This is not a good sign

We can spend hours alone with angry birds, but we have a hard time paying attention to beauty for longer than 4 seconds.

Let me back up. I heard on the radio this morning that the average time a person looks at a painting in a museum or gallery is 4 seconds.

Does that surprise you?

I suppose it’s a somewhat relative statistic. If you’re in a museum with hundreds of works or art, it’s hard to stay with one piece for a long time without thinking about what other pieces you may be missing. So for some people, 4 seconds may be longer than they can process.

That one has people in the park. Next. That one has a train in the fireplace. Next. That one is a hut, that one has a bowl of fruit, that one is basically just red paint. Next, next, next.

Shame.

In the story I heard, about the Ocean Park paintings by Richard Diebenkorn, the reporter almost pleads with us to spend more time on his work, especially since he created some huge canvasses. So much to see and take in, notice and think about. So much inspiration to consider. Worth a little more than 4 seconds, I’d say.

Noticing things leads to discovery. What about the graffiti on that building, the design in that cappuccino, the stitching in that dress, or the sprinkles on your cupcake? What about finding the amazing in the mundane, once you start paying attention? Isn’t that where inspiration comes from?

Actually, that could happen in 4 seconds. Just pay attention.