Here’s something that’s been coming into focus for me lately** as I try to organize my backlog of photographs: I have a definite tilt.
This shows up in photographs of me, as well, where since childhood, I almost always lean my head a little bit toward my right shoulder. Unless I am consciously trying not to do so (and then I sometimes look a little stiff and uncomfortable).
It’s not a big problem or anything, to have a tilt, especially not with the ability to crop and straighten a shot after the fact. But becoming aware of it will help me to consistently take better photos, and ones that don’t need any correction after the fact.
And all of those slightly diagonal photos are a gentle nudge to me to consider my tilt in life, too. It is so easy to let it fade into the background. In fact, I’d venture that the ego’s “normal” assumption for everyday reality is that it’s got this really spot-on view of things. No tilt here, surely. Mine is always the “right” way to look at the situation.
It’s usually not a big problem or anything.* We all view the world tilted at our particular angle, I guess. But becoming aware of my own leaning helps me in so many areas of life — mainly in my ability to listen and truly hear what is being said, to read and understand and sink into another’s world, and to be able relate to other human beings on all kinds of levels.
Viewed that way, tilt awareness is all about connection. Y’all know I am all about connection. I sometimes have an easier time of it with the plants and animals and sky than with the human beings I meet in everyday life — and there’s another excellent example of my tilt.
So… what’s your tilt? Do you recognize that you have one? Does it ever affect your work, your art, the style of your home or garden? Does it color your comprehension of what is happening in relationships? What are some other areas of life where it would be good to be aware of our tilt?
I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments.
Hope your week got off to a beautiful start!
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* Okay. Yes, sometimes Ego is a big problem. Huge. The adverb is crucial in that sentence.
** Yep, I’m three weeks behind on the Focus posts again. Rather than try and catch up in a focus overload, I’m just going to jump right in and maybe throw in the backlogged posts later, when there’s a lull. At the end of the year, when winter has limited the garden-post options, sounds like a great time to find any wayward Focus weeks and pull them back into the fold.
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