What We See
When I think about the act of seeing, and what that means, many things come to mind.
I see flashes of visual moments from the last few days; a surprising color combination that excited me - mauve, mint, and dusty army green - which accidentally came together as I dressed for bed one night. I see the twisted cane of a rose bush that had grown through the pickets of a white fence and the pale pink roses that climbed above it. I see a house along the walk I take most evenings, a house that both my son and I missed for months and then noticed, strangely, within seconds of each other - a charming Spanish Revival mostly obscured by vegetation with a picturesque balconette and inviting manicured grounds. How had we missed it, and how interesting that now it’s impossible to. A balloon, the red of a stop sign, that escaped from a party and stuck in the branches of an evergreen by a picnic table in the park.
Seeing gives us narrative. I imagine the thing I might create with this soft and lovely, unexpected palette. I see the rose bush finding its way, over time, through the space between the wooden slats. In my mind, the house is inhabited by an elderly couple who raised their children within its walls and now, satisfied, enjoy the quiet of their home.
Considering what the word “seeing” means, it is many things simultaneously: seeing gives us understanding, it is comprehension, it is connection, it is awareness. Seeing is opening ourselves and taking things in, it is learning, experiencing the world - it can captivate us, calm us, satisfy us, relieve us, even frighten us. We hope to see clearly and see the truth.
Seeing is the result of focusing our attention. We must see before we create, either in the world or in our minds. As a creative person, seeing is vital. Like food, it is either junk or nourishment. Some things you see will inspire expansion and growth and others will cause contraction and drain you so you must learn to control your attention and place it only on what enriches you, fills you up, and adds to your tool box and your aesthetic. Be discerning about what you look at.