Around the turn of the millennium I took a drawing class. At one point I asked the teacher how he put distance between himself and his work.
“I take several steps back.” He said. He understood I was asking him how he went about looking at his work objectively, but his answer was in measurable terms.
Of course his answer was also metaphorical.
I have been obsessed with this question for as long as I can remember. It’s a major challenge for me and, I suspect, for many other people.
The only way I can achieve any sense of objectivity–take several steps back–is by putting time between me and the work. Fortunately, time is something I seem to have a lot of, and putting time between me and A Life’s Work has never been a problem. Mostly, the time has been involuntary and frustrating. During production I ran out of money and I had to stop shooting. Now when I’m trying to get into an editing groove, I have to concentrate on making a living to pay my bills. Something always seems to put the film on the shelf for a bit. Yes, it’s very frustrating. Yes, I want to keep moving forward at a steady pace. But since I can’t always do that, I’ve decided to be positive (today) and proclaim that for the last couple of months—as I was working full time at my day job—I was also putting distance between me and my real work.
Now it’s time to roll up my sleeves and close up that distance. I hope the time away will bring some new ideas.
Do you do something that requires you to see it objectively? How do you do it?
Drop me a line. You know I love hearing from you.