Quote Originally Posted by patmc View Post
I was an Art History Minor in college. I took the classes because I loved looking at art, and because they were the complete opposite of my political science Major courses. Very relaxing and rewarding to look at slides of art in a dark classroom.

I don't think it help me doing convoy security, but it definately broadened my mind and made me notice subtle things like architecture, designs, etc... in everyday life. A critical exposure to art would definately help shape how people see the world and others. If you want to understand people, find out what they think is beautiful and special. It also helped me impress my girlfriend with lines like, "This looks like a Carravaggio" and it turned out to be a student of Carravaggio.
I agree with you about art granting the user the ability to sense subtlety in a greater fashion.

I took a few filmmaking modules while in university and it also greatly helped me understand the first-hand power of influence of media in shifting the perception of others.

When you tell a story, you approach it and project this tale in a way that possesses familiar cues for the target audience. These stories that are consumed by the audience through the latter spotting familiar cues in the tale that resonate, and this resonation amplifies the message you are sending out.

The ability of an image to amplify ideas and messages is unparalleled, and I think in the arena of unconventional warfare, people who are skilled in dissecting the value of an image (or falsehood, or PR spin) that is being projected, or one that is projected to you, is valuable because it allows you to strip away the medium to see what the actual message is about, and how best to engage it.