Space — Recognizing Your Potential

“Space is big. You just won’t believe how vastly hugely, mind-bogglingly big it is. I mean, you may think it’s a long way down the road to the chemist’s, but that’s just peanuts to space.”
– Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

Adams is correct in his evaluation about how vast space is. Scientists have determine that if one could travel to some of the planets within our own solor system, even at the fastest speed of travel known to man, one would die of old age before arriving. And we’re just a twinkle in the background of the universe. Yes, space is big.

In design, space (often referred to as “white space”) is the comparative relation between things — the distance between objects. Artists use space to evoke a sense of wonder, freedom, and to give the viewer’s eye a visual rest.

In life, space represents our freedom to grow. To our knowledge, physical space, the universe, has no limits. And our potential to grow, share, make a difference, also has no limits. That is, unless we limit ourselves by making poor choices.

An unknown writer stated, “Between stimulus and response is a space. In this space lies our freedom to choose our response. In these choices lie our growth and happiness.”

If we cram useless “stuff” into our lives, our space becomes cramped and crowded, much like the once-vogue VW Bug cramming. We become stifled, have no breathing room, and can suffocate under the weight of life’s clutter. Just as the artist omits clutter from the creation, eliminating unnecessary fluff from our lives will give us the freedom and space to grow and reach our potential.