losing perspective on perspective

Everything in life really is about perspective, isn't it?


"...as seen at a particular time and from a fixed position..."


And don't I always lose perspective in the height of a moment?

From where I am standing when I experience something, it always looks a certain way to me at that moment. Later on, and or to someone else looking at it, the same picture might look like something totally different. I think this is so important to remember all day long, in good times, but also when things aren't going so well.

If everyone could consider that someone else has a different perspective of the same thing I think it would make the world a better place. It would certainly slow our fast-paced lives down a bit. Our minds would open immediately and we would stop and think. Stubborness would be no more. Oh, how idealistic of me. Well I had to put it out there.

Ponder the opposite for a moment; I am in a coffee shop and am talking on my cell phone for example. I think the person on the other end of the line can't hear me very well so I am talking loud - really loud. Everyone around can hear me. If I only think of my perspective here, I would be thinking that the other people around me would want to experience my phone conversation (or not care either way). Most likely this would not be the case. More likely, the people around would be thinking that the person speaking very loud in a public place and is negatively effecting their experience at the coffee shop.

Ok, that was a major digression, but I think I got my point out there. Always consider other possibilities, but mostly when you are sure you are right about something.

Back to perspective and interior design; I like to use 2 examples of this perspective theory of mine in terms of design and interiors.

I am often asked if a dark color (paint) will make a room look smaller. Dark paint, one of my favorite design ideas, never gets old - dark ceilings included. Obviously it depends on the room, so don't rush to do this tomorrow. My perspective is that light rooms feel airy, crisp sometimes, and bright. A dark room, ceiling included or not, from my perspective, is cozy and warm. Does this dark room feel smaller? Possibly, depending on your perspective. Depending on how many rooms you have seen painted in a dark color, were they big rooms or very small rooms? Was there a lot of natural light or none? Suppose we were not pre-programmed to think that "dark" helps to make things appear smaller. Then the smallness in a room painted a dark color may not be so recognized. PERSPECTIVE.

Consider us body-conscious girls. Didn't we learn early in our years that black makes certain body parts look smaller? You are probably saying to yourself "of course my butt isn't actually smaller..." The room (and my butt) doesn't just magically get smaller - I wish. But couldn't my butt look good in other colors? Or only in black?

The other example to help explain my theory on perspective is much more simple. The blue sky. People often say "I want such and such blue, like the sky". Well not only is the sky different colors of blue day in and day out, but how one person sees sky blue compared to how another person sees that same sky blue is different. I guess I would also throw in the word interpretation at this point.