We are the most visually stimulated generation in history, but we are also the most visually illiterate. We process thousands of images an hour—Instagram squares, TikTok loops, digital billboards—but we spend an average of less than two seconds on each one.
In the newsroom, we used to have “Photo Editors” who would sit with a single image for an hour, discussing the composition, the lighting, and the “subtext.” They knew that a great image doesn’t just show you a fact; it tells you a story. If you want to sharpen your mind, you have to stop “scrolling” the world and start “reading” it.
1. The “Ten-Minute” Rule
There is a famous exercise in art history where students are told to sit in front of a single painting for three hours. Most people think they’ve “seen” a painting after thirty seconds. But at five minutes, you notice the brushwork. At ten minutes, you notice the hidden shadows. At twenty minutes, you start to understand the artist’s intent.
You don’t need a museum for this. Try it with a tree in your park, the architecture of your office building, or even the face of a loved one. Detail is a gift given only to the patient. When you force yourself to look past the first impression, you discover that the world is much more complex—and much more beautiful—than the “skimmable” version.
2. The “Filter” vs. The “Lens”
Digital culture has taught us to look at the world through a “Filter.” We look at a sunset and think, “How would this look on my feed?” We are editing our reality before we’ve even experienced it.
To be visually literate, you have to drop the filter and find your “Lens.” A lens is a specific way of seeing that belongs only to you. Maybe you are obsessed with shadows. Maybe you always notice the typography on old signs. Maybe you look for the “cracks” where nature is reclaiming the city. Your obsessions are your signature. Don’t look for what is “popular”; look for what is “true” to your own eyes.
3. Visual “Silent” Time
We are constantly told what to think about what we see. Captions, hashtags, and voiceovers do the work for us.
Try a Visual Fast. Go for a walk and look at the world without “naming” it. Don’t label that as a “car” or that as a “tree.” Just look at the shapes, the colors, and the way the light hits the pavement. When you strip away the labels, you stop thinking in clichés. You return to a state of “Primary Vision,” which is the foundation of all great art and all great editing.
