This Is One of my Favorite Concepts from Art
If you’ve ever taken a drawing class, you were probably told to draw what you see, not what you think you see. That’s because the mind has some funny notions about what the world around us actually looks like.
For example, we have an idea that eyes are white (with dark in the center, of course). We even quote, “Don’t fire until you see the whites of their eyes.” Everyone knows it’s true that eyes are white around the edges.
And generally speaking, this is true.
But not always. And if you draw, or paint, the “whites of the eyes” as a predominant feature of the eyes, or use actual white color, your drawing will probably not be accurate.
To Draw Accurately You Have to Be Literal
When you look literally at a face, like the my photo above, you can see that the eyes are actually one of the darkest parts of the face. They are recessed and are in shadow. And the dark centers of the eyes are strongly dominating the little bit of lighter color around the corners of the eyes that we call ‘the whites of the eyes.”
In fact, the whites of the eyes in this photo are actually a fairly dark shade of grey. I zoomed in and sampled the photo. This the color of the “white” of my left eye in this photo:
This is the color of the “white” of my eye in the photo above.
In addition to the color not being white, these “whites” are no bigger than two specks on either side of the iris. They have very little impact on the face at all. In fact, on the right side there is only one speck of “white” showing.
But you have to put aside your concept of what eyes look like to see what they actually look like.
This Is What The Work Helps You Do With Emotional Things
The Work is like taking drawing class for real life. It’s like a good drawing teacher. It encourages you to look more closely at any stressful situation. And to see it accurately.
For example, maybe someone said something critical to you, and you’re feeling rejected. You believe it was a personal attack.
The Work invites you to look closely at the situation and try to really see it. It may seem like the person who is criticizing you is attacking you personally.
But Are You Sure?
Look again. What could be going on for that person?
Maybe they always speak directly. Maybe it’s not as personal as it seems. Are they feeling tired? Is there something else going on? Could it be that they are grumpy in general and just taking it out on you? Or could it be that they are not rejecting you at all? Or maybe they are just new to standing up for themselves and are still a little unskilled at speaking their truth. Maybe they actually deserve kudos for the courage to speak up here.
You never know, until you look. The Work provides just that: a chance to look from all angles.
Have a great week,
Todd
“Now look at your husband’s face. Look at him looking at her. Now look at him for just a moment without your story. Look at his eyes, look at his face. What do you see?” — Byron Katie, Loving What Is.
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