Real stories. Honest questions. For people ready to use their voice for good.
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The warm sunshine and cool breeze felt so good - it finally felt like fall. I stood at the edge of the pond mesmerized by the leaves lying on top and the reflections just underneath. There were layers and layers of leaves all pushed to one side of the pond - golds, yellows and creams floating on dark green and deep brown reflections.
I found myself wondering: what WAS so mesmerizing about the leaves on the pond? I took my phone out of my pocket and framed up some different photos. There’s something about seeing a scene on a tiny screen that gives it a different feel doesn’t it?
As I studied the photos on my phone, one particular ingrained design principle popped in my head - perspective. (My art school professors would be so proud!)
It’s the principle which helps us feel grounded in a space. When we can sense the depth of a long church aisle in an Italian masterpiece, that’s perspective.
And in these photos of the leaves and reflections, the more intriguing photos flattened the space, taking out the usual frames of reference. There was no horizon, not even the edge of the pond was visible. It was layers of leaves sitting on the water’s still surface, reflections peeking out from underneath.
Monet does this brilliantly in his water lily paintings. So much so that at a 1917 auction, people looked at one of Monet’s paintings and thought it was hanging upside down. The reflected clouds were that clear, the horizon that hidden.
Claude Monet's The Water Lily Pond (Clouds), 1903. I took this photo when the painting was at the Frist Art Museum this spring.
I was having my own trouble determining up and down that day at the pond. I’d been working on a framework, stubbornly trying to make a Venn diagram to describe my methods. Pages of intersecting circles lay on my desk, filled with scribbles, labels and patterns all in an effort to crystallize my work into something shareable outside of coaching calls. But when I looked up from the desk and still saw intersecting circles in my field of vision I knew I needed… well honestly, I needed perspective.
They say when we’re feeling stuck, going outside can really recharge our brains. And one theory behind it talks about the shift in perspective. We’ve been sitting in a room, with walls close by so that when we step outside the ‘room’ is larger. We can usually see much farther. We can usually see a horizon that’s farther away.
Our perspective has shifted.
The leaves go from just sitting on a surface, to sitting on the surface of a pond that’s under a bright blue sky.
As I walked, my horizon broadened for sure. Then a different memory floated up: I’d been this close to my own work once before, years ago at a credit union. It involved a melting ice cube.
It was my team’s job to create ads, so when the CFO provided a special rate to grow deposits, we set off to develop clever headlines and themes. We felt our work was to nurture the organization’s brand, and to push creative boundaries within that brand in order to promote the deposit rate. As we pitched our ideas, the CFO kept going back to one thing - the rate. She reminded us this was a short-lived promotion with a very clear goal. To meet that goal meant focusing on what mattered to the members. Yep, you guessed it - the rate. The ad that ran was a big rate inside a melting ice cube. We were a bit soggy ourselves after that, yet that’s when I learned just how many perspectives there can be as work moves forward.
We all wanted the deposits to grow. We all had the same goal in mind. We just stood in different places. She was looking at a number, we were looking at a campaign, and none of us could see the whole scene from where we stood.
That’s the thing about perspective. You can’t get a new one by staring harder at the same spot. You have to step out of the room, let someone else tell you what the view looks like from where they are.
And if the walls in your room feel close today, I can recommend a pond.
Truly, Jackie
Quiet Signal
Who’s looking at your idea from a different seat, and have you asked what they see?
Signal Boosts
I'd love to hear YOUR perspective as I’m working on my circles! If you have an idea that isn’t landing the way you hoped, hit reply and tell me what it looks like from where you stand. And if it's a project that's got a short timeframe (I mean how is 2027 just 6 working weeks away?!) let's get on a call to hash it out.
Adam Grant's new book Vibe covers how to connect with others, including how to discover their perspective..... let's talk about it 11/17 at the No Reading Required book chat! Add to your calendar
Signals I'm Receiving
Here's the photo that inspired today's email. I'm intrigued by the photo, and by 'perspective' but honestly, I'm not quite sure I had all my thoughts fully formed as the deadline for this email crept up. I was still rewriting it way closer to deadline than normal. So the signal I received still feels static-y and yet I'm sending it on with faith it'll find it's way.
Hi there! I'm Jackie.
I help thoughtful people show up fully without having to become someone they’re not.
