From the desk of Teresa Jordan, Executive Director – Awhile back I had great fun at a paint night fundraiser. I was amazed, it turns out that Mrs. Hutchinson was wrong when she gave me a D in grade 2 art… I totally painted a tree with fall leaves that looked unmistakably like a tree with fall leaves.
Also amazing to me was that the instructor had one model picture and gave us one single instruction set for each part of the art project. Yet, walking around the room at the end, no single tree resembled another. Each had different branches, different shades of colour, different shapes and different designs – all together different in some cases.
Two things were happening I think. Some people were interpreting the instructions differently without knowing so, while some were hearing what was said and then consciously doing their own thing. And isn’t that the case most of time? A room full of people hear the same message, but process the information through their own filters and take away different meanings. Or they hear the message, but knowingly dismiss some or all of it based on their own experiences that contradict.
It’s a funny old world because I am learning that everyone is right, everyone is entitled to what they know is right, and all interpretations of instructions are needed to make the robust tapestry of a rich community and organization.
And in case you are wondering, mine looked exactly as it was supposed to look.
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