Thursday, December 9, 2010

Are you a Big Picture or Detail person?

I was chatting with a friend (Nora) and as we spoke I realized that she was a detail person and I was a big picture person. She is the kind of person who goes over things repeatedly, making sure they are as perfect as possible. This is a great trait, unless "Perfection" remains an unobtainable goal. I, on the other hand seem to be on some kind of self-imposed race. This blog is an example of my big picture-ness. This is my 2nd draft, having felt the need to return to add more depth to what I was speaking about. In my first draft, I wrote too quickly, seemingly trying to answer the overall question of what kind of person I am, but answering too quickly didn't seem to answer the question at all. I find that much of the time I am in such a rush to get the job accomplished that I overlook the small stuff. I am a photographer and many times the big picture so captures my heart that I can't seem to see the smaller things . . . the things that made the shot so spectacular to begin with. It wasn't merely the waterfall and the trees, it was the way the water flowed when the gusts of wind blew it, and it was what the branches, which were was overloaded with snow, looked like . . . It was the details. Being able to slow down, concentrate and realllllly see the small stuff is paramount to good photography. I am also a fledgling author and hurrying through chapters, without spending the necessary time to truly expound on people's feelings and thoughts, might get you to the end of the book, but it only weakens the writing.
I am now committing myself to slowing down, looking around and placing the issue of small details up with the big picture to hopefully improve my photos and writings . . . and my life.
Why am I hurrying?
It is we, the big picture people, who see the end of the story before it is written . . . It is just all those pages in between we have to slow down and perfect.
I guess if there was a lesson for me to learn before 2010 ends, it is that I don't want to be a big picture or detail person, I want to be an all around person . . . . and in 2011 I will be.

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