Looking at Things More Accurately

This exercise will help increase your powers of observation.
Look at a scene in front of you that has a lot of different things in
it. These can be different objects, people who are mostly stationery (i.e.,
sitting down, not a bustling crowd), scenery, etc. Or use a picture of such
a scene. Then, stare at this scene for about a minute, and as you do,
imagine you are taking a picture of it, as if your mind is a camera taking
a snapshot. As you do so, notice as many things about the scene as you
can. Pay attention to forms, colors, the number of objects or people there,
the relationship between things, etc.
Then, look away from that scene, and try to recreate it as accurately
as possible in your mind’s eye. As when you really looked at the scene,
notice the forms, colors, number of objects or people, and the relationship
between things.
Next, to check your accuracy, without looking back, write down a
list of what you saw in as much detail as possible.
Finally, rate your accuracy and your completeness by rating your
observations. To score your level of accuracy, designate each accurate observation
with a 2. Score each inaccurate observation with a 1. Score
each invented observation with a 2. Then, tally up your score and note
the result. To score your level of completeness, estimate the total number
of observations you think were possible in the scene and divide by the
number of observations you made, to get your completeness score. As you
continue to practice with this exercise, you’ll find your score for both
accuracy and completeness should go up. 72