Slow Looking & Mindfullness AM-130

Painting 1946 by Francis Bacon, 6’6”X 4’4”, Museum of Modern Art, NYC

Mindfulness

Tuning in your senses, comtemplation, meditation, quiet

Artcanvas Boy Viewing Mount Fuji 1839 Canvas Art Print by Katsushika Hokusai

Slow looking

Taking time to carefully observe more than meets the eye at first glance 

Shari Tishman

author of Slow Looking: The Art and Practice of Learning Through Observation.

Slow Mind

Likes to uncover complexity

Thinks carefully with deliberation

Observes details, analyzes, seeks information from a variety of sources.

Reasons with evidence, makes inferences, asks questions.

Extracts meaning from maximum cognitive effort

Is a learned capacity

Fast Mind

Makes quick first impressions

Makes intuitive, automatic, judgement

Links to fill in the blanks, get the gist, and move on

Trusts the gut, knows it’s correct

Extracts meaning from minimum cognitive effort

Is an automatic capacity

Benefits of Slow Looking

Training your brain for deliberation skills

• Reason with evidence “what do you see that makes you say that”

• Ability to discuss and analyze viewpoints

  • Consider the perspectives of others.

  • Fosters Inquiry

    • Sparks questions and curiosity

    • Prolongs observations

    • Develops communication skills

    • Develops descriptive language skills

Rewarding feedback loop:

The more you look, the more you see; the more you see, the more engaged you become. 

Promotes social awareness

• Taking in others’ perspectives

• Develops empathy and compassion

Builds community

• Student agency

• Self-efficacy

Strategies For Slow Looking

See – Think – Wonder

Step Inside – See, hear, think, feel ( I see… I hear… I wonder…)

- Great way to get inspired to write a song, poetry, make a garment, design a shoe, a bag, etc…

Looking 10X2

• Look at something and record 10 words and phrases. 

• Give it a second look

• Write down 10 more words and phrases

David Hockney

A Bigger Splash (1967)

Tate Modern

London

The Great Wave off Kanagawa is a woodblock print by Japanese ukiyo-e artist Hokusai, created in late 1831 during the Edo period of Japanese history.

“CHRISTIAN DIOR'S GEISHA” By John Galliano, 2007