There is a film I ask my NYU students to watch called The Powers of Ten. Written and produced by Charles and Ray Eames, better known to the world for the design of the Eames chair, the film was made in 1968 and re-released in 1977. It’s since become a bit of a classic and in 1998 was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress.
Why you might ask, would I ask a class of digital marketing students to watch a film that from a technical standpoint is from the dark ages? That’s okay. They don’t get it at first either. In fact, some of them need to watch more than once to understand what I want them to see.
Which is pretty simple. Things are not always as they seem. Depending on the vantage point from which we are watching our perspective will change. If we want to be good marketers we need to look at things from more than one angle and more than one distance.
As I’ve been on this blogging experiment these last weeks I’ve been in search of perspective as well as inspiration for these posts. So I’ve been changing up my morning routine.
I tend to be a creature of habit. Walking the same blocks to the gym or the Park when there are a variety of ways I can go. Forgetting I can also walk along the River. Frequenting the same Starbucks when there are literally eight I can choose from.
What I’ve discovered is that each time I walk a different way or order my coffee from a different barrister I am newly inspired. The neighborhood I’ve lived in for many years looks fresher, more interesting. And Starbucks – turns out a chain that looks identical from the outset, each has its own unique flavor once inside.
I invite you to give it a whirl. Walk a different way home today. Try a block you’ve never been on it. Let me know what you see.
note: This is Day #21 of the 30 Day Experiment. Here are the details on how it all started.
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