Expand Your Inner Telescope by Widening Awareness

Think of your daily perception as looking through a narrow keyhole: you see just enough to get by, but not the full panorama. In many wild animals, a tight focus means safety. Yet for creators, that tunnel vision boxes us in. To expand our world, we practice widening awareness—starting with a simple five-sense scan on the morning commute. I tried this one day by focusing first on the chill of steel beneath my fingers on the handrail, then the tannin smell of fresh coffee, and finally a child’s giggle two floors below. In that brief moment, my commute shifted from routine to revelation.

Awareness research shows that when we consciously vary stimuli, new neural connections form, enhancing our capacity to notice previously invisible detail. Then, when we zoom in on a single object, say a raindrop sliding down a windowpane, we can see features that were once lost in the blur—tiny rivulets branching like rivers.

This practice not only adds material to draw from but enriches your life. Each fresh detail is a new thread in your creative tapestry. Over time, you’ll perceive more, feel more, and have a richer well of inspiration.

First thing tomorrow, spend sixty seconds listing one thing you see, hear, smell, taste, and feel, jotting each down in a notebook. Then take one object—a leaf or a cup—and stare at it for thirty seconds, noting every feature, before stepping back to drink in the whole scene. Finally, shake up your routine—try a new route or soundtrack—to keep expanding your perception. Give it a try on your next walk.