from zackreddy

Every day this week, I’ll be posting based upon a random Flickr image that inspires me. Here’s one now.

I love this photo because it’s reflective in nature. It requires one to look at it and reflect upon it, rather than merely appreciating it for its beauty. The message you receive from it is very likely different than the one I receive from it, but that’s what makes great art. The message that speaks to me is that life is a series of snapshot frames. Normally, we don’t notice all of the intricate twists and turns and nuances that speed by as we live our lives. But sometimes, if we stop for a moment to reflect upon our lives, we can catch a quick glimpse of the details we missed, and each detail is like a framed moment, captured at that instant.

Reflecting upon our personal lives holds real value, but that same type of reflection in your work life can as well. My work days are filled with multi-tasking and speed. I know I only have so many hours in a day to get tasks done, so I try to get as much accomplished as possible. Some days, I have to force myself to stop for a while, and just think. At those moments, I take a walk, pace a little, gaze out the window, or just stare at nothing for a while. That’s when I can focus on the details within the frames and see the things I missed. Sometimes, those things are just little details that I forgot to do. Other times, the things I missed were “big picture” things that make me want to slap myself on the forehead, and say “Duh!”

I encourage you to stop occasionally, take a walk, gaze at nothing, and reflect upon the detailed snapshot frames that you missed amongst your hurried life. You might be surprised at the insights you find there.

(from Smash Mouth. "AllStar" Astro Lounge. Interscope Records, 1999.)

Posted on February 25th, 2008 by DazzlinDonna
Filed under: Creativity Exercises