I have been diligently working at finishing my third book, which has been years in the making, while I recently began a fourth! This is exciting as I appreciate the continued writing in this body of work I adore so much. However, it may be why my blogging has dropped away and I miss it. I always wonder what will bring it back. This morning I was reminded of some photos I took yesterday, an activity which happens occasionally, but brings me great joy. It crossed my mind that it would be fun to use these photos as a stimulus for blogging, as photography is such a beautiful way to capture a moment in time, which is about as mindful as things get!
I will begin with my pink beach chair. I’ve had this chair for a long time, but it has recently come in handy with the pandemic. I am mostly a stay-at-home person during this time but do venture out to unpopulated places to get sunshine and fresh air. The chair is a perfect prop to plop myself somewhere safe, pointed in the direction of the sun. This is simple yet makes me so happy. It must be the freedom and independence it offers during a time I do not feel okay being in public settings. I used to walk up the street to the local square to sit in the sunshine. That would be a lovely break after a day of working. It has been difficult not having that outlet right now (especially living downtown). Driving to a remote spot in nature, or a relative’s house brings back some of this freedom, yet I am squeamish about sitting on chairs/benches others are also using. This is why I appreciate this little beach chair so much.
I recently noticed the chair’s fabric is tattered, down the middle. This bummed me out! I don’t want this chair to ever disappear. That fabric won’t be so easy to mend with a needle and thread (maybe some duct tape). It is that constant reminder, even with the small things (as we are in no shortage of recognizing impermanence on a larger scale these days), that everything transforms into another state. Maybe this is why photography is so valuable and intoxicating. Seeing something remain the same brings comfort. Well, that last statement obviously pertaining to things we like. And, of course, photography brings much more than this. So, maybe to finish with that. Why is it so pleasurable for me to take photos of basic objects that are not hard to come by?
It feels special to photograph ordinary items. For me it may be related to my fascination with mindfulness and the presence of things in our way (including our body) that we seldom notice. The overtness of everyday materials we not only take for granted but fail to marvel at. We are of matter, along with everything else in our company. Becoming present to a moment avails us of this observation, our body in the space it is occupying interacting with the furniture and decor around us. The pink chair in the grass brings a similar rush. It is there, just there, on the ground amidst the trees, house, garden, birds, bird feeders and squirrels. This is what I see on the macro level, but we can only imagine how it would look under different types of microscopes! A flash of a scene, right through my camera lens, that I can revisit on a screen. A very cool thing.
Jill Eng 