Framing

The concept of "framing," though it sounds rather foreign, is applicable to everyone.  It is equivalent to the context in which something is veiwed, or having a certain perspective, if you will.  Everyone frames their experiences based on other things in their lives, but it is done so quickly and effortlessly that people don't notice they're categorizing their lives.

If acknowledged, people can definitely use framing to their advantage -- either in changing the way they themselves frame things in order to be more positive, or by using how others frame things to their advantage.  The PBS Frontline program, "The Persuaders" discusses the ways in which advertisment companies manipulate veiwers by assessing how they think and creating adds that most successfully persuade consumers to purchase a product.  Instead of just saying, "buy this product" most ads target moral or emotional facets of the veiwer's mind, causing them to associate the positive of that moral or emotion with purchasing a product.

It is useful to be aware of framing in any occupation, but I believe it is especially relevant to a life in the arts.  To be successful in conveying a theme or emotion, it is pertinent that the artist undertstands how people think -- how different words, objects, and colors interact with one another and can create a story.