Amy Herman teaches courses to various groups, including FBI agents, other law enforcement officials, and corporate executives, to teach them how to be more observant and aware of their surroundings. She does so primarily with exercises using art--looking at it, observing it, analyzing it. I read this not necessarily because I wanted to be more observant in my day-to-day life, but primarily to hone the skills looking at art that I am developing in my study of art history. This book shows how to look closely at art to train your skills of perception, to develop your "visual intelligence."

The book is divided into four parts. Part I is titled "How to Assess by Close Observation" (Assess)
Part II "Analyzing What You See" (Analyze)
Part III "Communicating What You See" (Articulate)
Part IV "Be Aware of Bias" (Adapt)

I enjoyed reading this book, and I enjoyed doing the exercises. I found my skills of perception were actually pretty good, although there is always room for improvement and patience is a virtue that's hard to sustain in this hurry-up world.

Recommended

4 stars ( )