In life, we tend to find it easier to categorize things. By giving things labels, our brains can rack up any information we have on the subject, and can better equip us with how to deal with it. For example, we hear the word ‘vegetable’ and we think ‘healthy’, and when we hear the word ‘fruit’ we might also add the word ‘sweet’ to the ‘healthy’. How many times have we been told that tomatoes and bell peppers and even cucumbers are all technically fruits? Yet we still call them vegetables.

When it comes to people, things begin to get more complex. But usually, when it comes to personalities and characteristics, we tend to divide things into two groups. Introvert or extrovert, patient or restless, creative or logical, the list goes on. The thing is, I’ve always struggled with the last one. When I learned about the concept of ‘left brain, right brain’ it confused me. People who are said to be left-brained, usually tend to be more logical and rational, organized and factual, prefer maths and science. Right-brained people however are much more emotional and creative, they prefer art and music and can often run away with their imagination.

Getty Images/DigitalVision/Thomas Barwick

The problem with me is that I feel that I fit into both of these categories equally. In school, I excelled in math and loved the sciences. And while I wasn’t such a fan of English or History, I thoroughly enjoyed Fine Art and wasn’t too bad at it either. I tend to approach problems with a very rational mindset, yet when I get emotional, it can sometimes be overwhelmingly strong. I take pleasure in doing puzzles and solving sudoku, but I also love baking, cooking, painting, and scrapbooking. It took me a while to realize that I didn’t need to fit into either of these two categories. While I appreciate that most people fall on either side, I do not, and that’s okay. I do sometimes need to battle with stereotypes from people who are only used to seeing one side of me. But I know now that I can use it to my advantage, and deal with tasks in a unique manner.