Photography: The Art of Seeing, The Power of Patience

Photography is not about taking pictures. It is actually about seeing. An artistic photographer sees beauty in the mundane, and notices sights and meaning that pass others by.

Studying photography from an artistic point of view opens up the ability to broaden creativity in other areas of life.

A few of my creations:

Being an artistic photographer can also expose one to the power of patience. In our ultra fast-paced world, where attention spans are brief, presence to what should be meaningful moments are often cut short. More than ever, we need to intentionally appreciate and savour our experiences. This is not only an important ingredient of mental wellbeing, it is also the precursor to creativity and inspiration.

The power of patience is about knowing when it is wise to deliberately slow down. It is about letting go of the impulse of trying to control the time something needs to reach the desired conclusion.

When we apply this power in the right circumstances, seemingly effortless magic happens.

Harvard art history professor Jennifer Roberts wrote a fascinating article (here) about this power. It details an exercise she assigns to all her students: to go to a museum and observe one work of art for three hours straight. No breaks. No conversations. No cell phone use.

I performed this exercise myself and it truly was what Prof. Roberts calls a “master lesson in the value of critical attention, patient investigation, and skepticism about immediate surface appearances."

Studying and practicing art is an incredibly valuable way to broaden our creativity and our capacity to learn.

Art expands how we see, what we see, and challenges our conventional thinking.

My other reflections on the benefits of pursuing artistic creativity at my personal website -> here