I am not an observer by nature. I am curious, interested, ask questions, but I am not an observer. It might have something to do with the fact that I get distracted very easily and that my senses are overfed by too many signals at the same time. However, not knowing how to observe is a pity, as you miss out on many beautiful, interesting and fun things. The good thing is that observing is something you can learn and train! During the years there have been people in my life that have taught me the art of observing. The very first person was probably my mom, who taught me how to look at art, how to enjoy music, how to listen carefully to language in general. Then there is my husband, who looks, reads and listens in a much different way. As he is a dyslexic, he is not a reader, but much more focused on audio. Unlike people that aren't dyslexic, he doesn't see the word he hears or says in his mind. Therefore he can make language jokes in a very different way that I can, which is really refreshing. Besides that, he is always able to astonish me with his knowledge about natural phenomena and technically complicated things. Things that do not immediately have my interest, but because of the way he explains, become much more interesting to me and make me look at these things in a different way.
Another person who has influenced my way of observing life is my best friend B. She has a way of looking at things and situations from complete different and surprising angles; she can think outside the box and come with new perspectives that I didn't think of (as I can be too hung up on structures sometimes). For five years, I have been traveling through Italy with another dear friend (also my ex-business partner). Being an architect, he taught me how to observe the beauty of design, of lines coming together, the use of natural materials, aesthetics etc. However, being an Italian and a free spirit as well, he also taught me to observe 'what's around the corner' in every possible way. Last but not least, there is my 12-year old son, who has the ability to look at things in a totally pure and refreshing way. A way that only children can, as they are not 'spoiled' yet by knowledge, influences or opinions.
Traveling is a way to learn to observe as well for me. Traveling makes you compare cultures, gives you a new reference on what is 'normal' and what is not. It broadens your way of looking at the world and its people. That is what makes traveling so beautiful and important; it is not an action, it is a process that you are going through. It gives you an extra dimension to observe. Writing is a another way to observe. Observing becomes a necessity, while you need to observe the world around you to get inspired, but also observe the characters in your story while writing. If situation A happens, how will person X react? How will that effect the feelings of my protagonist? What if I come up with a totally different plot for this storyline? Slowly, slowly the structure of the novel is coming together. Ideas are maturing in my head, storylines are getting clearer. I never want to stop observing anymore, thanks to the people in my life. Thank you... Love, M.
