Amy Herman is a recovering lawyer and the founder and president of her company, The Art of Perception. Amy combines her litigation background with her training as an art historian to help a diverse clientele sharpen observation, analysis, and communication skills through a four-step framework of Assess, Analyze, Articulate, and Act. The roots of this work began while she was serving as the head of education at The Frick Collection in New York City. She took medical students out of their clinical setting and brought them to an art museum to teach them how to analyze works of art so that when they returned to the hospital in the clinical setting, they would be better observers of their patients.

Amy subsequently adapted the program for a wide range of professionals and leads sessions for the New York City Police Department, the FBI, the French National Police, the Department of Defense, Interpol, the State Department, Fortune 500 companies, first responders, retailers, and the military. In her highly participatory presentation, she demonstrates the necessity for astute visual literacy and how analyzing works of art affords participants an innovative way to refresh their sense of critical inquiry and skills necessary for sharper performance and effective leadership. The program has been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The CBS Evening News, and Smithsonian Magazine.

Her 2018 TED talk, A Lesson on Looking, has amassed nearly 1M views. Ms. Herman holds an A.B., a J.D., and an M.A. in art history. Her May 2016 book, Visual Intelligence: Sharpen Your Perception, Change Your Life, was on the New York Times and Washington Post best sellers’ lists. Her second book, Fixed: How to Perfect the Fine Art of Problem-Solving, was published in December 2021, and her third book, smART: Use Your Eyes to Boost Your Brain, was published in October 2022.

Amy shares her experiences from law and art history, emphasizing how questioning can broaden knowledge and improve problem-solving skills. Additionally, her expertise underscores the significance of effective communication, human connections, and shared experiences across personal and professional contexts. The conversation touches on themes of situational awareness, self-reflection, and the growth that comes from embracing imperfections, drawing on real-life examples and anecdotes, like learning from a retired prison guard and understanding trauma through the art of kintsugi.

This Curated Questions episode can be found on all major platforms and at CuratedQuestions.com.

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Episode Notes

[00:48] Meet Amy Herman: Lawyer Turned Art Historian

[02:16] The Power of Questions in Art and Life

[04:44] Art and Observation: Transforming Perspectives

[06:36] Personal Stories and Reflections

[10:29] Engaging with Art and Humanity

[21:06] The Importance of Clear Communication

[31:12] Finding Common Ground Through Art

[40:50] The Unique Perspective of Art Guards

[41:50] Engaging with Art Through Questions

[43:24] Personal Stories and Art

[47:42] The Power of Situational Awareness

[51:29] The Importance of Asking Hard Questions

[55:16] Learning and Unlearning Through Questions

[01:13:29] The Mandate to Share Experiences

[01:14:50] Final Thoughts and Encouragements

Resources Mentioned

The Art of Perception

The Frick Collection

Visual Intelligence: Sharpen Your Perception, Change Your Life by Amy Herman

Fixed: How to Perfect the Fine Art of Problem-Solving by Amy Herman

smART: Use Your Eyes to Boost Your Brain by Amy Herman

Helen McKenzie

Mee Shim

Metropolitan Museum of Art

Mrs. Hannah Winthrop by John Singleton Copley

Nicolaes Ruts by Rembrandt

Dr. Edgar Munhall

Monica, son's babysitter

Philip Seymour Hoffman

Hirshhorn

Johannes Vermeer

Faith Ringgold

Mrs. Kate Moore by John Singer Sargent

Cobalt Blue Dress by Amoako Boafo

Philippa Pham Hughes

Kintsugi

Amy Herman on Instagram

Beauty Pill

Producer Ben Ford

Questions Asked

When did you first understand the power of questions?

Do you have any art exercises that I could do with my kids?

how can we ask better questions of looking at art?

In your training as a art historian, are questions an equal part of a foundation of understanding?

How can I ask the right questions to elicit information from this work of art to change how people look so they, in turn, can see better?

how was your son's growing-up experience different as a result of your work?

How did I miss this?

What else am I missing?

What does that balance look like?

What are some consistencies you found regarding the kinds of questions these experts in these various disciplines have adopted?

Am I clear?

Am I being clear?

Do they really mean to say what they're saying?

Is this really what I want to say?

Is this what I want to communicate?

Is this what I don't want to say?

How do you make sure you don't trip over a mahogany table?

Anything I need to know before we go into the operating room?

How do we ensure we don't miss what's hiding in plain sight?

Anything here I'm missing?

Anything I do not see here?

How did he die?

How did you find out?

How would you use questions to get yourself to default to your humanity?

How are you using questions to help you regulate yourself?

What's the best thing that happened to you so far today?

What's something wonderful that happened to you that you couldn't see coming?

What do you think of this?

What do you see here?

What's your favorite piece here?

Do you have a favorite piece?

Is there something you like in this room more than others?

What do you like here?

What is your process for coming up with your questions as you look at a piece of art?

Who thought to put these two together?

Who put these together?

What does the artist look like?

How did they come up with the two of these?

What were the curators thinking?

How does that lay the groundwork for how we're going to see the rest of this exhibition?

Do they know that it's being exhibited here?

How do I see it?

How do other people see it?

Where am I?

How did I get here?

How do I get out of here safely?

How do I communicate to others where I am?

Where am I in this painting?

Did the artist include me in the painting?

Am I shut out of the painting?

Do I identify with the subject?

Do I not identify with the subject?

How can they ask better questions?

How do they ask the difficult questions?

How did I get here?

How did it take me so long?

What got us here?

How do we get out of this?

What is the call to action to change how we got here?

What is your process for helping folks reckon with whatever got them there?

How do we  look at ourselves as that piece of art?

What am I relying on  for this behavior?

Why do I do this?

How can I leverage this experience to make life better for me, those I care about and the people I work with?

How can I take this experience and make it better?

Why can't you just accept the experience for what it is?

Do you have any other thoughts or encouragements about questions that we haven't explored?

How are you?