The back of the head perspective
Recently I attended a concert with a solo singer in front of a full orchestra. Concerts are wonderful, not just for their beautiful music but also for the interesting social dynamics and small details you notice in the performances.
When the singer was belting out his lyrics, there were moments when the conductor of the orchestra would turn from his post and watch the singer in amazement at the great skill which the singer possessed. What struck me at that moment was a feeling of perspective.
While the audience could see the singer’s facial expressions while singing, the conductor could only see the back of his head. “He’s missing out on half of the show!” I thought to myself.
Then I realized that this is what it’s like to take part in such an ensemble. The audience experiences quite a different show than what those participating do. While we get to see the finished product, the final performance, there is much more to it than initially meets the eye.
What we miss out on as the audience are the thousands of little details that go into making the performance the wonderful experience we get to see. We miss the arranger labouring over his pieces, working out the best dynamics between the different sections. We miss the conductor looking through the music to find potential trouble points. We miss the sections working through their parts together.
We, the audience, noticed only the final performance. But as the conductor watched the singer, I’m certain he was thinking of all the little details that had made up the final show.
And then, in the midst of “We Have All the Time in the World,” it struck me.
This “back of the head perspective,” or creator’s perspective, is present in all major projects, and sharing it can bring even more value to your project than previously present.
The creator’s perspective is seeing your project go out into the wild, in whatever form that takes. It is looking at your project, which has more likely than not been like your baby, and knowing that most people who see it will see something completely different than what you see.
When the conductor was looking at the singer, I would have loved to be in his head at that moment, to hear what he was thinking. To see what I was missing. To have been able to hear anecdotes about how the show was put together, some of the difficult times and some of the bright times, would really have increased the value I got out of it. To see the creator’s perspective.
I realized that day the value of this perspective, and how sharing your perspective can be one of the best things you could do.
I believe that by sharing that creator’s perspective, those experiencing the final results can take away so much more from them, because they can appreciate more fully what went into their creation.
So what value does this perspective hold? Here it is:
- It allows you to look with pride on your results;
- it allows you to reflect on your decisions;
- and, it allows you to share with others the results of your actions.
Look back with pride.
Gaze upon your creation with a sense of pride. You did it, you accomplished your goals. That which you created is now in the wild and can be appreciated by all those who come across it.
Reflect on your decisions.
Doubtless, when making your product you had to make many decisions. By looking at your product from the creator perspective, you can see all the decisions you made manifested in a final form, and evaluate how each of them affected the final product. This will help you learn and grow as you become better at decision making through self-evaluation.
Share the results of your actions with others.
This creator’s perspective allows you to share what you made with others. Beyond that, though, it allows you to share your reflections on your decisions with the world. This will help you to help others grow, which is a most rewarding result.
Additionally, there’s always someone who wants to learn by hearing how others accomplished what they are interested in doing. Why are tutorials and interviews so popular, if not because they offer insight into the creator’s perspective?
Go forth and do good in the world.
Go out, look back on your products with a creator’s perspective, and be proud of what you made. But share that pride and what led up to it with the world. I’m sure there’s someone who’d love to hear it.
Note: This was cross-published on my website at the time of writing.
