I took the picture you can see expecting the distant part to be in focus, with the flower out of focus. The flower providing a useful splash of colour for a fairly misty scene. The flower is in focus, the background very much out of focus. Bokeh, or creating a blurred background, often is done deliberately in photography, so one’s eye I drawn to the subject that is meant to be the point of attention. It is certainly used extensively in portrait, cookery, wildlife pictures.
 
At the time, I took the picture and moved on; it was only later, when I was looking at the pictures I had taken, that I smiled at the result. It does show the flower in all its glory. The blurred background ensuring that one’s eye is drawn to the flower, because of the colour and the clear image. The blurred background merely showing the misty morning sea, some yachts, buoys and beach - out of focus.
 
The colour purple in Insights Discovery is called the Reformer, so the blend of Fiery Red colour energy and Cool Blue colour energy – both thinking preferences in the language of Carl Jung. The Red with directness and urgency; the Blue with the need for detail and facts (to heavily summarise things) – more task focussed and less relationship focussed. The opposite is the feeling preference, also from Jung, which is more interested in the personal and involvement with others – more relationship focussed.
 
Yet when I was reflecting on the picture, the reverse of what I had hoped to achieve, it raised a question. How often have I been focussing on something in the distance when it would have been more useful to focus on what was nearer? Day dreaming when procrastinating on the job at hand, looking at the plan when getting on with a small task would be much more productive…and useful.
 
And the stinging question – how often have I been looking past the person I was communicating with; distracted and looking for, or at, something or someone else?
 
Many of the most engaging people are so because they ‘engage’ with the person they are with. They make the person feel special and listened to. They listen and focus on you, in so doing show respect for you and build respect for themselves.
 
They slow their Red colour energy and use questioning well; they engage more of their feeling preference to become more personable. They listen more than they speak; they are interested in your contribution.
 
I am grateful for the picture that turned out to be the opposite of what I had intended. It reminded me of something I knew…yet I will admit, something I fail to do at times.
 
How about you?
 
My best wishes,
 
Peter