I’m currently in the process of finishing up one of my most complicated paintings to date. It’s not necessarily ‘huge,’ but given the amount of time I spend polishing every last detail, any canvas that’s two and half feet long and nearly as tall is still a lot of space to fill.
So far I would guess that I’ve spent about 100 hours working on this latest piece, with another 50 or so to go before I’ll officially call it ‘finished.’ Looking at anything for that length of time, day in and day out, can affect the things you see as well as the things you miss completely.
That’s why it helps to turn your paintings upside down in order to enjoy a fresh point of view.
Is everything in its proper proportion to one another?
Is there too much empty space, or maybe not enough?
Does the perspective work?
Are there any areas that are too light or too dark?
Has the whole vision come together in a way that makes sense?
Your eyes get so used to seeing things in a certain prescribed way, that it’s almost like they become blind or lazy to what’s right in front of them. Unless you shake things up a bit by looking at it differently.
A Fresh Perspective On Life
This got me thinking about Life in general. Day after day we all plod along, mostly caught up in routines without even necessarily knowing that they’ve become just that: routine.
If you think starring at a work of art for 100 hours or more is a lot, think about how long you’ve been starring into the face of your own precious Life? 30 years? 40? A half a century? Maybe even longer than that . . .
Is everything in its proper proportion to one another?
Is there too much empty space, or maybe not enough?
Does the perspective work?
Are there any areas that are too light or too dark?
Has the whole vision come together in a way that makes sense?
Our lives deserve compassionate attention, painstaking effort, and every now and again, a fresh, clean perspective. So go ahead and turn it upside down and see how it all holds up . . . or doesn’t.
Then flip it back around, grab your ‘tools’ - whatever those may be - and make the changes you want. Just don’t get too caught-up in trying to make everything ‘perfect.’ That’s part of the reason our individual lives are so full of boundless possibility: they’re always a work in progress.
Show up.
Pay attention.
Be Yourself.
-Christopher
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