Lesson 2:
Creating Your Focus Map

Mapping the Self: A Young Artist's Fearless Gaze
In this powerful self-portrait, Amrita Sher-Gil presents herself with unflinching directness, claiming space both as artist and subject during an era when South Asian women were rarely afforded either role. The young artist demonstrates precisely what we aim to achieve through our focus mapping exercise today — deliberate attention turned inward to understand our unique cognitive patterns.

Examine how Sher-Gil employs specific visual elements that parallel our focus mapping process:

1. Compositional Clarity: The portrait eliminates distracting background elements, creating a simplified visual field that emphasizes what matters most — just as our focus maps will help you identify and eliminate your personal distractions.

2. Controlled Contrast: Sharp distinctions between light and shadow create defined boundaries and structure — reflecting how our focus mapping will establish clear boundaries between productive focus conditions and disruptive influences.

3. Directional Gaze: Her penetrating, self-directed attention demonstrates metacognitive awareness — mirroring how we'll systematically analyze our internal attention patterns to build self-knowledge.

4. Balanced Proportions: The careful arrangement of visual elements creates harmony and stability — paralleling how our focus maps will help establish balanced study environments tailored to your needs.

Created at just 19 years old by an Indo-Hungarian artist navigating multiple cultural identities, this portrait represents remarkable self-understanding and artistic focus during a developmentally complex period similar to your own.

Through today's mapping activities, you will:

• Identify your unique environmental, physical, and mental focus factors

• Recognize patterns in your attention strengths and challenges

• Create a personalized visualization of optimal focus conditions

• Develop concrete strategies for implementing your discoveries

As we begin creating your personalized focus maps today, remember that Sher-Gil's portrait shows us what's possible when we turn focused attention inward to understand our own minds.