Too often we see only what we expect to see. And we miss what is really there. To a good extent, our view of things is muddled by preconception.
Of what color, for example, do we know fluorescent light to be? Nine out of ten people will say white, for sure; that’s what it seems. In reality, however, fluorescent light is technically green.
Back when I was attending film school, our photography teacher revealed to our class some of the known techniques that great photographers use for keenly seeing, for making the world more visible. It entailed looking at the ordinary, day-to-day world selectively, shutting out the rest, like when a photographer peers through his viewfinder to take a shot.
“No matter where you go, there are great pictures to see,” our teacher explained. “You only have to recognize them.” He raised his hands and made a frame using his fingers. “Here’s a ready tool you can use,” he said.
True, when we mimicked him, we saw a lot of interesting things around that we didn’t see before. Through a frame, the watermark on the concrete wall became a fantastic free-form design. Even the cigarette butt on one side of the pavement was suddenly a dramatic subject.
Indeed, the world is too big to take in all at once. The mere size of it can overwhelm and blind us. We have to look at it in small parts to make sense and beauty of it.
It requires nothing – no camera or any extra equipment – to enjoy great mental snapshots, more than the will to look, observe and appreciate. The amazing thing is, more than the visual delight it brings, what we see can be a source of great insights. The pictures that we hold in our mind are an unusual creative force.
It is not really intellect that makes a great work or invention, but feeling. Learning certain techniques can help, but, most of all, one must first see – in his imagination, through his emotions. It is not technique that creates—but vision!
This fact is most pronounced with artists. The power of seeing the world in his own unique way is what gives the artist his style. It’s like dreaming, with one’s eyes wide open. And it’s one of the most rewarding seeing devices of all.
With actors, I’ve observed that those with a big appetite for seeing are the most effective. They see the world from their own experience, from watching others, and in their imagination. Consequently, their experience of life is so vast that they can take on any role with amazing credibility and impact.
And good actors do not stop learning. They understand fully well that there is always so much more in life than anyone can ever fully learn. They are never limited to past experience; they take every moment as an opportunity for new discoveries and personal growth.
The truly qualified actors are very disciplined people. They know that, always, they’re only as good as their last performance. They take praises graciously, but never allowing it to alter their own realistic view of themselves.
The glare of transient public admiration can burn. Overconfident actors often become lousy performers. Basking in the glory of one’s accomplishment is corruptive. Conceited people are such a pest to be with.
With artists as with everybody else, humility is a virtue. More so, honest and realistic self-appraisal. There’s nothing better to give one a more solid grounding than to see oneself the way one really is.
Helen Keller once said that the worst calamity that could befall a person is “to have eyes and fail to see.” How right she was! And yet how often many people find themselves in such situation.
Years ago I was filming a feature film on an isolated island and came upon an old man, a half-blind fisherman. At 90, he was still going out to sea, alone. I asked if it didn’t scare him that he might get lost on his way. He smiled, assuring that he was already familiar with the surrounding seas and could see everything clearly in his mind.
That old man could barely see small objects at hand. He needed to touch my face in order to know what I looked like. But he definitely saw so much of his world and of life that I was humbled by his wisdom.
We all possess the ability to see way beyond our eyesight. Small children especially. But in growing up we usually suppress it, out of fear of being thought different. It’s puzzling: Everybody wants to be just like the rest and yet everybody wants to stand out, too.
We need to occasionally become children again, to reclaim our childlike independence and freshness of view. We need to set aside our fear of being different, our fear of being our true individual selves, and not be afraid to go out on our own to discover the whole world around us.
There’s an old saying: “Seeing is believing.” But, more than that, seeing is living in the truth. And the more vividly we learn to see, the more fulfilled we become.
(E-MAIL: modequillo@gmail.com)