I am a PEOPLE WATCHER... are YOU?
We're losing social skills, the human interaction skills, how to read a person's mood, to read their body language, how to be patient until the moment is right to make or press a point. Too much exclusive use of electronic information dehumanises what is a very, very important part of community life and living together. - Vincent Nichols
I am a PEOPLE WATCHER... are YOU?
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Stepping into the general chat room of our Steemit Bloggers server is normally VERY entertaining to say the least – and today was one of “those days” that got, well… let’s just say AMUSING! Haha! One of our members @raymondspeaks had stepped into the general chat room and announced that through my fb group announcement, he had now found me on Facebook… but he made the “mistake” of saying something along the lines of “I have been snooping” hahaha – and well, that was the beginning of his roasting lol! In fact, it was so much fun and laughs that I even suggested we open a roasting channel lol!
But, in and amongst the laughs and brutal remarks haha – he made mention of two things… first being that a photo tells a thousand stories, and second that this is often how he gauges people. Naturally we all had a good dig at him for that statement too haha – but the essence of what he said was completely SPOT ON!
I have ALWAYS been a “people watcher”…
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Ok guys; let’s keep it out of the gutter please lol! Observing people is something that has always played a pivotal role in my life in terms of “understanding” others. There is MUCH to be learned about a person through simple, attentive observation. I can recall the days, many years ago when I used to work in a suburb about 15 minutes from home and whilst most people detest the end of day traffic –
moving one inch per minute… I actually quite enjoyed it.
I loved watching the people around me going about their ‘usual’ business, as I inched my way home. Analysing their movements, engagement, conversation, clothing, hairstyles, colour choices… EVERYTHING. It was like a real life movie. There were SO many unintentional stories being told RIGHT there - So many lives, so many minds and hearts, tragedies, joys, challenges and celebrations alike.
It is through observation like this that I have been able to find a deeper understanding of people as individuals and photos play a huge part in that! – Especially when you can see the persons eyes in the photo. EYES, to me are like the map to the “inner person”. Yes, we have ALL heard the rather cliché quote “eyes are the windows to the soul” - but the fact of the matter is, it’s SO TRUE!
Eyes, don’t lie! Well, let me rephrase that… the person operating them may lie but if you look closely enough, you will quickly discover that their eyes are in fact VERY bad liars! ;)
Eyes are the one part of the human physical make-up that we cannot really “disguise” - no matter our wishes, intentions or hopeful cover up’s - our eyes wear no mask. They are, to my mind anyway – the most ACCURATE path to the person underneath the “façade”. And photos are a fantastic way to study them, because they cannot dodge, they cannot evade – they are stuck, still and eternally present in that particular moment of time, whatever it was.
In my field of expertise – Graphic Design, which I have recently “retired” from (lol @deadsparrow – gloat #2 haha) it was precisely this art of studying people, that allowed me to be able deliver what the client wanted FIRST time around, without being given much of a brief. Yes, I have been in the field for way too long, so experience DID play a role in that, but for the most part it was my assessment of the individual that brought it all together.
When meeting a client, I would observe EVERYTHING about them. What they were wearing - was it bold or reserved? Was it modern or classic? How did they speak and carry themselves? – were they loud or quiet? What colours did they like? Shapes? What did their handwriting look like? -Was it neat or messy? ALL of these aspects made up a “whole” for me and I was then able to produce visual content that got them excited in round one!
It is an EXCEPTIONALLY useful skill and tool. Not only for business, but for life in general!
If people in general were all a little more attentive to the “details” of others, we would most likely develop a better understanding of them as individuals. We would be able to see passed the icing that so many people sport these days, giving us an acute insider’s view of what is really going on – and this breeds compassion and empathy amongst a million other beneficial things… ;)
People need realness, reality. People can sense when someone is being pretentious or fake. It's because you feel it; you see it in someone's body language. - Afrojack
Until next time...
Much Love from Cape Town, South Africa xxx
First off, bummer that I missed the roast! 😆
And no big surprise that you're a people watcher, given what Judy Blume has to say about it...
hahahaha!!! That works for me! :D
And I have no doubt that we will have another roasting soon lol!
True dat! LOL!
Much I could possibly say here... but yes, it seems like people watching is becoming a lost art within social contexts.
I grew up in Europe where "sidewalk cafe culture" was very strong when I was a kid... and "watching the world go by" was a thing. And that was OK, it was not "rude staring."
But people watching is also a survival skill, especially for those who might have grown up in abusive situations... you learn to look for little "tells" in how people move, look at you, talk and carry themselves... and sometimes they might save your arse.
I wasn't there during the Discord chat, but Raymond is precisely right. Absent the physicality of someone where we can actually observe their movement and body language "creeping on someone's Facebook" is the closest thing we have to get a sense of a person's world and even personality. In group photos, are they quietly in the back, or laughing in the front? Or are they ALWAYS the person behind the camera? Do they share photos of their dog, or themselves and their dog? And so on, and so on.
Of course, with social media like Facebook and Instagram we have to remain mindful of the fact that people tend to share only the "highlight reels" of their lives, not all the dirt.
That is SO true and to be honest I had not even thought of it from that perspective.
Now THAT is true right there... not unlike this... hehehehe
Image Credit
It's truly a lost art. Resteemed.
It sure is! Thank you for the support @jeffcomeau - much appreciated :)
I am absolutely a people watcher @jaynie For some that sounds creepy and judgemental but for me it’s a genuine way to understand a person. Actions speak volumes compared to words. I also believe that eyes are a way to the soul. I do believe though that sometimes it can unintentionally lead to negative judgement because although we can get a good sense about a person we truly don’t know what they are going through so we ought to be careful! 😉
I suppose it is what we do with the "insight received" that counts really speaking... using it to cast judgement most certainly would not be the wisest decision.
This is VERY true!
Thank you for the lovely comment! Take care :)
I am a sensitive person. I wrote about this just yesterday. After the death of my dad, my sensitivity heightened. I could sense people's mood and countenance through their actions, words, texts, face and afar. I am also a people watcher. I care more about feelings and moods. I take note of tiny details and observe things easily.
I quite enjoy both :)
Yaaaaay! I quite enjoy you.
I’m a people watcher too! Many times, in parties, meetings or other places the people ak me if I’m ok, or if I’m bored. The don’t understand that I LOVE to watch people. I make my own movies in my mind with what I see. Thank you for share that
hahaha!!! I get that too!!! lol :D
I'm a people watcher, but I don't like to be watched 😉
hahaha I think most of us would agree with that... lol (mostly anyway... there are always circumstantial exceptions hehehe)
Thanks @jaynie . I remember 30 years when my grandfather was in his 80s. He would just love to go to the Mall and sit and just watch people go by. He'd do it all day.
My mom is kind of that way and I too find I enjoy watching people as well :)
Nice post
It is an awesome pastime :D
Yep! I agree with all that you have said there :)
People watching is something my grandmother taught me. I still do it to this day.
Boy do I miss our evening walks observing the strange folks of the town.
Sounds to me like it was time well spent together @blaze312 :)