Slow Down and See More Art
Daily Nourishment Read Time: 40 seconds
Pause/Prompt/Practice Time: 15 minutes
Going to an art museum or an art gallery will make everything better. Well, it will make most things better.
Pause.
Take a few deep breaths with a six-count inhale and a six-count exhale while looking at the art below.
Lynette Yiadom-Boakye, A Cause for Pastoral Concern, Oil on linen, 2026
Photo taken by Charlotte Donlon, June 2026
Prompt.
“Most people want to enjoy a museum, not conquer it. Yet the average visitor spends 15 to 30 seconds in front of a work of art, according to museum researchers. And the breathless pace of life in our Instagram age conspires to make that feel normal…
There is no right way to experience a museum, of course. Some travelers enjoy touring at a clip or snapping photos of timeless masterpieces. But psychologists and philosophers such as Professor Pawelski say that if you do choose to slow down — to find a piece of art that speaks to you and observe it for minutes rather than seconds — you are more likely to connect with the art, the person with whom you’re touring the galleries, maybe even yourself, he said. Why, you just might emerge feeling refreshed and inspired rather than depleted.”
- Stephanie Rosenbloom
(It’s always nice when the expert take agrees with my non-expert take.)
Practice.
Take notes or journal for 10 minutes on any past refreshing or depleting art museum experiences that come to mind.
If possible, put an art museum or art gallery visit on your calendar in the coming days or weeks and try to take the slow, refreshing approach.
Want More?
Read “The Art of Slowing Down in a Museum”
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Today’s Daily Nourishment was provided by Charlotte Donlon.
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