The short version – I have found that as you develop new skills and knowledge, your perception of the world around you changes and improves. And that’s what I’m striving for – an increased perception of the world around me – I want to see more and better, I don’t want to be blind.

The long version…

As a software engineer, when I use an application I can infer how it was built and how it works, what limits the designers and engineers had to work around, and the influence from other applications. I can appreciate the work that went into good applications, or the lack of work that went into bad. If I didn’t know how applications were created then I wouldn’t have such insight – I’d just know whether I liked it or not. But it’s not limited to just appreciation, but also the skill to be able to do it yourself…to know how you would start, how you would finish, and how to get from the start to the finish.

This same increased perception applies to everything – sports, dance, music, art, literature, engineering, etc. For me, I’ve always been interested in technical subjects, and I’ve tried my hand at many sports. I’ve read many books (but I’ve yet to write one), and I’ve tried playing an instrument. But my last attempts at art were a very long time ago, and I wanted to have that experience again as an adult. Figure drawing is just the start…other classes offered include portrait drawing, still life, and abstract drawing (capturing the essence of the subject).

That’s why I’m taking art classes – I want to learn to see how an artist sees. To be able to look at something and know how to capture the tones and shapes and life of the subject on paper, as well as understand the works of others.

This also means eventually I’ll have to tackle my lack of musical and dance abilities…but that’s for another time!