The value in trying things from a different perspective

The Value In Trying Things From A Different Perspective

Daily Inkling, how to see things from a different perspective, Kimberly Palmer

Editor’s Note: I’m an ideas person known for amassing a ~~dusty~~ pile of journals, post-it notes, table napkins, tissues, shopping dockets and crumpled, coffee-stained sheets of paper where I gather my brain-dump. And boy was I excited to stumble upon Daily Inkling, a blog about ideas, inspiration and lots of creativity by two clever foxes, one of whom is Kimberly Palmer. Her article below shows us how to get creative. Enjoy. Robelen x

We cannot help but interpret everything we see, feel and hear through our own perspective. Perspective is incredibly powerful – and hugely distorting.

I was reminded of the potentially damaging nature of perspective recently when I was listening to a story told independently by two people who had experienced the same (business) interaction but had completely different views of what had occurred. Each thought the other was potentially disturbed and even intentionally dishonest. Each was totally convinced THEY were right, the other was wrong.

In fact, perspective makes the seemingly firm concepts or “right” and “wrong” completely irrelevant.

Why all this talk of perspective? Well, in addition to the damage perspective can do, it can also be immensely valuable.

Consider for example:
•    If you work in a creative field, being able to put yourself in your “target audience’s” position can deliver a huge potential creative win.
•    If you’re writing a story, being able to evaluate the story from multiple perspectives makes it so much more compelling to the reader.
•    If you’re a photographer, seeking a different perspective means you are able to deliver fantastic images others could never have dreamed of.

So why not make a conscious decision to actively tackle every creative challenge from a new perspective?

Here are some questions to help get you break away from your own perspective….

TO WALK IN SOMEONE’S SHOES
•    Are you being too single minded?
•    Are you viewing this only from your own point of view?
•    What if you hadn’t been born to your parents?
•    Or even in the same country?
•    What if you had no money?
•    Lots of money?
•    What if you lived by a different moral code?
•    What if everyone thought you were insane?
•    What if you weren’t human?

TO VIEW IT FROM A DIFFERENT ANGLE
•    Have you walked around it?
•    Knelt down?
•    Looked down on it?
•    Held it differently?
•    Walked away from it?
•    Gotten much closer to it?
•    Considered how a child would see it?
•    How your mother would see it?
•    Have you squinted at it?
•    Have you looked at it through a distorting lense?
•    Have you seen it when you’re well rested?
•    When you’re elated?
•    When you’re sad?

To REVERSE EVERYTHING
•    Should you change direction?
•    Have you tried starting from the end?
•    From another point in time?
•    Switched all the colours?
•    Taken away all colour?
•    Considered an entirely different belief system?
•    Contemplated anarchy?
•    Pretended nothing is real?
•    Looked at it through the rear view mirror?

Oh, and wondering about the image at the start of this post? I photographed it from inside the sculpture pictured below.