Outer Eye, Inner Eye

I take two of my brothers to a great homeschool group called FAITH academy (you can check out their website here).  I love the kids and the classes are so in-depth.  One of the classes I sit in on is a traditional art class where the kids are taught how to sketch still-lifes.  I've taught myself a little bit of art throughout the years, but I've never received formal training, so I was intrigued by the concepts being taught.  The teacher explained that sketching everywhere you go (i.e. the library, the bus stop, etc.) helps us develop an eye for the world.  We may look at something, but do we really see it?  For example, if we're coloring a picture of a tree, we usually color the bark brown.  But if you really look at bark, it's almost never brown.  Depending on the tree, it may be a combination of gray, green, black, or white.

Image from Wikipedia

Another example of looking without seeing is whenever we think of an object (like an apple, for instance), we usually have a preconceived notion of what shape that object is.  I usually think of an apple as a round shape with two bumps on top where the stem protrudes.  But apples come in many shapes and sizes.  In order to accurately depict one, we must learn to truly sketch what we see.  The art teacher described it beautifully: he sketches to "keep [his] eyes awake."

This concept struck me because I often feel like my eyes are not awake to the world around me.  I'm a very, very aloof person.  My husband is very interested in self-defense exercises and likes to practice analyzing people around him, knowing the small signs that indicate danger.  I, on the other hand, would probably walk right past an axe murderer if he was just standing there in the grocery store.  I'm usually lost in my own thoughts, thinking of stories and stuff like that.  Even my recreational activities are very introverted.  Reading, playing video games, and writing all make me less aware of the world around me.  So this means my eyes are the complete opposite of awake.  But, then again, which eyes?

A traditional artist must exercise their outer eyes in order to successfully transfer images onto paper.  They must be able to examine and expertly portray shading, angles, and other details.  Many artists, however, like to draw things that do not exist.  They don't use their outer eyes to sketch something that they can see in front of them.  Instead, they must use their inner eyes to examine and expertly portray something that is in their heads.  For a creative person, they can develop these inner eyes to see a make-believe object or creature that is just as real to them as the objects and creatures in the real world.  For example, when I write, I have to become separated from the real world.  Everything has to fade out until I can only see and hear the world within my imagination.  This takes more effort than you might think.  The real world is always louder and more vivid than my imagination, making it difficult to do introverted activities if I don't have the proper separation (I could never write in front the TV, nope).  Even once I have separated myself from reality, it's still a lot of hard work to take the images from my mind and translate them into writing.  I'm sure the process is similarly difficult for artists who primarily draw fantasy creatures and people.  But it's all worth it.  If it wasn't for people who have exercised their inner eyes, we wouldn't have the wondrous books, movies, and images that inspire and entertain us.  Sometimes I feel a little guilty that I'm such a spacey person, but then again, I'm grateful for the gift of writing and the joy it brings to my life.  So the next time you see someone staring out a window, lost in a daydream, they may actually be working on something beautiful.  

Image by Elle124, quote from X2