WAKE UP to find out that YOU are the eyes of the world...

Choose your lens wisely

You are the eyes of the world 

HOW you see matters

- Haiku, written in 2019




I thought about this writing piece the other day, and wanted to share it.  This was written when my now partner David, was still  "friend" status.  Even before we officially started dating, I was inspired and impressed by how he saw the world as such a beautiful place.  He is a very talented and passionate photographer, and has an incredible way of capturing the moment.  This was me, quickly falling in love, not only with him as a person, but also in the way he sees the world.....read on. 



My curious nature always has me asking questions. The other day, I asked my photographer friend, “What is it that makes you want to take a photograph? What is it that you see?”

His clear and concise list changed my prospective of photography, and helped me to see that it’s not just WHAT you are photographing that’s important, but HOW you look at it.
 

My friend is brilliant, and is a master at his craft. He has fine tuned his expression of his WHAT and HOW he sees. He says that what he looks for when capturing an image is:

- Patterns, shapes & lines
- Balance
- Depth
- Contrast
- Emotion & mood
- Color harmony
- And most important…LIGHTING! 
 

His wordless photographs tell the story of how he sees the world. His work is a creative expression of his own experiences in life. It’s truly inspiring to be around.  It recently came to me, that this list isn’t just for capturing a beautiful and interesting image, but can also be used to create a beautiful and interesting life.

I can ask myself these questions with the same elements in mind:

- What are my PATTERNS and habits? Which ones serve me, and which ones don’t? Am I making the same choices and expecting different results?

- Do I have a BALANCE of work and play? Movement and stillness? Action and rest?  Inward and outward connection?

- Am I living on the surface? Or am I willing to dive deep within myself? Do I have DETPH in my life?

- Am I accepting of the CONTRAST that life brings? Can I gracefully embrace both the bliss and the grit? The peaks and the valleys? The joys and the sorrows?  

- Am I willing to feel my EMOTIONS without reacting to them? Can I sit with what’s stirred up in the moment, and learn from it?

- Can I observe my MOODS and watch them change?  Am I able to be a witness to my own emotional state?  

- Am I blending myself with people who bring COLOR to my life?  Am I living my most vibrant life?  

- Do I feel in HARMONY with my surroundings?  Is my environment supportive?   

- What LIGHTS up my life? Am I paying attention to how I’m being guided, and choosing the path that’s most lit? 
 

We all have a choice in how we see the world, and how we shape our own life. Our HOW we see, creates WHAT we see. We have the power to make life beautiful and interesting.


"Wake up to find out that YOU are the eyes of the world."  
- The Grateful Dead, Eyes of the World






Be well,
Shannon