Visual Intelligence: Sharpen Your Perception, Change Your Life

by Amy E. Herman

“Sharp and original, this book should alter how readers look at the world. " — Kirkus

“This fascinating and beautifully illustrated book will make you see the world more clearly than you ever have before. And that clarity will transform how you deal with the challenges and opportunities you face every day.” — Leonard Mlodinow, author of Subliminal and The Drunkard’s Walk

How could looking at Monet’s water lily paintings help save a company millions? How can noticing people’s footwear foil a terrorist attack? How can your choice of adjective win an argument, calm your children, or catch a thief?

In her celebrated seminar, The Art of Perception, art historian Amy Herman has trained experts from many fields to perceive and communicate better. By showing people how to look closely at images, she helps them hone their “visual intelligence,” a set of skills we all possess but few of us know how to use effectively. She has spent more than a decade teaching doctors to observe patients instead of their charts, helping police officers separate facts from opinions when investigating a crime, and training professionals from the FBI, the State Department, Fortune 500 companies, and the military to recognize the most pertinent and useful information. Her lessons highlight far more than the physical objects you may be missing; they teach you how to recognize the talents, opportunities, and dangers that surround you every day. 

“Herman offers a compelling case for the life-enhancing value—and central importance—of careful observation . . . Visual Intelligence is a fascinating book and an important one—and it is a great read.” —Daniel Weiss, president of the Metropolitan Museum of Art  

Genres: Nonfiction, Psychology, Self Help, Art, Business, Science, Design

316 pages, Paperback

First published October 6, 2016

Reviews

[Bart Moeyaert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ik ben mevrouw Herman dankbaar. Afgelopen zondag kreeg ik een ultieme test, of ik ‘De kunst van het observeren’ wel goed gelezen had.

Het ging zo: zaterdagavond won Italië het Eurovisiesongfestival. Op social media gingen de lovers en de haters tegen elkaar tekeer. Hoe kon het dat geschreeuw beter werd bevonden dan een geweldige stem. Ik las meningen en ik dacht — om een stukje uit het winnende lied te citeren: ‘Parla, la gente purtroppo parla.’

Op zondag werd Måneskin nog eens hondenvoer. De naam van de Italiaanse groep werd zo ongeveer trending en overal kreeg je dezelfde foto van sexy bad boy Damiano te zien. Op basis van dat beeld werd aangenomen dat de jongeman tijdens de uitzending cocaïne snoof. Dat was niet heel erg Zitti e buoni van hem.

Je kunt je niet voorstellen hoe blij ik was dat ik uitgerekend zaterdag ‘De kunst van het observeren’ van Amy E. Herman had uitgelezen. Ik vond het boek eerlijk gezegd af en toe stroef en uitleggerig, maar ondertussen heb ik van mevrouw Herman wel opnieuw leren kijken.

‘Concentratie is een mentale spier die je moet oefenen, vooral als hij verzwakt is door jarenlang multitasken,’ is een notitie die ik maakte, natuurlijk omdat het me raakte. Ik wil heel graag weer beter leren focussen en ik wil heel graag minder multitasken. Door concrete observatie-oefeningen aan de hand van schilderijen van o.a. Hopper, Magritte, Monet, wijst de schrijfster je in het boek op het oordeel dat je doorgaans veel te snel velt.

De laatste hoofdstukken over vooroordelen lagen nog vers in mijn geheugen toen de foto en de televisiebeelden van sexy bad boy Damiano langskwamen. Ik genoot van de test. Maar ik schrok ook weer van De Waarheid die veel mensen op social media verkondigden. Het was Hun Waarheid, en vooral ook De Enige.

Zo jammer dat ze niet eerst ‘De kunst van het observeren’ hadden gelezen. Dan zouden ze zo goed als zeker meer nuance hebben aangebracht.

‘De kunst van het observeren’ is uit het Engels vertaald door Karina van Santen en Bart Gravendaal.

[☘Misericordia☘ ⚡ϟ⚡⛈⚡☁ ❇️❤❣ · Rating 5 out of 5]

An outing into the sphere of what we see and what we don't. How our perception is created and when we skip details, filter out things we don't expect to see and check out of reality. How can we improve our perceptive skills? Can we even do that? What about the neuroplasticity, does it help us to become more attentive or hinder us instead?

What we don't use, we lose. So it might be a good idea to train ourselves to see things: as in notice them, pay attention to details and make sure we notice not just the bland watered down version of the world but the more vibrant (and occasionally flabbergasting one). Looking at art, slowing our pace a bit down and generally undistracting ourselves is helpful.

A lot of fun cases: the infamous invisible gorilla, the policeman who likely didn't notice his colleagues beating up a passer by, the mother-daughter artist duo and lots of other great material.

[Adeline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this book. BUT four stars out of five for one single reason: a book about visual perception should provide better reproductions of the artworks used for practice. I couldn't help but find it ridiculous to be asked to pay attention to details when the details are lost in small reproductions. Do better.

[Beverly · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is my university's first-year read. It took me all summer, in 10 minute increments, to read it. As I feel with so many non-fiction books, this could have been more effective as a longish article. While I am happy to integrate ideas from the book into my class, I'm annoyed by the author's self-congratulatory tone and that my students will be subjected to that tone.

[Debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Visual Intelligence" is a course on improving your ability to see important details and clearly communicate your observations to others. The book contains full-color art that you study closely as part of the exercises. These exercises help you see what's really there (versus what you expect), see details that you might normally overlook, and recognize what details are most important depending on your goal. After gathering the information and analyzing it, you learn how to effectively communicate this information to others.

The author teaches a class using this material, so she also described how these skills have worked out in the field for her students (police detectives, doctors, social workers, etc.). I found it easy to understand the author and follow her points. I improved at the skills while reading the book, and you can also practice these skills while doing everyday things. I'd highly recommend this book, especially to those with a job where good observational and communication skills are critical.

I received an ebook review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.

[Rhi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I went to the local library looking for "Quiet" by Susan Cain for a book club, but they didn't have it. So I started glancing through the new arrivals section and after pulling out five books that didn't interest me, I suddenly started and realized this book was right under my nose. It was just what I really needed, a lesson on how to assess, analyze, articulate, and observe the world in new ways. I really like how Amy E. Herman caught my attention immediately with the colorful art, then went on to outline a convincing argument for each process for observing the world. Thanks to this book, I am now into watching the television show Brain Games and I've already noticed a few things I would not have previously. This morning, I even had the courage to tell a complete stranger that he had a dry cleaning tag stuck to the back of his collar. Not a big deal for some, but I think it shows progress. And, halfway through the book, Herman quotes Cain, just adding to the feeling this book was written just for me, even though it's based on a 3-hour course taught to thousands of police, analysts, and healthcare workers over the past ten years or so.

[Jr · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lots of advice, most of it good, some about visual intelligence

This book gives both less and more than it promises. It is very unlikely it will "change your life". A lot of the advice is about topics only marginally related to its title -- visual intelligence. The advice is probably good but it is not in the area of the author's expertise and so not well motivated or explained.

The specific discussions of visual intelligence were quite interesting but only applicable in certain situations. I do think that she is right that most of us (and I would fit in this) ignore a lot that it going on around us and paying more attention would be a good thing. With a better editor and a shorter book, I'd give it four stars for helping with that.

The author does a lot of training for police and security personnel and so advocates a very high degree of suspicion and alertness. It is probably not the best perspective for the average person but if terrorists take over the mall you are shopping in it may be helpful. I say "may" because even there one of her examples is based on people who ignored what they observed and she says that was the right thing to do.

Also, she spends a lot of time talking about how important this is and how valuable her training is. I would think that once the reader is halfway through the book she could drop that since the reader is already convinced, or not, by that point.

[Cory · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book had promise. The title, the applicability of art, the acknowledgement & understanding of bias...but it all amounts to little more than a blank canvas. It is overly wordy, overtly obvious, & I dislike saying this about other people's work, but pretentious. Not a little pretentious, like a throat clear, but annoyingly pretentious, like that one upper everyone knows: "oh you think it's hot there, you've never been to the sun..." Yeah, that guy.

The useful content in this book could easily have been an article in a journal. Instead, we have repetitive paragraphs and chapters about how effective it is & how you need it in your life. NEED WHAT, YOU HAVEN'T DEMONSTRATED ANYTHING. While I have no doubt some people will learn about their own perceptions & how to be more discerning, there is no real tangible strategy here. "Ask yourself who, what, where, why...", that is not sufficient for an entire book, nor does it qualify you to instruct anyone on anything. Lastly, using law enforcement as your most credible examples is questionable, for myriad reasons beyond the scope of this review. Suffice it to say, there is a lot of icing here, with no cake.


1/5--DNF

[Linda Goldmane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book a lot and it teaches me how to pay more detailed and objective attention in life moments. Our attention is wandering around and taking time to effectively analyze scenes or situations are rare. This book is so effective that I question myself more and I pay more attention to the details in real life situations. I also loved that the author helped me better understand art and everything about it. I will never look at the art like I did before.

[Allison Perani · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this book. It taught me how to observe situations differently. My favorite chapter is seven, "Seeing What's Missing." Herman describes to help organize data and find the most important elements of any situation, ask three questions:
1. What do I know?
2. What don't I know?
3. If I could get more information, what do o need to know?

[Millie Nevelos · Rating 3 out of 5]

it was fine and has some good overall takeaways but the author just came across as unbearably pretentious sometimes

[Niki Vervaeke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Een heel boeiend boek dat je leert opnieuw te 'observeren' en zo helder mogelijk te formuleren wat je echt ziet
inzien dat er veel is wat je niet weet , waardoor je vanuit nieuwsgierigheid kan gaan zoeken en zo 'herkaderen'
doet je anders kijken naar kunst en naar de wereld
1 footnote: de ervaringen van de schrijfster zijn ook zichtbaar in de manier van schrijven en in de voorbeelden (extra te observeren dimensie)

https://www.managementboek.nl/magazin...

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

A visual observation skills book that shows how we literally see with our minds and can have different types of blindness and bias because of that mind of what we see and don't. Planning on purchasing this course book so I can read, learn, and practice this important skill of Sherlock Holmes level detailed observation when I need a refresher.

Source: Amazon Prime Reading Loan

[Paul Ark · Rating 5 out of 5]

A far broader and more impactful book than the title implies, “Visual Intelligence” is about enhancing one’s ability to assess, analyze, articulate and adapt to what one sees around them. Using art as a medium for instruction, Amy Herman illustrates that improving visual intelligence has had significant impact in areas such as medical care, law enforcement, classroom education, business, and even mundane personal interaction. I am now keenly interested to take Herman’s “The Art of Perception” seminar.

[Holly McIntyre · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wordy and a bit disappointing

When I read non-fiction, I hope for new information presented concisely. I found neither here. The author has created a niche empire teaching people (emergency personnel, customer service reps, teachers, and doctors among other) to be more observant by using the techniques of art criticism — a great gig if you can get it. What I realized is that this 300+ page book could be boiled down to less than a dozen bullet-points and, in fact, were the very same that anyone with a good, liberal arts education should already know:
- pay attention to details
- be aware of biases (in the subject matter and in yourself)
- state precisely only what you know to be true
- look for what is not included
- try to see the subject matter from other perspectives
- then, and only then, propose an interpretation of what you have observed

The many, many, many anecdotal examples were at first interesting, then repetitive, and finally annoying. If you never learned to analyze art or literature or a philosophical argument, then this might be helpful, but it would still be too wordy.

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this book, it was really useful for my job in software product development. I learned 3 things from this book. The first was increasing the number of things you see in a piece of art (or anything really). The second to separate the objective from the subjective so you are more accurately describing what you see. The third to understand how biases affect what you see.

In separating the objective from subjective, it also gives another tool for dealing with conflict at work and not being emotional.

All in all very useful to help me improve my work which was what I was looking for in a book.

[Robin Tierney · Rating 3 out of 5]

More reasons that art matters. The author shows how focused study of artworks can improve perception, analysis and decision-making in day-to-day and work activities that otherwise have nothing to do with art. You get better at noticing details and seeing the world more objectively. The author leads "Art of Perception" classes for FBI agents, police, medical personnel and other markets.

The book reminded me of a neat word/important concept: PENTIMENTO. Don’t let bad paint dry; comes from Italian for repentance. Whether the offending strokes are painted over or scratched off, do it ASAP so they don’t become permanent. (Applies to writing as well.)

This isn't a review -- just random notes:

Visual Intelligence: Sharpen Your Perception, Change Your Life
Amy E. Herman

Since I was little, I had seen the art in everything.
Study surroundings like a painting.
See clearly, communicate effectively.

FBI art classes, docs, med tech.... Art of Perception

Flowers in psychiatric hospital - unexpected

Part 1: Assess:

From da Vinci to Steve Jobs: inventing starts with knowing what to see.

Retina is an active part of brain, not a passive pathway. Can learn to better tame the jungle of neurons.

Jan Steen 1669 Dutch partying.
The Goldfinch chained.Look at to increase your brain-processing speed.

Learn to be more facile shifting perspectives.
And situationally aware instead of autopilot.
Distraction lead to IQ loss. Me and FB.
Also, feeling always in a hurry.
And: viewing nearly everything through an LCD screen.

1. Put phone away.
2. Observe, not just see.
3. Decode as many stimuli as possible.

See a man's nationality in face, livelihood on his hands, his story in his gait, mannerisms, watch-chain ornaments and the lint adhering to his clothes.

Ball game: not notice woman with parasol or gorilla suit.

Exercise: look at, then, describe, then draw the painting.

* 1960s Phila physician Arthur Lintgen could read grooves of LP records, id the piece, how many movements. Studied, so he taught himself to see the bits of info.

At hotel, man shocked at soap replacement when plenty left. Turned into hotel soap recycling company.
Impoverished and other cultures cherish it.

A zipperless zipper inspired by burrs in nature changed the fashion industry but also made living and working in space possible. Velcro.

So, transformations.

Subjectivity based on own experiences and beliefs and values.
Perceptual filters
Assumptions: bed in same place, but what if it floated out to sea?
kenya nairobi attacks, so little info, and so many assumptions Couldn't discern terrorists.

COBRA -
Camouflaged
one thing at a time (concentrate don't multitask -- like study without checking FB or phone)
break 10 mins every 90 min
realign what seeking and seeing
Ask - another set of eyes

Big picture - visual learners most adept
inattentional blindness - NYC’s Linda Stein (lit agent) murder suspect's pants on inside out

Part 2: Analyze

Discovery = seeing what everyone else has seen and thinking what nobody else has thought.
Giuseppe Arcimboldo upside down - see from diff angle.

Japanese Kaizen improvement teams walk around...used in Am health systems, auto factories.

McLean Farmers Market house on fire bkgrd - Chrysler museum of art.

Absence of an object, event, sense is a clue.
What don’t we see, and know.

A key driver: our own priorities.

3. Articulate
Objective language as a practice - avoid subjective and assumptive … always never obviously.

Period or decimal point in wrong place.
Lightning vs lightning bug.
Use inclusive language “what if we tried this?”

Saying too much often worse than too little.

Write down only your observations, not assumptions or inferences.

* Don’t let bad paint dry: PENTIMENTO. From the Italian word for repentance. Whether the offending strokes are painted over or scratched off, do it ASAP so they don’t become permanent. (Applies to writing as well. Letting bad paint/writing set will skew perception, change meaning, derail communication, etc.) It’s critical to add each stroke or sentence with care and intention. (Reminds me of measure twice, cut once.)

John Singer Sargent: when trying to make a name for himself, he painted a 7 ft portrait of an elegant married woman -- with one strap of dress fallen off-shoulder. This was considered scandalous. He attempted to reposition the strap but already this wrecked his reputation in Paris. He eventually sold it to the Met in 1916 with the condition it be named Madame X (and not identify the subject by name).

Repeat, rename, reframe. (Meditation/acceptance/labeling principle! To avoid creating and embedding a false interpretation/story in your mind that will distort your perception, attitude, judgment.)

Repeat: Andy Warhol, soup can, made it unforgettable.

Rename: Harvey Mackay - negotiation. Rename and you can persuade someone to agree to new terms. Such as: instead of contract change, call it contract extension.

Reframe (how you present the information and make it more compelling): ad copywriter changes blind man’s sign from “Blind. Please help.” to “It’s a beautiful day. You can see it, I cannot.” (Created empathy/connection.)

Communicate clearly, calmly, objectively during times of stress. (Personal, crime, medical situation….)

People often turn away from or block uncomfortable truths (David Hume).
So we miss info by doing that too.
Denial
Avoid judgment words like trashy, fancy.
Instead be specific: satin...sash.

Hieronymus Bosch The Garden of Earthly Delights 1500-1505
People look away
That’s why signs of child abuse are explained away.

Outsmart your emotions. Focus only on what is seen, heard….
Be aware of own emotional triggers, body lang, facial expression.
Visual pollution to one can seem like status quo to another (This is Water)

Reframe: instead of this is wrong, ask did you mean to, do I understand correctly….

I’m sorry there was a miscommunication.

Consider the effect your demeanor, words, expression are having on the situation.
Be neutral.

Adapt:
Be aware of bias: likes, unconscious, jumping to conclusions (such as elder care home stripper).
Assumptions. Stereotypes. Mom mistaken for nanny.

Caravaggio painting

Run by others to check validity of theory

Dark Knight shooting - tv viewers knew more than emergency workers.
Dangerous gray area.

Tylenol poisoning and Denny’s discrimination incident - investigate but take fast action to limit fallout: apologize, first priority safety, solve.

Objet trouve: make new art from found objects.

As humans, our brains want to compete things and constantly these days feel pressure to complete things. Realize that when analyzing and drawing conclusions.

[Maria Reginaldi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not only is it baller to read something called “Visual Intelligence”, but the insights gleaned from this book are life altering! Herman’s use of visual art to teach her audience a grander scale of perception is engaging, fun, and clever! It’s a finely tuned course she’s created. Well worth reading.

[Vilma Klingaite · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sadly, I didn't like it as much as I expected. It's very, very, very repetitive... The Autor talks about the artworks, different life situations or fbi cases (more than art I would say) as examples and then analyses them, but it's mostly just about how you see things or how not to miss some details. In the beginning, it sounded like interesting insights, but it kept going through the whole book, and at some point, there was no new information. In the end, it became kind of the book with life guidance - advices how to communicate or how not to be emotional during explaining something. I would not recommend this book if you have any knowledge in the arts.

[Dave · Rating 2 out of 5]

I bet the class is better

This book was all over the place. There is some value in here, but it’s a mishmash of concepts and popular self-improvement ideas pinned together to stretch something that is probably a lot better as a classroom lecture. Don’t bother.

[Diana B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great overall lesson with real life examples and incorporation of art (which I love). But I found it dragged on longer than it needed to with exaggerated explanations.

[Rick Yagodich · Rating 2 out of 5]

While Herman may be considered an expert in training certain groups in mperception, her skills as a writer are not on par.

This book has two dominant shortcomings. Yes, it's premise that one can slow down and pay attention has some validity, albeit that it misses the fundamental point that there is never an absolute way to know when one has (or has not yet) identified the most pertinent detail in any situation. However, this point is made clearly within the first chapter, and thereafter, the book labours on, not following any particular thread of reasoning; it is, in other words, a laborious read.

The second issue, at least insofar as I got through the book, is the fallacious claim that one can discern another's intent or emotional state from observation. This is so patently ludicrous as to border on the criminal, given that Herman's techniques are taught to law enforcement and thereby used to project officers' emotional states onto suspects. (A smile could mean someone is happy; it could just as easily imply cynicism or mockery. Without having lived the smiler's life, one can never know.)

[Patrick O'Connell · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book needs a good editor. I read 2/3rds of it, then gave up. It’s repetitious. When I was reading it, I got the feeling that I was reading one of my college papers where I stretched 5 pages of material into a 20 page term paper.

I don’t blame the author. I’m sure she does some great workshops, and the concepts are sound, if maybe just a bit obvious to me, albeit I have something of a similar background.

Her application of her ideas are a little inconsistent. Occasionally she makes the very mistake that she’s trying to get others to avoid, and that’s overly subjective observation.

The one chapter about communication seems off topic. The connection to the rest of the material is tenuous.

On the up side, the case studies she presents are interesting, and I suspect that’s the primary reason some people enjoyed the book.

Overall, it was a lot of work to learn very little. She breaks her own rule about being concise. The concept and the book have merit, but she needs a better editor.

[John Steinmetz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been reading self-help books for many years. I had no idea what to expect from this book, but I have not been very observant to many things in life and felt this would be interesting. I was very impressed with the many areas where being observant is very important. The author wrote with clarity and provided many examples. The book became more and more useful with each chapter. I would rate this book as may favorite non-fiction book. Maybe I'm influenced by being on vacation while finishing the book.
I will go back over the book and take notes, as there are many useful tools to use going forward. One thing that I will share now is the following: "If you speak with emotion, expect emotion coming back." Very succinct. If we want others to process our information using logical reasoning, we should stick to the facts. To me, this applies to communications with co-workers, spouses, 3 years olds, everyone.
Great, great book (my opinion). Thanks, Amy Herman!

[A. Housewife]

DNF at 31% I like the concept. I'm slogging through at this point. Yea I'm getting more observant about the paintings. But not sure the improvement I'd make in noticing details is worth the dread I feel about this book. It's odd because I like her concept, the writing style is good. I guess it's somewhat repetitive and needlessly long. I'm not sure why I'm not interested enough to keep going. But I'm honoring that. When I noticed that when I put the book down, I wasn't rushing to pick it back up, I set aside some time to read it bit by bit. But I am not enjoying it enough or finding the idea important enough to my life to keep going.

Also, I wonder about the book The Gift of Fear by Gavin de Becker, where he proposes that we take in a lot of info unconsciously. I appreciate Herman's point that we can train ourselves to consciously note things and make use of that information. But I also think that we already do notice a lot that we don't realize we are noticing.

[Nate · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a poignant and perfect book for our day when attention is fleeting and taking time to effectively analyze a scene or situation is rare. Herman uses fine art as a means for improving our individual insight into our lives and the world around us. By learning how to pay attention to the details, to only the facts that we can see and know, and to push aside our biases, assumptions, and guesswork, we can significantly improve our social awareness, our understanding of the world, and of ourselves. I thought this book was fantastic and will continue to apply the things Herman discusses in my life.

[Ietrio · Rating 1 out of 5]

nothing itelligent about this book. a soup of ramblings and anecdotes. all coming from someone who seems unable to synthesise the relevant. yea, there is a cute photo of a neuron. a 3d printed neuron the author is proud to mark. only that the 3d is completely irelevant. even the neuron is irelevant to the discussion about noticing how soap is thrown away in US hotels. and the author fails to understand that the observation is closely related with the African experience and not with the observation as the author misleads the readership.

[Patrick Juhasz · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wouldn't Suggest It

I thought this book started out really strong. It introduced this concept of looking at the world around you differently, more objectively and thoroughly. This I thought was valuable. then it went on and on about the same concepts. Example after example relayed the same message. I feel an obligation when I hit the halfway point of a book to tough it out and finish it. This one made it difficult to keep that commitment. Overall, to me this didn't have enough real substance to recommend.

[Jessica (JT) Thelen · Rating 1 out of 5]

Neo-liberal, self-promoting...not well written, screams #latestagecapitalism

[Alina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating book that uses art as an example and medium to train your observational skills. I will never look at another painting the same way, same as I will not look at any situation the same way!