Hi,

Sun in an Empty Room  

I recently toured an exhibition that featured the works of Edward Hopper, a prominent 20th century American realist painter and printmaker whose work is characterized by its straightforwardness and un-embellished approach toward real life scenes.   His work above, entitled 'Sun in an Empty Room' (1963), particularly stood out for me as a visual manifestation of the best advice I have gotten and try to give when helping anyone through complicated situations (professional or personal).

Hopper accepted things as they were. His approach didn't include enhanced colors, interpretive images,
or idealized visions. He was once quoted
as saying his source of
materials was always 'the facts'

And so, I see where we can all be well served by approaching tough situations in a 'Hopper-esque' manner: by seeing 'what is' versus what we think 'should be, could be, might be, or you wish would be'. 
 

Like Hopper painting just the facts, try to view and articulate your situation using objective and verifiable facts.
Try to discard any of the following
from your view of the situation:
interpretations, limiting beliefs, emotions, unsubstantiated expectations, and any other internal distractions.

Using the painting above as a model, get your situation to become a sort-of 'empty room' version of what is actually going on. This is where the clutter-free clarity will make space for the solution to be found. As Hopper said,
'In an empty room, absence could suggest presence'.  

In my experience, with a clear fact-based canvas of 'what is', the solution usually tends to reveal itself.  
  

I found a very powerful quote by Hopper in which he simply summed up his art by stating,
"The whole answer is there on the canvas". 

 So, if you're in the midst of a 'road block' right now, think of Hopper's approach to his work......get a picture of your situation as a room in your head and get rid of EVERYTHING in it but the walls, floors, windows, and trim.

 I'm pretty confident you'll discover that once you get to an 'Empty Room' , your answer will be right there on your canvas just like the 'Sun' in Hopper's painting. 

Thanks for sharing your Second Cup with me,   
 

Hope to see you on the trails......91/100*
*My 100K Accountability