Review Part II: Boredom and Entertainment.

Yesterday was a restless day for me. Looking back, I know that I spent the day online without much to do. I was just sitting there, on my chair, looking at the laptop reading stuff that I am not sure now why I was reading. I stole time from my little one to do this. When she was playing by herself or with someone else at home I would walk to my chair, sit and read something online. She would come looking for me and demand that I carry her, play with her. I would comply and go back to play but when she was doing something else, I would come back to the internet. Like there was something more important to do than spend time with my little one. I was distracted and multitasking and a sense of subtle irritation persisted.

Late this morning, I opened The Practice of Contemplative Photography and read this section on Boredom and Entertainment:

...The basic question is, why can't we relax when we have nothing to do and enjoy a little bit of space in our lives? The problem is that we are afraid of our own hearts. There are many, many things we haven't wanted to look at. The heart is so sensitive, so ready to resonate with the world, that we keep it covered, fearing we wont be able to stand being touched. ... In fact, you don't need to shield yourself. It is good to expose the heart. By exposing your heart, you begin to make friends with yourself on a deep level, and this will break the cycle of discontent and compulsion. When boredom arises, don't run away. Simply acknowledge the feelings and rest with whatever they are. ...The more you open your heart, the wider your eyes will open and the more you will see.

This rang a different alarm for me. I closed the book, let go all need and desire to photograph anything, went to my little one who was playing with her gramma and sat there, and watched her do her thing. There was nothing else to do, nothing better than this moment. The pleased look on her face was such a joy. She kept watching me watch her. She adorned me with kisses, reinforcement for my good behavior. Everytime thoughts of doing something else came, I let them go and came back to her. Watching her, listening to her babbling songs, her funny dance and explorations. What a peaceful afternoon we had. One that was a glaring contrast to yesterday's boredom, irritation and running away. 

...boring and interesting dont exist from the side of the subject at all. They only exist in the mind of the observer. 

When I came back to my camera, I chose to do The Twenty-shot Assignment that encourages the practitioner to "explore a subject thoroughly, a subject that offeres nothing in the way of conventional photographic interest." The authors give a list of possible subjects and I chose my kitchen sink! You read that right! 

The exercise was a great GREAT way to explore aspects of color, texture, light, pattern and line in something as ordinary as a kitchen sink and reiterated for me the importance of sitting with the present moment in the face of mind chatter, in order to find that space where new and fresh perspectives can be experienced. 

Exploring the diversity of Subject                                                                                                                          Delhi, July 2012

The exercise is a wonderful take away for me to to address boredom and those other nagging feelings not just while I am working with the camera but also when I keep the camera down. More later.


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