Published: November 10, 2025
The Portland community was privileged to welcome Amy Herman, lawyer, art historian, and the author of “Visual Intelligence: Harnessing the Power of Observation to Transform Your Professional Life, Enhance Communication Skills, and Discover Hidden Potential in Everyday Situations, on November 4th to experience her innovative perspectives on observation, perception, and communication skills.
This highly interactive event was held at the USM’s McGoldrick Center for Career & Student Success Salons, in collaboration with the Osher Map Library and Smith Center for Cartographic Education, and USM’s Department of Public Safety. Amy Herman opened the presentation by challenging the audience to leverage their senses to enhance their ability to discover previously overlooked resources that could solve problems. She explained the importance of leveraging the senses since “We never know what we need to see.” Herman then helped this concept come alive with engaging activities that used art as an instrument to learn by playing. The activities put into focus the power of observation, which mirrored Herman’s next challenge to the audience: to get the world into focus. World affairs and even everyday life can resemble a cluttered scene depicted in a modern painting, with unrelated objects chaotically scattered around, contrasting colors contradicting one another, and abstract images that are difficult to define. Herman encouraged the audience not to be overwhelmed by this image of chaos. Instead, the world can be put into focus with strategic methods to organize the seemingly incoherent information that appears to flow wildly from all directions.
Herman prefers to use art as a primary tool to visually convey key concepts, and noted that looking at art improves observation, which in turn improves the ability to engage in the world more effectively. Herman remarked with awe about how the power of art gives people an opportunity to stop, look, and think. As Herman led the audience through the presentation, the art seemed to leap out of the scenes, and evoke layered meanings that added depth to her overarching message: change the way you look at things, and the things you look at change. Once people become effective observers, then they are rewarded with being able to convert observable details into actionable knowledge. Herman ended the presentation by reminding the audience of the importance of observation to communication. Herman was happy to answer questions, and afterwards, there was a book signing. Herman invites those who want to learn further to get a digital copy of the presentation by contacting her through her website at artfulperception.com
