Yesterday, Nate was sketching a teapot with flowering tea for me. He was having trouble getting the correct perspective. I remember a trick I learned in an art class. Take a piece of glass. Hold it over the object. Then sketch the object through the glass. I have a piece of large glass over my tea table so I got it, held it over the teapot and watched Nate sketch. It was an interesting experiment in perspective.
I was only a couple of inches to his side. Yet, from my vantage point...it looked like he was sketching it all wrong. At first, I wondered, is he doing it right? But then, I realized he as seeing in from a "different perspective". I shifted over just above him. Yes, it was dead on.
It made me realize a lesson about perspective. We can be looking at the same object or issue. Yet, depending on our perspective we can see it entirely different. However, by shifting over just and inch or so, making some sort of compromise to our position...we can see it the same way...
This does not mean you change your perspective...but it means you can "validate" someone else's perspective. It did not mean that my perspective was wrong. From my vantage point it was accurate. Yet, when I shifted over, just an inch I could see that Nate was right too. You never know when life will teach you lessons...
My writing teacher in high school would always say; "Perspective, a crowded elevator smells different to a midget."
Posted by: Jason | January 16, 2012 at 07:53 AM