Sunday Letters - A Renewed Lens Lesson

Have you ever been plodding along through your moments and had a thought come through that led you to a profound understanding of something that had been sitting for a while.

The Sufi’s call this the boiling pot.

I call it remembering.

You see, I don’t think profound revelations are anything new - they are just revealed to us when layers or veils have been lifted and we can now “see”.

It was a Saturday morning and the light was streaming in through my favorite window. As I began to prepare my vignette for shooting my mind told me to grab another lens. The one that had been forgotten.

I normally shoot with a Fuji Film 56mm Macro. I love it and it has done me well. However, I have not used the 35mm Fuji lens in about a year. You probably realize by now capturing details are my thing and I am a lover of all things detailed.

As I contemplated changing lenses I had a feeling a shift was upon me. And I was right.

The 56mm came off and I carefully clicked the 35mm on - I stood on my old chair I bought at a garage sale in Maine for $5 (come to find out it is Swedish) and snapped away. After looking in the camera I could see this lesson was so needed. A different lens brought so much clarity. What a beautiful inner moment it was.

What I noticed was that the awareness was there as if it were waiting for the gate to open. It was leading the way. Not because I forced it, but because I have worked for the last 20 years to get to this state of being. Being aware is 99% of it all. the other 1% is technical skill.

A new lens shifted everything, and everything shifted.

When we listen to our inner workings it is much simpler to live amongst the chaos of the world. There is no need to run or hide.

Staying with the awareness flooded me with revelations and I never thought it would have come from a lens.

I remembered my why. This was magical. It was exactly what I needed to know in that moment and that was all that mattered.

This is the beautiful part about photography. It has truly become my blessing.

I hope reading this has been a blessing to you. May it serve as a reminder that even the smallest act of changing a lens, sheets on a bed, cleaning the windows, sorting a pantry, clearing the counters, or whatever it might be can be a profound lesson.

In case you missed my announcement on Instagram I will begin a 4 month editorial called The Grounded Creative. It will be a place where you can wonder, be still, practice noticing, and read creative truth.

You can sign up here. The first month (January) will be complimentary with the February - April edition being an investment of $60 for the 3 months.

There will be an update in the newsletter the first week of January for those who would like more information.

Thank you for being here. For reading. For trusting the quieter way.

With love,

Jocelyn xx