So, another year is coming to its end. Between political drama and global chaos, 2024's been anything but quiet.
I've been thinking about how polarised everything's gotten. The UK's swinging left, the US is leaning hard right, and finding middle ground? Pretty tough these days. Social media isn't helping either, becoming a cesspit of video clips that trigger us rather than inspire.
So how best to view the world and navigate a path through it all?
Don’t worry - I won’t take this any further down the political minefield! How about we use one of mankind’s true geniuses as inspiration?
Leonardo da Vinci has always fascinated me. He did it all – engineering, science, architecture, sculpture – plus he was apparently a very charming guy who wore the finest fabrics and clothes. People loved to be around him. Oh yeah, and he could paint a bit too (though some say that was just his side gig!).
In his notebooks he left clues which I think help to answer the earlier conundrum. It was this idea of Sensazione that stands out. da Vinci believed our senses are the ministers of the soul, almost like the soul's assistants, and he trained them like an athlete trains their body. He noticed how most people kind of drift through life – looking without really seeing, eating without tasting, you know the drill.
📸 Drawings from Leonardo da Vinci's notebooks
So, Sensazione is the sharpening of your sensory awareness. Modern science backs up the benefit of this too. During lockdown, I learned that paying attention to nature sounds while walking – like birds chirping or leaves rustling – can actually boost your immune system and creative thinking. Or try this: next time you're outside, count how many different shades of green you can spot. Another good one, especially this time of year, if you want to enjoy chocolate and not eat too much, is to concentrate on trying two different chocolates and really thinking about the difference. It satisfies you much quicker… so they say!
And that got me thinking about how wonderful the human eye is; and of course, the brain behind it. Here’s some science I learned about many moons ago at the department of neuroscience, UMIST…
Most of us consider there to only be 6 main senses. There are hundreds of millions of receptors in the human body, so you might think it was an even split of receptors to senses... Yet 70% of those receptors are used for vision. In fact, nearly half of brain resources are involved in vision and visually stimulated neural reactions.
And my favourite fact, 80% of the memories stored in your hippocampus are determined by what we see!
Which makes me think that whoever designed the human body (I’m not opening that can of worms either!), had a clear message; what we see and how we see it, is more vital to life than any other stimulus.
Here's what I'm getting at – maybe Leonardo was onto something. If we sharpen our senses, especially how we see things, could that help us live better, happier lives?
Now obviously ‘how we see things’ here can be a macro term in reference to the bigger things in life. Or, of course, it can specifically reference eyesight. Finally, we’re venturing into an area which you know about, Tareq… you’re likely thinking!
So I asked myself - if we can do that to the best standard, can we excite those hundreds of millions of receptors and over half your brain's resources to allow you to have a clearer view on the world?
Let’s consider this Venn diagram… The perfect pair of glasses is the intersection of great style, perfect fit, accurate prescription and optimal lens (visual optics).
And for years we’ve been outstanding in most areas! Most people know Seen for our skills at styling clients and the eyewear we stock.
But, behind the scenes at Seen in 2024, we've been focusing on taking eyewear to the next level with some amazing new lenses. Many of you have already experienced what we can do with custom lenses - whether it’s the aesthetics due to tints and coatings, or the superior quality of vision, we’ve had some incredible feedback.
📸 A selection of the custom lenses we've worked on in 2024
I won't turn these end of year musings into a sales pitch – we'll share more about that stuff in the coming months. But if sharpening the senses was one of the keys to unlocking da Vinci’s genius (and the beauty he bestowed on the world), then the least we can do for you is sharpen your vision.
Or, if that all seems like airy fairy nonsense written at 11pm by an Optician that should stick to doing eye tests… at least you’ll be wearing the finest eyewear on the planet and looking incredible doing so in 2025!
Thank you so much for supporting Seen this last year. Myself and the team are truly privileged to serve you. Peace and love for the new year to you all.
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