“Makin’ your way in the world today takes everything you’ve got…”

Cheers (Theme song)

Messages coming from others—

You could…                                                    Distraction

You need to…                                                 Distraction

You’re so good at…                                       Distraction

Why don’t you…                                            Distraction

Let’s go to…                                                    Distraction

Save! Buy now…                                            Distraction

If only you would…                                       Distraction

If you want to make me happy…                Distraction

You’d be better off…                                      Distraction

You should go to…                                         Distraction

More people would notice you if…             Distraction

You never…                                                      Distraction

You don’t have what it takes.                       Distraction

Messages coming from within—

I could… (do anything)                                  Distraction

If only…                                                             Distraction

I need to…                                                         Distraction

If I work harder…                                            Distraction

How can I get him or her to…?                     Distraction

The easy way would be to…                           Distraction

He or she does or does not like me.             Distraction

If I had…                                                            Distraction

I should go to…                                                 Distraction

I can get it done…                                             Distraction

I can’t…                                                               Distraction

More. Better. Faster.                                        Distraction

I could be cool.                                                   Distraction

What will they think?                                       Distraction

Distraction from what?                          Purpose

Not knowing it, I am adrift.

Knowing it, I have both an engine and a rudder.

 

Find out who you are. And do it on purpose.

Dolly Parton

About This Image

Times Square

Theme: Purpose

File: DF 4099

I had a meeting in Manhattan and decided to stay an extra day to photograph. I walked around with a camera and happened to be in Times Square around four-thirty in the evening. Walking in from a side street, the sea of people, the traffic and the colorful building-sized signs made me laugh out loud. To get out of the way, I squeezed between a pole and a waste can and made several shots. Leaving, I stopped at a light and this is what I saw.

I selected this image because it diverges significantly from my usual preference, which is simplicity. In a section of my Visual Communication classes, I spoke about the strategies of “Image Simplicity vs. Image Complexity,” the former best applied when the objective is to express a feeling or convey a sensibility, the latter serving the purpose of conveying information. Take any image and count the visual elements. The fewer the elements, the simpler the image and the greater the emotional impact. The greater the number of elements within an image, the more information that can be derived from it. Sometimes, an image comes along that accomplishes both.