How To See The World Like An Artist (Even If You’ve Never Thought Like One Before)
- Bair Klos
- Mar 14
- 7 min read
Updated: Mar 24
You’re Already an Artist (You Just Forgot)
You’ve probably had a moment where the world suddenly felt... cinematic. Maybe it was the way rain hit the pavement under a streetlamp, or how the sunset painted the sky in fiery streaks, or even the rhythm of a stranger’s laughter in a quiet café. That’s your artist’s brain waking up—your ability to see the world, not just move through it.
But life is loud. Responsibilities pile up. And somewhere along the way, many of us forget how to truly look at the world like an artist. If you've ever wished you could tap into that artistic way of seeing—whether for drawing, writing, photography, or just feeling more alive—this guide will help you reawaken that creative vision.
What Does It Mean to See Like an Artist?
Sherlock Holmes once said, “You see, but you do not observe.” Most people move through the world on autopilot—staring at things without actually seeing them, much like how we skim through terms and conditions before hitting ‘Accept.’
But artists? Artists are the people who stop in the middle of the street because the sunlight hitting a puddle looks just right and suddenly, boom—life is poetic. They notice the way light shifts on water, the movement of people in a café, the stories hidden in an old building’s cracked paint. Seeing like an artist means finding beauty, depth, and meaning in the ordinary… and sometimes getting distracted by cool-shaped clouds while crossing the street (please be careful).
Slowing Down: The Power of Attention
In a world where our lives are dominated by screens, notifications, and the endless doom-scroll, it's easy to forget to actually look at what's around us. Our attention is constantly pulled in a hundred directions, but seeing like an artist means reclaiming it. This is the first step to seeing differently. Instead of glancing at something and moving on, take a moment to really look.
In a fast-paced world, artists practice slowing down. This is the first step to seeing differently. Instead of glancing at something and moving on, take a moment to really look.
Exercise:
Pick an object near you (yes, even that half-empty coffee cup). Stare at it like it just confessed a deep secret.
What do you notice about its texture, color, shape, or how it interacts with light?
Bonus points if you dramatically whisper, “Tell me your truths,” while doing this.
The World as a Story: Seeing Through Emotion
Artists don’t just see—they feel the world. A lonely chair in an empty room isn’t just a chair; it’s a tragic tale of abandonment (or maybe it’s just waiting for someone to sit on it, but let’s be dramatic for fun). Everything has a story if you look at it the right way. The more you train yourself to see narratives in the world, the easier it becomes to infuse your own art—whether it’s writing, painting, or photography—with deeper meaning.
Think about the last time you passed by an old, forgotten building. What memories does it hold? What echoes of past laughter, arguments, or quiet contemplation are still trapped in its walls? Seeing the world as a story is about curiosity—about asking ‘why’ and ‘what if.’ It’s about embracing the unknown and letting your imagination fill in the blanks.
Want more questions beyond 'why' and 'what if'? Check out my blog post The Power Of Asking Question In Writing on essential questions to ask yourself while writing.
Exercise:
Pick a random object and invent a ridiculous backstory for it. Maybe your spoon is a retired warrior.
Maybe your houseplant is plotting world domination.
Who owned it before? What secret life does it lead when you’re not looking?
Take it a step further: Write a 200-word scene based on your object’s imagined history. Remember, everything has a story, be patient and let its tale unfold.
Colors, Shapes, & Light: Learning to Deconstruct Your Surroundings
The world is a chaotic mess of color, light, and shape, and artists train themselves to make sense of it. Notice how light changes throughout the day. Yes, even if it means standing in your yard at sunrise like some kind of mystical forest gremlin. Watch how it filters through trees, dances on water, or stretches in long golden beams through windows at sunset.
Observe how colors interact—like how neon pink can look painfully aggressive next to beige. Pay attention to how moods shift with color: why do hospitals use calming blues? Why do restaurants lean into warm reds and golds? How do shadows subtly change colors, rather than just turning gray?
Try to break complex scenes into basic shapes (that tree? Just a big cylinder with fluff on top). If you had to describe a setting to someone who couldn't see it, how would you simplify it while still capturing its essence?
Start paying attention to contrast—light vs. dark, saturated vs. muted, stillness vs. movement. This awareness will help not just with visual art, but with crafting richer descriptions in writing.
Engaging the Senses (Beyond Sight)
Seeing like an artist isn’t just about sight. Engage all the senses, because the richest experiences come from fully immersing yourself in the world around you. Listen like a musician: Every creaky floorboard is a horror movie soundtrack waiting to happen. The rhythm of a bustling city, the hush of an empty library, the slow drip of water from a leaky faucet—what emotions do these sounds create?
Embody a sculptor: Run your hands over surfaces (yes, you are allowed to gently pet cool rocks). The world is textured—notice the smoothness of a worn book cover, the sharp chill of metal on a cold morning, the grain of wood beneath your fingertips.
Try describing flavors like a dramatic food critic on a cooking show. What does your morning coffee taste like beyond ‘bitter’? Is it nutty, chocolatey, smoky? If a scent could be a memory, what would it remind you of? Try and taste the world as if you were a chef.
Want to take your writing to the next level? Read my blog post Bringing Your Story to Life: The Art of Writing Vivid, Immersive Prose (How To Show Not Tell Using The 5 Senses).
Making Art Without Fear
One of the biggest blocks to creativity is the fear of not being "good enough." But artistry begins with observation, not perfection. Perfection is a scam, and we’re not falling for it. You don’t need permission to create, and you definitely don’t need to be a ‘master’ at something before enjoying it. Fear of failure, fear of judgment, fear of not being ‘good enough’—all of these can suffocate creativity before it even has a chance to breathe.
But here’s the truth: all artists make bad art. Every masterpiece started as an awkward first attempt. The only way to get better is to allow yourself to be bad at first.
The goal isn’t perfection—it’s play. Let yourself experiment, mess up, and enjoy the process. Your inner critic will try to ruin the fun, but you don’t have to listen. Instead, laugh at your mistakes. Make ugly sketches, write bad poetry, sing off-key—do it all with joy.
But if perfectionism is holding you back, I have a whole blog post here dedicated to overcoming your inner critic and embracing creative freedom. Read Overcoming Your Inner Perfectionist.
Exercise:
Take 3 photos of something seemingly ordinary and explain why it’s secretly amazing.
Write a short paragraph about an object as if it had a soul or story. Go full poetic. Make Shakespeare jealous.
Writing with an Artist’s Eye
Observing the world like an artist doesn’t just improve visual creativity—it makes your writing more vivid, immersive, and emotionally rich. When you train yourself to see details, emotions, and hidden stories, your descriptions become more powerful, your settings more alive, and your characters more layered.
Use the five senses: Don’t just describe what a place looks like—what does it smell like? What sounds fill the air? How does the air feel against the skin? Engaging all the senses makes a scene leap off the page.
Find beauty in the mundane: A dripping faucet isn’t just a leak—it’s an anxious heartbeat in an empty kitchen. A stack of old books isn’t just clutter—it’s a portal to a hundred forgotten worlds.
Show, don’t tell—but also, tell creatively: Instead of saying “he was nervous,” show how his fingers twitch against the table, how he keeps adjusting his collar, how his breath comes in uneven bursts.
Metaphors are your best friend: Compare unexpected things. Make the sky a bruise, make laughter like shattered glass. The more you practice this, the more unique and poetic your writing will feel.
Exercise:
Write a paragraph describing a simple moment (e.g., making coffee, waiting for a bus) using at least three senses and one metaphor.
Take a plain sentence (e.g., "The street was empty.") and rewrite it with vivid, artistic detail (e.g., "The street stretched out in front of me, silent and yawning, littered with broken streetlights that flickered like dying candles.").
Practice Seeing Differently Every Day
To train yourself to see the world through an artistic lens, make it a daily practice. And most importantly—let your inner child out and be silly. Jump in puddles, talk to inanimate objects, make shadow puppets on the wall. The world is a playground if you let it be. To train yourself to see the world through an artistic lens, make it a daily practice.
Keep a "Noticing Journal"—words, sketches, color swatches, descriptions, or even chaotic doodles.
Change perspectives: Look at the world upside-down (literally or metaphorically).
Zoom in on tiny details, then zoom out for the bigger picture. Everything is weirder than you think.
Challenge:
Spend one day seeing as if you were an artist in a specific medium (e.g., a poet, a cinematographer, a painter). If you want to fully commit, dress the part. Berets are encouraged but not required.
Concluding Thoughts: The Magic of Everyday Artistry
Seeing like an artist transforms everyday life. The mundane becomes magical. A rain-slicked street at night becomes a masterpiece of reflections and motion. A stranger’s glance holds an untold story. A sock left on the floor is now a dramatic still life piece titled Despair in Cotton Form.
By shifting your perspective, you cultivate not just artistic vision, but a richer, more meaningful experience of the world.
Start today. Look deeper. Stare lovingly at a doorknob. The world is waiting to be seen and appreciated.
—Bair✍︎
Want to stay up to-date on get exclusive updates and insights on future projects, book launches, writer and reader resources, FREE literature, writing freebies, and a more?
Sign up for my Newsletter!
Find more helpful writing tips on the rest of my blog.
Struggling to get your word count in? Check out my writing podcast!
Need a new notebook? Check out my hand-bound books!
Support the blog on Ko-fi!
Check out My Writer & Reader Merch Store
Like this post?
Share the link on your social media or
pin the image below to your Pinterest board!
Yeah, I don’t do this well or enough. Thanks Bair.