close to an answer is also what sends me back to the data to double check and make sure that what I think I have found is correct. I am now wondering if that feeling of satisfaction is almost like an addiction. As if my brain says “yeah I think I’ve found something, but let’s go back and check again because that rewarding feeling feels SO good.” Comparing the dog on a hunt, or the hairs on my arms raising as a signal of success brings me back to the analogizing chapter and I’m starting to see how physical responses can also be analogized.
I made a video to represent the energy and physicality I feel when searching through data for answers. In the beginning I feel like I’m stuck in a sea of data, or stars as the video represents, and unable to make any sense of what I’m sifting through. Next as evident by the dog sniffing, I tend to find a pattern that might make sense and my heart starts racing as the dog starts sniffing more vigorously. Inevitably I feel lost again in the data much like the dog. Once I feel like I’ve solved the problem, I typically call someone in to help and check the data with me, check it again solo and then celebrate my victory. The music is not in my typical style choice, but it seemed to fit the urgency and exhilaration that the adrenaline causes my body to feel.
Resources
Root-Bernstein, R., & Root-Bernstein, M. (2001). Sparks of genius: The 13
thinking tools of the world’s most creative people. New York City, NY:
Houghton Mifflin Company.
Ms Sara's Techy Space 
Sara,
Your description was awesome I really had a clear understanding of how your body responds to the process of searching through data for something specific. Your video was great!!! I loved it! The adrenaline that one experiences as they are searching for something and that release and excitement at the moment of discovery, was clearly demonstrated in the video. The greatest part is that this physical response occurs, for the most part i think, regardless of the task being sought. Such a creative approach to data. Great job!!!
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