When we talk about “seeing,” what we really mean is perception.
Sometimes we’re talking about literal visual perception — looking with our eyes and taking in light and shadow, color, shape, movement.
But because humans are such visual creatures, we often use the language of seeing in a metaphorical sense instead — referring to insight, awareness, comprehension, appreciation, imagination, or an envisioning of possibilities.
We “see” the past more clearly. We “see” ourselves differently. We “see” potentials for the future.
What we perceive, of course, depends on what receives our attention in the first place. And that, in turn, can be shaped by so many things: our intentions, our habits, our biases, our experiences, our fears, our environments, even the examples and information to which we’ve had access.
But beyond the question of what we see, I've also been thinking lately about the different ways we engage with the act of seeing itself.
There are ways of seeing that are generative, effortful, and "productive" — the kinds of perception we use to solve problems, extract meaning, create, discern, navigate, and move ourselves from point A to point B.
But there are other kinds of seeing that are quieter and more restorative. They invite us simply to notice. To absorb beauty. To become present to ourselves and the world around us. To soften enough to receive the moment we’re in.
That second way of seeing is actually quite productive too, in that it renews us for the work of the first kind of seeing. But it's also meaningful and valuable in its own right — and is a big part of what makes life so beautiful.
Suleika Jaouad captures all this perfectly in her introduction to the “Seeing” chapter of The Book of Alchemy. After immersing herself in producing work for a solo watercolor exhibit — a focused, creative effort that involved both literal and metaphorical seeing — she hit a wall. Exhausted, she stepped away from the effortful kind of seeing and found renewal instead in watching her dogs play and in soaking up the spring landscape with its sunny yellows all around her.
Her example highlights again — for me at least — the question of where we put our attention...
Do I notice when it's time to stop "efforting" and to allow another kind of seeing to renew me? How often do I remember to look inward and notice what's happening inside me — and to look for the wise response that might be invited? Am I finding the right balance of looking outward — at the needs and wishes of others, the responsibilities to which I've committed, the many creative possibilities calling to me — vs. looking inward?
When you consider it from a certain perspective, we are always looking. Always perceiving. The question is whether the ways we are seeing — and the ways we are not seeing — are serving us well.
So this month, I invite us to explore the many facets and layers of seeing together. We’ll consider how we look outward at the world around us, inward at ourselves and our inner lives, and even at the act of seeing itself — noticing what shapes our perception and how our ways of seeing influence the way we move through the world.
I hope you'll join me for these very visual explorations as we dig in with our May "Seeing" theme!
Explore This Theme Inside Joybook...
New this month...
- Journaling Series — The Practice (& Art) of Seeing
- Prompts/Event — Seeing "One Thing" Journaling
- Prompt — "Where Does Your Attention Go?" Self-Observation Exercise
From the archives...
- Journaling Series — This month's journaling series employs a powerful format we've enjoyed before — using the act of looking at artworks (and journaling about them) to spark new perceptions. Consider revisiting some of these previous series with the same visual format:
- Journaling — This replay from the Celebrating You (in 5 Senses) series uses visual prompts and/or visual memories to help you look at yourself through an appreciative lens.
- Workshop — Our workshop on "Creativity, Well-Being, & Your Beautiful Life" was based on a fascinating book about how making and engaging with the arts (and other aesthetic delights) positively impacts our brains and benefits our well-being.
- Mini-Retreat — This Visioning Creative Mini-Retreat uses collage, journaling, and meditation to help you create a vision for an important aspect of your life.
- Or consider exploring other content from our Joybook content library with tags on topics such as seeing, vision, perspective, insight, self-awareness, senses, etc.