The Habit of Being

As I was reading in Simple Abundance this morning (yes, there's that book again!), I was struck by the concept of the habit of being. As opposed to the habit of doing, constant movement on the "to do" list, or the habit of brooding, focusing on the past or the future. The habit of being, just existing in the moment. Such a simple concept, yet one I am constantly re-learning. I keep turning back to this idea of late - of being in the moment, conscious of the now. There must be something to that.

So this morning, this image from our Bath hotel room jumped out at me. Seeing the beauty of light and dark, the monochromatic composition that presented itself. No other reason to take this photo, than to capture an observation of the moment. And yet, it pleases me. Brings me some peace and stillness, even now. My eyes wander over the details brought out by the light and the shadows.  Marvel at the beauty of the simplicity and the artfulness of the composition that the designer created in this space.

A reminder that along with the habit of being, you gain the habit of seeing. A good habit to have, as an artist.

Back with a Bell

I love the monochromatic scheme of this photo... in the weathered bike and bell, and wall, in Brescia. What stories do this image tell you? We each make up our own. That's what I love about these images.

We just got back from our week long vacation to Rome and Umbria. I had every intention of scheduling blog posts for the entire week we were gone but time got away from me. It was a wonderful week of experiencing something new (or ancient, depending on your perspective!) and I look forward to sharing some images after I sort through the gazillions of photos I took. I don't even want to think about the number!

(By the way, try explaining a word like "gazillion" to a non-native speaker sometime, it makes you realize how much a language is absorbed, just soaked from the environment, not intentionally learned.)

For the Look of It

I can't imagine that these chairs are really there to sit on, but they make a fabulous image. I think they are there for the atmosphere, to complete the vintage look of Castello San Sebastiano da Po where we stayed last year. I love the textures and shapes and light in this image.