Review of "smART: Use Your Eyes to Boost Your Brain" by Amy E. Herman with Heather Maclean

Welcome to the 2024-2025 season of Lucy’s Literature! 

Today, we will be reviewing the book “smART: Use Your Eyes to Boost Your Brain” by Amy E. Herman with Heather Maclean, an interactive, instructional guide to how examining art and looking closely can provide innumerable cognitive benefits which can in turn boost your confidence.

Through instructions, explanations, and many, many interactive exercises, this book does an excellent job following through on its mission. The author notes how mysterious and powerful the human brain is, with so many habits and intricacies yet to be discovered. But those who use their brain to look at the world in an outside the box way are those who ultimately change the world from its status quo, and this skill can be practiced using the power of art.

Additionally, the authors recommend first viewing art objectively rather than grasping meaning right away, and then interpreting meaning after the facts of the artwork are solidified. When you first look at anything, including art, certain things jump out at you. The authors note how these first instincts are important, but they should not be the whole of one’s analysis. Instead, the book stresses intentionally looking for what you think you yourself would not notice, and trying to point those out in your mind.

At its core, this book emphasizes the importance of slowing down– of not allowing one’s first glance to be the limit. The core of intellectual analysis is the ability to pick out and interpret details not immediately visible, and this book is an excellent way to learn to do just that. Nothing unique can be created by someone who thinks exactly as others do.

Get excited for the next review on 11/9!