The Art of Seeing

I was recently reminded that photography (and perhaps life) is not about what you see, but how you see it.

"It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see". - Henry David Thoreau

When catching up on some photography online recently, someone posted about their resultant images after spending 15 minutes in their garden.

I was blown away.

Not by the images (which were very good, to be fair).

Nope.

I was blown away by the simple concept of making satisfying images in your backyard.

Now, this is nothing new to me.

I know this stuff.

But I have found myself recently getting caught up (and putting myself down) in the online hype with all the world traveling and jet setting famous photographers capturing breathtaking images in exotic locations.

So, I have forgotten about the simple concept above.

And it’s an important one.

Why?

Well, why did I start to make images in the first place?

It wasn’t to please anyone, or to get likes and comments.

It was for myself.

For my inner fullfilment.

So I picked up my camera and made some images of leaves lying frozen in a pile on a recent cold morning here in the Swiss Alps.

Are they award winning images?

Almost certainly not.

But they made me feel better about myself and the world around me.

It also got me thinking about how, with art / the act of creating something, that it is in essence where the joy comes from - from the act of creating.

And if I can share it with someone, or somewhere, that is just an added bonus (sorry for you guys, but seriously, thanks for following along!).

So, what am I trying to say (besides that I’ve been struggling a bit with fomo lately)?

In a nutshell:

Create for yourself. Create what brings you joy. What fulfills you.

It can be photography / writing / pottery / knitting / whatever.

But do it, it’s important.

Do you have any thoughts on creating stuff just for yourself / the art of seeing?

Simply hit reply and let me know / comment below.

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Until next time ✌🏽.

Cornelius

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