Microscopes and telescopes

Posted by John King on October 11, 2009 under Advice | Be the First to Comment

I went to see Anish Kapoor at the Royal Academy of Arts today. It blew me away – an amazing exhibition. It was great to see people interacting with the pieces – moving closer, then further away; swinging their heads from left to right to see how the artwork changed with the change in their perspective.

These interactions reminded me of something I read recently in Guy Kawasaki’s brilliant book ‘The Art of the Start‘. Guy talks about telescope phases, when entrepreneurs think up the next big thing to change the world, their heads full of dreams. In microscope phases, there is a focus on detail and a return to fundamentals. Perhaps the major banks are in microscope phases right now. According to Guy, you need both microscopes and telescopes to achieve success.

At the exhibition, some people wondered around, looking at the art from a distance to appreciate the immense scale. Some people walked up closely to each exhibit, looking closely at the texture of the material. Others did both; they moved closer then further away, taking in the totality of the work.

Perhaps it is this third group who really gained the most from the day. I noticed my tendency to look at the bigness of things, appreciate the scale; remembering Guy’s words, I made sure to look at each work more closely. I ended up spending several hours there, never feeling bored, and I’m sure I will return again.