# i2 : Aesthetic Intelligence >[!Info] >The [[Intelligences|sensitivity]] to the aesthetic quality of sensory information coming in - having "taste" or the "eye"/"ear"/"nose." Attunement to the way colors / sounds / tastes go together and create palpable moods. # Overview | Ancestor Species | [[2 - Fish\|Fish]] | | ------------------------ | ---------------------- | | **Emerged in Evolution** | ~540 Million Years Ago | | **Associated Location** | [[2 · 🟠 · Sacral]] | | **Alternative Names** | Taste, Vibe, Qualia | # Often Seen In - Musicians, vocalists - Audio producers, sound designers - Visual artists (painter, sculptor etc) - Graphic designers, illustrators, front-end designers - Gourmet chefs - Fashion designers, costume artists, fashionistas - Interior designers & decorators - Architects - Film directors, cinematographers, editors - Makeup artists - Concept artists, character designers - Event / wedding planners - Florists - Perfumers - Jewelry makers - Tattoo artists & body piercers - Music / film / art / food curators & critics # High i2 Strengths - Understanding and appreciating color - High fashion sense, good style - Refined music taste, good on aux, broad or deep interests in genre - Knows good places to eat, has sense of what to order - Has a sense of what would be fun, helpful in making plans, ideating activities - Creative, takes aesthetic risk and usually willing to play with options - Making beautiful spaces, decorating - Can gain immense joy from simple things like a color, shape, or sound - Deep appreciation of natural beauty (plants, sunsets, animals, landscapes) - Prioritizes the hygiene of oneself and spaces - Ability to read and adapt to the energy in a place - Understands how to make things pleasant - or intentionally not, as in the case of horror movies, abrasive music, etc - Knows the right song, dish, or outfit for the occasion - Has a sense for the placement and alignment of objects in space - Generally "knows what goes together" - Able to design pleasurable experiences, curate good vibes # High i2 Weaknesses - Can be overly grossed out by things - Can develop crippling preferences to certain stimulus (excessive taste) - Can become addicted to sensory things more easily (they are more enjoyable) - Can focus excessively on appearance over all else (at the expense of say, emotions or meaning) - Incessant altering of ones appearance, clothing, physical space, etc (fixation) - Intense germaphobia, or any aesthetic phobia - Princess & the Pea syndrome: Hyper-sensitivity to all stimulus in a irritating way, like the texture of clothing, a type of sound, etc. Like all intelligences, the increased sensitivity to a certain type of stimulus - in this case aesthetic - means the increase in joy from the positive (beautiful things), as well as increased disturbance from the negative (things one finds unpleasant). In most cases, this doesn't hamper one's life or relationships, but sometimes we can develop an i2 fixation, and start to over-obsess on it to the determinant of the other 6 aspects of our life (1-health, 3-goals, 4-relationships, etc). Some of these symptoms can be confused with or co-dependent with [[Father]] side hyper-dominances. The fixated i2 is hyper-sensitive to the stimulus, and then combines with the fixated Father's overactive need to DO things constantly, creating OCD like behaviors (excessive cleaning, being very disturbed by small misalignments, etc). # Low i2 Weaknesses I will preface this by saying this may seem trivial, especially in modernized Western culture which tends to prioritize productivity (i3) or technicality (i6) over aesthetics, which are often seen as an afterthought. However, I think this is a mistake. Companies like Apple have shown us how much delight can be added to our lives by leading from a design-centered mindset. There is much research[^1] - and common sense / anecdotal evidence as well - to suggest that people behave more pro-socially in spaces that are more beautiful, and that beautiful things have the ability to calm us and bring us joy. There is also the research from hospitals that show people literally heal faster when in more beautiful, natural spaces. Eating a favorite treat or hearing a favorite song can literally reverse a bad mood. Wearing an outfit you like can greatly boost self-confidence. Being in beautiful spaces can help cultivate better emotional connections by making people feel comfortable and inspired. Etc. There is a reason many people over-eat or develop addictions to cope with the difficulties in other areas of life - beauty and pleasure is healing! Developing i2 and honoring it are needed to live fully rich and healthy lives. And now for the Low i2 Weaknesses: - Poor taste in all aspects of life - creating unappealing spaces, food, outfits, etc - Inability to read what's the right vibe for the moment - Making ugly billboards, logos, websites, etc - Not knowing which colors go well together, clashing - Downplaying the role aesthetics play in generating joy - Disregarding the vibes and creating bad energy for oneself and others - Etc. # Commonly Confused With i2 is often confused with quite a few different intelligences - [[i1 - Kinesthetic Intelligence|i1]], [[i4 - Emotional Intelligence|i4]], [[i5 - Expressive Intelligence|i5]], and [[i7 - Spiritual Intelligence|i7]] - due to the fact it happens solely within the perception of the person and doesn't manifest instantly in body, speech, etc. Some intelligences can be quickly observed by other people visually. For example, someone's i1 stack placement is quickly recognizable in impressive athletic ability (high) or noticeable clumsiness (low). Someone's i5 placement can be easily seen in the intensity and variability of their communication (high) or static / monotone expression (low). On the other hand, i2 is happening *within* a person's experience and must be inferred from choices they make. This can lead to some confusion as to what intelligence these choices are originating from. ### Confusion with i1, Kinesthetic Intelligence The confusion here stems from the concept of sensation. Both [[i1 - Kinesthetic Intelligence|i1]] and i2 are sensitive to the [[3.1D · Sensation|input data coming through the 5 senses]], but i1 is using them like a pilot looks at instruments in a cockpit, as information to help navigate, whereas i2 is looking at the aesthetic quality of this information, and is thinking of it through the lens of taste, that is, how attractive or unpleasant the sensory information is. For i1, the focus isn't on the "quality" of the sensory input like it is for i2, but rather the tangible information it provides. There is less sensitivity to the intricacies of color or sound, from the perspective of their "beauty," but rather from the perspective of their volume, the physical space they take up, etc. i2 is less focused on the tangible information packaged with the sensory data and is looking for how it lands with them from the perspective of their taste. ### Confusion with i4, Emotional Intelligence The confusion here comes from the idea of "vibes." Emotional information coming off someone or in a space also can read as a "vibe," but this is distinct from the aesthetic vibe. [[i4 - Emotional Intelligence|i4]] is spontaneously feeling how the other people are feeling. i2 is a focus on one's own internal taste of the information entering consciousness. So, for example, someone who is i2 dominant but low in i4 could be having a wonderful time on the dance floor if they are enjoying the music and the energy, but miss that their friend next to them is having some emotional struggles. They are more sensitive to the aesthetics of the experience than the emotions. On the other hand, in the same dance floor scenario, someone who is i4 dominant and low in i2 could be having an amazing time at the party simply because their friends are having fun and the emotional environment is very positive, even if the music is "bad." Conversely, they could have very bad time in a place with great aesthetics if one of their friends is suffering. They are more sensitive to the emotions of the people around them than the aesthetics. Of course, these intelligences can be used together to great effect, like in the case of product / user experience design, where empathy and aesthetics are combined to create a seamless experience for the user. ### Confusion with i5, Expressive Intelligence Both i2 and i5 pick up the "vibes" coming off people and can be sensitive to the energy being conveyed by facial expression, tone of voice, body language, etc. However, the difference is that i5 uses this data to inform its own expressions, whereas for i2 it simply has a pleasant or unpleasant aesthetic quality. So, for example, in a conversation where someone is getting "the eyes" from another person, signaling attraction, someone with high i5 will likely naturally modulate the words they use or the body posture they take. However, while someone with high i2 would also pick up the vibe coming off the person's facial expression, and whether they like it or not, but they would not receive instant intuition for how to react to it, instead being drawn to the aesthetics of the face itself. ### Confusion with i7, Spiritual Intelligence In many cases, out of the other ones i2 can be confused with, [[i7 - Spiritual Intelligence|i7]] may actually be the most common. Both i2 and i7 have strong preferences and ideas about how things should be aligned, placed, curated etc. For both intelligences, aesthetic objects are not simply themselves, but radiate out extra information that influences one's behavior towards / with it. However in the case of i2, this radiation off the aesthetic object (a taste, a sound, an image) is a sense of its attractiveness or lack thereof, in the case of i7, its deeper significance or meaning. So, let's say I ([[Ari Nazem|Ari]]) am wearing my black faux fur winter coat. A friend of mine with high i2 may compliment me on its vibe and look. A friend of mine with high i7, on the other hand, may appreciate its a visual representation of the [[The Dark Mother|Dark Mama]] (my matron Goddess) given its wild and animal motif mixed with darkness. Both will have opinions on it, but from different places. Another example is with logos. A high i7 person may make a logo based on its symbolism, the motifs in it that resonate with other ideas, whereas someone with high i2 might make one that just looks good first and foremost, with less baked in meaning. # Archetype Resonances i2, like all intelligences, can resonate with every [[Archetypes|archetype]]. There are an infinity of ways this can manifest, but here just a few ways i2 can manifest in the energies of the types: [[The Ruler]] : Very large or imposing things (food, sound, shape, etc); Crowns; Sashes; Thrones; Luxurious, fancy, and refined aesthetics; Suits & gowns; Gold and silver; Diamonds and cut gems; Highly intricate, expensive, or difficult to commission and maintain aesthetics; Mansions, yachts, supercars, etc; Objects in custom cases; Serialized aesthetics or a very consistent style across a space, someone's outfits etc; Banquets and feasts; Galas; Grand and majestic music. [[The Caregiver]] : Air fresheners / essential oil diffusers; Eyemasks & earplugs; Clean, sanitary, things and smells; Doctor / Nurse outfits; Warm, comforting light; Floss; Zen, ambient or spa music; Healthy food, green juices; Napkins, towels; Mouthwash. [[The Sage]] : Michelin star restaurants; Highly technical classical or jazz music; Intricate embroidery, beadwork, wood inlays, mosaics and tiling; High-end musical instruments; Hi-Fi audiovisual equipment (nice speakers, headphones, screens, etc); Spreadsheets; Academic paper aesthetics; Lab coats; Glasses. [[The Fool]] : Nonsensical images, sounds, songs, etc ("I am the Walrus" by the Beatles); Intentionally clashing colors, foods (i.e. ketchup and chocolate chip cookies, pork soda); Fart sounds and other funny noises; Humorous outfits (clothes being way too big or small, etc); Circus / carnival aesthetics. [[The Innocent]] : Candy and sweets; The aesthetics of childhood generally - scrawled or uneven writing, the Comic Sans font, many colors used indiscriminately, playful drawings and shapes; Unskilled or amateur creativity of any kind (music, cooking, art, etc); childhood or comfy clothing like pajamas, onesies, fluffy slippers; Flowers, rainbows, springtime imagery; Smiley faces and really any sort of cute-oriented stylized emoji or cartoon / anime; Kawaii aesthetics; Light pink; Little bows; Frilly socks. [[The Explorer]] : Media that changes focus often - anthology series, planet earth showing different habitats, Anthony Bourdain and other travel shows, the Amazing Race, etc; All purpose / weather / terrain clothing or items (sporks); Camping gear; Boats, cruise ships, planes, spaceships; Telescopes and binoculars (experience things far away); Tasting menus, beer flights, buffets; Postcards, Decorative maps; Beautiful signage; Music festivals with many genres present; Malls with many different types of stores; Sampler product bundles (perfumes, soaps, etc). [[The Lover]] : Hearts; Roses and rose petals; Lips; "XO;" Cursive; Chocolate, decadent foods; Soft fabrics, blankets; Low lighting, candlelight; Love songs, slow songs, ballads, R&B; Romantic movies and stories; Tattoos of a lover's name; Love letters. [[The Animal]] : Animal furs or print; Natural materials and colors; Leather; Biomimicry; Head and body hair allowed to grow; Dreadlocks; The smells of the body (sweat, vomit, urine, poop, etc); Body paint / war paint; Sparse clothing; Crazy, messy, intense or otherwise chaotic writing (graffiti, metal band logos, etc); Hard Rock and Heavy Metal music; The sound of screams, excited, pained, etc; Animal like characteristics and features (animal ears, claws, fangs, horns, wings, tails, etc); Werewolves; Nature sounds; Animal / natural imagery tattoos; The tongue. [[The Muse]] : Aesthetic teases of all kinds - movie / game teaser trailers, slow builds in songs or movies, a hint of a smell or taste like in sparkling water; Makeup; Fake lashes; Perfume & cologne; High heels; Beautiful hair; Undergarments; Long nails & nail polish; Low opacity or things hidden bit partially visible; Neon signs; Strippers; Vampires; Siren like sounds; Hypnotizing sounds and visuals; Optical illusions and tricks; Purring; Sounds of pleasure; Hidden or barely visible tattoos or piercings; Porn. [[The Magician]] : Songs that have beat switches; Big plot twists in movies; Iridescent objects; The visuals of insects or other animals (frogs transitioning from tadpoles, snakes shedding skin) undergoing metamorphosis of their bodies; Wizard / Witch hats; Wands; Robes, shawls, ponchos, hooded cloaks; Witchy or occult imagery; Crosses and religious symbols; Pentagrams; The aesthetics of elixirs and potions, things being brewed, distilled, refined; Visual makeovers of a person's style; Constantly transforming aesthetic objects (screens, speakers, etc); Mushrooms and other decomposers; Disintegration or dismemberment (classic symbol of death and rebirth); Tattoos, piercings, jewelry, etc that mark rites of passage or life transitions. [[The Outlaw]] : Unconventional aesthetics of all kinds - radical hairstyles, makeup, outfits, extreme body mods; Activist posters and signs; Che Guevara's face; Raised fists; the Anarchy symbol (an A in a circle); Broken chains; Cowboy aesthetics (cowboy hats, spurs, fringe; Ski masks, balaclavas, bandanas; Loud and fast cars (often muscle cars); The middle finger; Swear words; Punk music; Unconventional foods (squid ink, escargot, eating insects, etc); Experimental music; Girls shaving their heads. [[The Warrior]] : Camo; Armor - Greeks and Romans, medieval knights, modern bulletproof armor, riot gear, football and lacrosse pads, etc; Helmets; Weapons of all kinds (pistols, rifles, swords, bows, axes, spears, knives, maces etc); Shields; Sports gear; Performance athletic clothing; Techno music; Intense rap; Protein powder and shakes; Steak; The smell of gunpowder, blood; Hunting aesthetics; Rugged and worn clothing; Workwear; Stencil fonts; Military aesthetics - army green, Hummers, military uniforms, medals, rank insignias, dog tags, standard issue items, combat boots; Fighter planes and tanks; Bombs, missiles, nukes; Battleships; Medieval Knights; Spartans. [^1]: There is the famous example of "Broken Window Theory" which is the idea that people are more willing to commit crimes in areas that look more run down and uncared for. Instead of sending more police into these areas, a more effective strategy can be simply fixing the broken windows, and beautifying the space, which naturally makes people treat the space and the people in it better.