Forms of Expression
I went to a sculpture garden with my wife the other day. I would never describe myself as an artistic person or a lover of the arts. Certainly I never had any talent for Art when I was in grade school. If I had any aspirations that I had any talent in the field, they were dashed the day our 7th grade Art teacher asked us to draw our house, and the instructor asked me if my house had been condemned by the Board of Health.
However, this garden was unique in terms of the sculptures that were there. While some were definitely sculptures of stone, and others of steel, many were items I did recognize. Such paintings as “American Gothic” were brought to life in sculpture. Other memorable pieces were the historic photo of the sailor kissing the nurse in Times Square at the end of World War II and the scene of Marilyn Monroe holding down her skirt over a street vent in “The Seven Year Itch.” Without a word being spoken, so much was being communicated in the sculptures we saw at the garden.
We all have our ways of expressing ourselves. Some do so well with the spoken word. Others do better in written form. Still others, such as comedians, are able to deliver volumes from the punch lines of their jokes and observations. And, while our goal is to reach our “listeners” depending on the importance of the message we are sending, we often times need to attune the delivery of our message to best meet how it will be best received by those we want to receive it.
At the sculpture garden, there was a 15 minute video by the primary designer and creator of the garden where he indicated the pieces he did were done and presented in such a way, he gave the “viewer” who is his listener, their own choice of interpretation of the message the piece delivered to them. We’re not always so lucky in other aspects of life. For example, in my world, where I work with those looking to connect with hiring managers and employers, messages need to be clearer. As I’ll guide clients, I’ll ask them such questions as “What is most important issue to that hiring manager or company with whom you are looking to connect?” “What do they expect to be delivered by the person that fills the role for which they are hiring?” Most of all, how does one best express that they have either exhibited the traits being sought, or better yet solved similar issues in the past for former employers.
The world is full of a great deal of communication and communication media devices and methods. We all have our favorites that we like to and choose to use. If however, our message is delivered in such a way that our intended receiver is not ready to capture or understand it, it is a message which might as well be like one of the sculptures that I viewed, an open to “viewer interpretation.”
