How Do You Get A New Point Of View?

Do you go for the aisle or window seat? That is the question. It might be nobler to sit where you don't have to crawl over strangers if you'll probably have to go to the potty. But sometimes it's worth bypassing Starbucks and keeping your legs crossed to sit by the window.

There are times when life itself feels a bit patchworky. Wouldn't it be nice to view it from a window seat to see how it all connects?

On a less philosophical level, I have a new method to try for getting the Window Seat view of work in progress. In a video I saw recently, Helena Hernmarck did a soft shoe across the breast beam with either binoculars or a monocular (held backwards, I believe) to get that perspective on a tapestry commission. (To see the video, follow this link to browngrotta and click Video in the right hand column.)

I often use my digital camera to help me "see" work in progress from another perspective. For example, I shot this mineral-printed fabric with a frame of indigo-dyed fabric laid around it to get a better look before it goes up on the design wall (which is still occupied by something that should be done but isn't).

There are other ways to change the perspective when you look at something. You've probably had someone tell you to put a piece down and look at it from across the room to get a fresh point of view. I've trooped entire classes into conference center restrooms to look at the reflection of their work in a mirror. But wrong-way binoculars was a new one for me.

What do you do to get a fresh perspective on your work?