Seeing things by looking
Most people look. Few of them see. Why?
Gary Bloomer | SHAKING THE TREE # 338
Do you see things as they truly are? Or as you would like them to be?
We often overlook the faults of the people around us.
We give them the benefit of the doubt when they’re done little if anything to earn it.
We extend grace where it is not valued and where it is misplaced.
I’ve often seen things as I would like them to be because I have not been looking properly. When you refuse or are unable to see, to make connections, even when they are based on far from ordinary circumstances or details, you miss out on seeing the unseen.
The world of art, music, and move criticism is awash with this kind of stuff when it shouldn’t be. I can think of nothing more useless in socienty than an art of movie critic. Not if the people writing the reviews can’t paint or draw, or have never written a script or directed a film.
None of those people are seeing.
They’re looking. But after than, it’s mostly gum flapping and yapping to get attention.
The next time you look at a piece of art that’s different, instead of writing it off out of hand, instead of giving it no further consideration, ask yourself why it challenges your expectations and why it gets you asking questions and questioning your thinking.
You might just see something you weren’t expecting to find.
As always, thanks for reading.
—Gary
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Next time on Shaking the Tree: Feeling by touching
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Originally from the U.K., Gary Bloomer is a writer, branding advocate, marketing specialist, and an award-winning graphic designer.
His design work has been included in Creative Review (one of the UK’s largest design magazines). Since 2009, he has answered over 5,000 marketing and business questions in the Know-How Exchange of MarketingProfs.com, placing him among the top 3% of contributors. He lives in Wilmington, Delaware, USA.