I was reading my Digital Photography magazine the other day. One of the articles talks about the elements of good composition in photography. Of course, one of the main criteria is that you have to make the main subject of the photograph stand out. When you look at a photograph, you have to be able to tell, beyond the shadow of the doubt, who/what the main subject is. An out-of-focus photo is not going to cut it, of course. But a great picture needs more than just focus.
The author argues that, most photographers (amateur or professional) are afraid of getting "close enough" to their subjects. He said, when you move in so close that you can see the sweat on the forehead of the pottery artist, you have a good chance of getting a powerful picture.
But more often than not, we see the kind of photographs with so much "background clutter" that we can't really see the main subject clearly.
Whenever we go on a vacation, I dread asking total strangers to take pictures of me and my family. First of all, they often don't know how to use my SLR camera. Second of all, I almost always end up with either a blurred picture, or a picture where you need a magnifying glass to find us.
Don't you just hate that?!
Now that I have a digital SLR (talk about instant gratification!) AND I've learned to be much more picky about who I ask to take our pictures (hint: look for those who also carry a SLR camera), my odds of getting a good vacation group picture has gotten better.
Now, you might ask: What does this have to do with life?
If someone takes a snapshot of your life today, what does your picture look like?
Is the snapshot of your life a close-up, powerful composition with you front and center, and all the important elements of your life clearly visible & arranged according to their priorities?
Are you out-of-focus, or looking sharp in the picture?
Or does it look like a random snapshot of chaos, with so much clutter you can barely see yourself?
Or, perhaps (gasp!) you are totally invisible?!!!
Remember that TV commercial where you see the housework being done, baby being fed, laundry being folded, BUT you cannot see the Mommy at all? Do you feel like that Invisible Mommy sometimes? Or all the time?
What feelings surfaced when you look at this imaginary snapshot of your life? If you have a snapshot that's taken so far away from you, what was it that prevented you to take a close-up look at yourself and your life? What is it that you don't like about yourself or your life? What are you avoiding/denying?
If you have a snapshot that's cluttered, or out-of-focus, what do you want your picture to look like instead? What elements need to be included and how do you want to arrange them in the picture?
Most importantly, what are you going to do to make this happen?
A picture is worth a thousand words, but action speaks louder than any words. What can you do this week to de-clutter, re-arrange, and re-focus your life?
What will be your first baby step?
Set your intention, craft out an action plan, tell someone to get the accountability & support, and get going!!!
Labels: accountability, de-clutter, getting support, inspired action, Intensive Self-Care, priority, work life balance
