Week 49: Reverse
Back up! Course correct. Hmmm something isn’t working? And, what about, being wrong?
i thought i would be finished with this drawing by now. Just a few final touches.
But no! Not done with this or bigger things either… (i tell my self “AND” and rather than But ter). Yes, in the case of the drawing “And” works… even though the drawing is not working yet. Sometimes the pause of “But” with a question is necessary.
The wrong color is of little consequence, maybe more a matter of taste.
After the last post, i changed a bright blue sky related shape, to the right of the elixir, into a golden color. i don’t think it works as well. Some other color changes i’m questioning too. They are easy to fix, digital is a flexible medium.
Not everything goes in reverse so easily. If i was using watercolor and picked a color that later i felt didn’t work. Too bad, live with it or scrap it…
Start again, move on to the next? Learn from it.
How do you deal with reversing, backing up, getting something wrong? Do you get attached to being right?
i’m reminded of Kathryn Schulz’s book, Being Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error
Her TEDTalk is a good introduction and worthy.
Changing a color in a digital drawing doesn’t take much, no dangerous impact in being wrong. It doesn’t raise fear the way a possible mistake in more complex intertwined matters of life, business, community or government policies can.
Could our cultural propensity to avoid vulnerability, humility, fear of shame and our attachment to “being right” keep us from important course corrections?
i’ve been reflecting on the process of change and the impact of contexts, cultural beliefs and others that influence our choices, from the little & inconsequential to expansive systemic matters with gravity.
i think Schulz’s work is relevant to our world context and the challenges we face. May be time to step back and re-evaluate where we are headed given new information.
It might be wise to consider our attachment to “being right”.
Thanks for reading and have a great week.