The Art of Possibility (or should it be the Art of Perspective?)
I have noticed on a reoccurring basis, throughout these last 10 ½ months that I have been in the EMDT program, a reoccurring theme. That theme has been the importance of looking at things from a different perspective. After reading the first four chapters of “The Art of Possibility: Transforming Professional and Personal Life” by R. Zander & B. Zander (2000), that is the major theme that I walked away from the reading with. In fact I am a hard time looking at this book in any other light than that. That isn’t a bad thing, this I am certain of. As I have gone through course after course, and run into countless challenges, I have always had something occur that has forced me to take a step back and reevaluate the situation from a different perspective. Every single time this has happened, I have managed to find a way to work through or around the issue as a result. The four chapters of this book have only served to open my eyes to new ways or ideas on how to do this more frequently in my everyday life. I really like the ideas of “give an A” and “game of ‘contribution’”. I think these are fantastic ideas. My hope is that if I am able to implement some of these ideas into my life, I can reduce much of the stress that exists in my life and to try to view more things in life, thusly opening up more possibilities as a result.
Thanks for reading,
Karl Peterson
Karl.
ReplyDeleteI think you summed up the work we did during Kathy Craven's Filmmaking class in a nutshell. The Tandem Mice crew worked really hard to think outside the box to come up with a plan that we were all happy with and would work in the parameters set before us.
The same can be said for myself during Dr. Repp's Music Theory course. Of the courses we have taken over the last 10 1/2 months that is the one class that I've had the most difficulty with, as it is the one area that is not my strong suit. I'm glad to say though that some of the things that I learned during MTA I'm still using now during EMDT and in my professional life at school.
Karl, you are absolutely right about that aspect of FSO. I, too, feel impressed to turn things inside out and see them from another perspective. I can be a cold-hearted realist (just read my blog on chapters 1-4!), but I am also an authentically soft-hearted guy. I think the world is screaming for people to respect and honor one another.
ReplyDeleteI think the place where this begins is being willing to esteem others as more important than yourself. I don’t imply by this we are to be someone’s doormat, or we are to allow ourselves to be ripped off, or intentionally abused. We are never to surrender our dignity. But in normal, every day interactions with our fellow humans we should place their needs ahead of our own. How often have we judged someone by their actions, only to find out later on that their personal life was in the midst of a significant down turn.
Again, I am not condoning making allowance for someone’s rudeness or harshness. It’s just that I have learned it is better to give everyone a break; give them the benefit of the doubt; make allowance for their human-ness. In my dealings with you over the last year I find you to be a kind-hearted, humble, soft-spoken man. And I see those as important strengths. You are kind, but sure; humble, but very knowledgeable; soft-spoken, yet you have a conviction in your voice that requires no raised volume. You are already on the road to being the kind of man you read about in those chapters.
Karl,
ReplyDeleteGreat analysis of the book to the EMDT Program. I couldn't agree with you more when you stated that by taking a different perspective on various projects and assignments that have stumped you, you've been able to find a work around. I can't tell you how many times that I've said, "well THAT didn't work!" As someone who thinks of himself as a fairly creative individual, I've had many visions of projects that have taken on new dimensions since the initial thought or vision. As I work through the details and discover my "inabilities", the project begins to take a different shape and even though the it may be totally different from what I originally intended, I think many times it turns out much better than I originally intended. I enjoy this process and through it I get a better sense and admiration of what I've accomplished. It is this process that I believe the Zanders are speaking to in their book.
Hello, Karl –
ReplyDeleteYour comments about the countless challenges throughout our program are quite true. I’ve had to rethink many things and surrender myself to yet another state of ignorance each month. The rewards have far outweighed any discomfort or anxiety though. As I found myself being pulled into The Art of Possibility, I just wasn’t expecting a deeply transformative experience. I agree that the “giving an A” and being a “contribution” are excellent strategies. What might have happened if we had read this at the beginning of the program and written that end of the year letter? I’ll join you in trying to implement these practices in my life.
Holly Loganbill
I agree that this book is more of a self evaluating book. It makes one look at their own practices in their lives wether it's teaching or ones personal life and see if you are approaching them in a positive manner. This is a very interesting book. I was not expecting to enjoy this because ome of previous textbooks have not been very interesting.
ReplyDeleteKarl,
ReplyDeleteI think you summed up the experience at Full Sail perfectly. When enrolling in this masters program I wanted something that would truly challenge me. What I wasn’t expecting, but have also grown from, was being forced to step out of my comfort zone. While it was extremely stressful at the time the rewards and self-discoveries were extremely valuable.
Full Sail has changed my pedagogy with all the classes I teach. Not only do I look at myself different, but also the way I relate and motivate my students. I am glad to hear you have experienced similar results.
I agree totally. As I read through the chapters it gave me a sense of freedom to try to see things differently starting from the positive rather than the negative. During the reading I heard a little voice in the back of my head saying “innocent until proven guilty” over and over. I have to think back to the number of times I have had children in my class and have made a judgment on them before giving them a chance to prove themselves. I’m not sure about the “give them an A” thing but certainly starting in my mind by recognizing that each one of them has the ability to surprise and encourage that side of them rather than harping on the negatives. The game of contribution is definitely a big piece of creating a collaborative classroom and it’s a shame that our culture is really set on the “me” rather than the “we”.
ReplyDeleteWell said Karl. I have to agree with you the past 10 months have been looking at things in new light. I also agree with your new title of The Art of Perspective because that is a good summary of the chapters we read. I was not able to put my finger on that concept at the time because I was seeing each chapter individually.
ReplyDeleteYour phrase "I have always had something occur that has forced me to take a step back and reevaluate the situation from a different perspective…" is an experience I started to step into 6 years ago switching from music to special education teacher. However I began to see the experience in a slightly different rephrase of your words: I was forced to step into anther place that I had to reevaluate, had to look at for a moment… and step INTO the situation with everything that I had. I even began to welcome each experience in the new path as an opportunity to knock off something that I believed I likely would never ever have to do. The biggest thing I had to reshape during that time was viewpoint and rephrase. Much like Zander and his "contribute" chapter seems like a rephrase of what people "normally" think.
@ Karl
ReplyDeleteI did get that feeling as well when I started reading this book. Everything we have been going through in the EMDT program has been about looking at things from different perspectives or 'thinking outside the box'. We all have been trained to only see from one specific perspective for most of our lives that we need to re-train ourselves to get out of that habit, to push beyond what we see in front of us and use a different approach to tackling things. Once we can do that, we can then teach our students to do the same so they too can grow more as individuals. The EMDT program has indeed opened my eyes to more possibilities that I and the others in the course I teach are already making changes to better reflect this view. It has made for better students overall, though we must continue tweaking it to make it better and never fall back into the rut that has been taught to us for many years. Good post Karl!
"Every single time this has happened, I have managed to find a way to work through or around the issue as a result."
ReplyDeleteSo true Karl - All it takes is stepping back and looking at an issue from another angle. Sometimes I even take a short, lucid nap to let my mind wander around a problem in a way I could never do while I was awake!
Thanks for sharing!