(This was first posted on October 28, 2010)

When I first came upon the tree and palm in the photograph that accompanies this blog posting I noticed it but did not see in it much potential for creating a work of art from a photograph of the scene.  Although I had my camera along I was not moved to look at the scene through the view finder.  Several hours later we returned to the outdoor seating area at the restaurant in the small Tuscan town on a hill overlooking Florence which afforded a nice view of the countryside off in the distance and the tree and palm in the foreground.  While we were having a snack and a drink, we were mostly just taking advantage of an opportunity to slow down and rest for a while.  My camera was resting in the chair beside me.  After about 20 minutes I was moved to pick up the camera and take the Tree And Palm photograph.  This was clearly a time when slowing down spurred a creative process within me.  I find that this happens to me often.  If I have my camera and I’m waiting someone who is attending to things that are of little interest to me I often begin to notice things that I would easily have overlooked had I been walking along.  There is, it seems, a fine line between boredom and a quiet mind.  Perhaps it is because quieting one’s mind is not such as easy thing to accomplish that boredom stimulates within us an impulse to find something to occupy our mind, and time, and attention.

The next time that you are looking for something to photograph and are feeling especially uninspired try to find a comfortable place to sit for 10 minutes or so.  While sitting, focus on trying to slow your breathing and quiet your mind.  Soon you are likely to find that you are seeing your immediate surroundings somewhat differently.  Perhaps by slowing down you will spur within you a creative process.  Give this method a try.  If you do, let me know how it worked out.