You Have to Look to See

Hi, I’m Johanna and I write Seeing. I share my photography and writing here. I like to revel in the beauty of life and learn and explore.

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I want to start this week with a quote. I’ve been thinking about renaming the newsletter for a couple of weeks now, because I got way in my head about it needing more zing for marketing purposes.

Then, I stumbled upon this quote in my notes I want to share with you:

“Seeing comes before words. The child looks and recognizes before it can speak.” John Berger* 

The quote helped me remember why I was so drawn to this name. Often, we look but don’t see. Seeing is more than a casual glance. It’s intuitive and pre-verbal.

When you see, it’s magnificent. It’s like you recognize the whole world around you in an instant. I love how seeing can override our logical mind and take you to the depths of an experience. When I take photos or am drawn to something visually, I often can’t explain it. It’s intuitive. And I love it for that. It’s a respite from the left-brained, logically driven world.

If you’ve ever spent an hour just looking at nature, being totally mesmerized, you know what I mean. There’s no verbal or logical process. You don’t sit and tell yourself “tree, tree, tree, bush, shrub, mountain, mountain, sky, cumulus cloud”. You’re just there, observing, taking things in on a visceral level.

I love that. It’s almost meditative.

May you see beautiful things this week,

Johanna

*John Berger is a British writer, artist, and art critic. He’s written prolifically about what it means to see. I appreciate his works, because they opened up a new perception of life to me. Andy Adams from FlakPhoto Digest made a note about John Berger last week. It reminded me of his writings and how much I enjoy them.

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