Reflections

I don't know why I subscribe to magazines.

They are so tantalizing with their glossy pages and perfect images and drama free cooking. The people look shinier and the food looks yummier. I enter that world and get lost in the beauty of it all.

But I know it's fake. I know about the lighting tricks and the makeup artists. I've seen those special articles about how they Photoshop someone to make them look more amazing than they are in real life.

I still have that annoying ache in my heart for perfection.

Recently I had this revelation about how I perceived my home. I was shooting away on my Canon camera when I saw a reflection of my dining room in a mirror. Just a reflection. It was fleeting, but in that moment I saw color and light and beauty and I thought, "Wow, that sure is a happy house." And then I had to laugh because I made that and I didn't even know it.

When I was studying fine art in college, our art teacher had us play tricks on the left side of our brain in order to let the right side of our brain engage. Apparently the left side of the brain is known for logic and math; it's also very bossy and dominant. In order to get into "right brain" mode, we would often "deactivate" the left side of the brain.

One way to do this is to draw the negative space. The negative space is the space in between objects. In order to draw the chair above, for example, one would focus on the white space in between the rungs instead of the wooden chair. In this way, the left side of the brain couldn't take over and say, "That is a chair." The right side of the brain would reply, "We're not drawing a chair. We're drawing interesting shapes around that object which you call a 'chair.'" The most important reason for this is to draw the object in perspective and in proportion. It works; believe me. The drawing is much more accurate when you draw this way.

So when I was snapping away happily on my camera the other day, I realized that by seeing my life through a mirror image, I was much more happy with what I saw. It took some of the negativity away. I was able to see the "in between" space. It helped me see things from a perspective I hadn't seen before.

Have you ever had a day where you're totally irritated with, say, your children... and then you pop them in the car and look at them in the rear view mirror and think, "Aw, how cute. I'm so lucky"? Same concept.

So put down your Better Homes or Food Network magazines. Grab a mirror. Look at the world anew. You'll be amazed.