People-watching allows you to experience the beauty and rhythm of community life around you. For some who enjoy this activity, observing people involves creativity as they get the opportunity to try to guess someone's story based on mere observation, while enjoying the excitement of what is really amateur social science.
Step
Step 1. Define the parameters for this person observation activity before starting it
It's a good idea to understand why you're making observations. There may be several reasons, but your main motivation is to observe how other people live and behave in different situations. Observing people doesn't make you feel better than other people or want to judge them. The essence of observing people is to be an unbiased observer with a tendency to explore life stories as the art of love and empathy. Some reasons to do people observation include:
- These activities are fun and make you feel relaxed - Watching other people have fun, dress well, do fun and even relaxing daily activities while you sit comfortably somewhere, like a cafe or park bench while absorbing vitamin D from the sun. People are really charming. So, no need for further explanation!
- These activities can pass the time while you're waiting for someone or sitting with boring people, but you can't just leave them alone.
- This activity can arouse a forgotten curiosity. Children are known to enjoy observing people and by trying it again, you can return to this curiosity for a moment.
- Observing people can give you the information you need. If you're writing a book or developing characters for a play, observing people can be an effective way to find traits and styles for your characters. Also, if you're an actor, observing people is a window into how other people stand, walk, talk, and interact in natural environments. This can also be a great opportunity to test what you've learned and theory about body language.
- This activity can be a source for great artwork or photography. If you're an artist or photographer, natural people can make brilliant subjects.
- Observing people can be inspiring. This activity can encourage you to write a symphony, screenplay, or article for a blog.
- This activity can be a healthier and much more interesting option than stalking someone on Facebook or Instagram.
Step 2. Practice unobtrusive naturalistic observations
Naturalistic observation is the practice of observing a subject in their natural habitat. In this case, what you are doing is unobtrusive, unnoticed, and does not interfere with the subject. If you do the opposite, it means you are interacting and can no longer be called “people watching”.
- Be aware that some places are more suitable as locations for people-watching than others. Big cities such as New York, Paris, Miami, Rio de Janeiro and Venice provide ideal places to observe people because there people know they are the center of attention and will be constantly looked at. Any major city where people dress up intentionally to show off their fashion style or fashion sense tends to be an ideal place for people-watching. Places that are not recommended are the countryside or small towns, unless you can do this very carefully and not attract attention.
- Some methods of observation may be more acceptable in some places than in others. Photographing people in New York may not come as a surprise to them, but if you do it on a main street in a small town, it can raise questions or even anger. Know where you can photograph people and where it's unacceptable, and don't cross the line. If someone doesn't like your photo, delete the photo. Your actions should not cause unpleasant feelings to others.
Step 3. Select a location to make observations
The safest place is a cafe overlooking a busy street. This is a quintessential Parisian location, and even if the weather is chilly, you always have the opportunity to find a large, clean window to observe what's going on outside. There are many other options, including:
- Mezzanine in a shopping center.
- Under a tree in a park, sitting at an observation post, or where tourists and locals usually gather.
- Around public pools or at the beach, at parties or festivals (it's interesting to see how people experience momentum as events unfold).
- At the entrance or exit of the cinema, theater, doctor's office, etc.
- Cafes, bars, pubs, etc.
- Amusement parks, zoos, aquariums and other places that make you sooner or later get tired, and need to sit down to rest.
- A park for dogs or a place where dogs socialize, as well as their owners.
- Shops, including thrift stores and bookstores.
- Art galleries and museums. Watching people observing something can be very entertaining, especially when they are analyzing the thoughts that are running through the minds of the subject of a painting. It resembles a “guess the mangosteen fruit” game.
- Don't forget about public transportation. This is a great place for people-watching as you are all forced to stay in the same place and stare at each other for a while!
Step 4. Don't interrupt
It's important to be in a place where your behavior doesn't appear suspicious. Try pretending to be busy, don't just stare at those around you:
- Try to appear to be reading, writing, or whatever while observing.
- Eat something or drink coffee or tea while observing.
- Wear sunglasses that allow you to see anywhere without arousing suspicion.
Step 5. Pick someone on the street or nearby
Look for people who are eye-catching and won't disappear until you have had a chance to properly observe them. When making observations, think about what kind of person he is:
- Ask yourself questions about each person you choose: Why is he here? Is he happy? Nervous? Nervous? Why? What does his body language say? How to talk? Do his words reflect the general impression of him?
- Look at her clothes: What do her clothes say about her? Is he rich or poor? Is he among those who have knowledge of fashion or not? Did the clothes match the weather at the time? Has he become a part of pop culture or a subculture?
- Judging from his appearance and behavior, what are his aspirations, political understanding, or work?
- Try to find “duplicates”. Pay attention to whether you see people who look like people you know or celebrities, such as movie stars. Who knows, you might even get to see a celebrity in person!
- Do you recognize someone? As you get older, passers-by may be your ex-boyfriend, boss, teacher, or classmate. Focus your attention!
Step 6. Make observations with friends
This activity will be twice as fun if done with friends who have the same passion. You can ask each other the questions mentioned above. You can even question each other's observations until you reach a mutually satisfactory conclusion! Sharing observations with someone can be a fun activity and create a closer relationship in friendship.
Step 7. Record your observations
This step is optional and for some people this activity can become a habit and routine. However, if you want to make people-watching a hobby and dedicate some time to it, you'll enjoy rereading your thoughts on the people you're observing. If you are an author (including a blogger) or an artist, the results of these observations can be developed into a work of writing or art.
- Bring a notebook and pen with you when you decide to observe people. Make a special book for this activity - let the whole process be a special ceremony. Write down everything you see and hear from each person. You can also make a sketch of their behavior. That way, the observation process will be more interesting and you will have material that can be used for years.
- Consider the person being the object of observation as a potential stock character for your novel and record their behavior down to the smallest detail.
- Try taking a painting or acting class if you want to record moments of secretly observing other people without a camera.
Step 8. Make observations with good intentions
To avoid appearing as a voyeur or obsessive observer, understand that other people need privacy, space, and respect at all times. Know that you yourself can become an object of observation from time to time, perhaps even when you're watching someone else on a sunny afternoon.
Step 9. Learn how to react appropriately when the person being observed turns to look at you
Sometimes you will be caught watching people and it will be seen as a negative thing. There are several ways to deal with this situation:
- Just smile, shrug, and look the other way.
- Talk to him if you're close enough and explain what caught his eye or what fascinated you.
- Lower your gaze and don't look up again until the person has passed. This trick is great if you're feeling a little shy or scared!
- Change your body position in the other direction or get up and leave if the situation becomes uncomfortable.
Tips
- Don't do it openly. If someone catches you watching him, he will act very differently than when he wasn't aware of it. In addition, he can get scared and leave, or get irritated.
- You can find information on the best places to observe people on the internet. Visit these websites to see the closest location to where you live. Books about a particular city or guidebooks for tourists often provide information on the best places to observe people.
- Years later, try to imagine what might have happened to the people you barely knew. Are they happy or still in a hurry? Still living in the same place? With family? Was sleeping?
- To make this process even more interesting, try sharing your observations with others.
- Start a blog about your hobby.
- Don't forget the animals in your city. Animals living in urban environments are also interesting to observe, just like your own pets!
- Don't make this activity a habit so that you think of it as an obligation and forget to do other fun things.
Warning
- Observing people is not the same as voyeurism. Respect other people's privacy and don't do anything reckless like stalking them or badmouthing them to friends.
- Don't daydream while making observations. You can get carried away and start picking your nose or scratching your head so that you look like an idiot and become an object of scrutiny.
- Be careful if you decide to shoot. In some cultures this is unacceptable and in many cases even causes serious problems.
