Buddha

Sketches: Lexus

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Posted by Brian Miller in Buddha, Culture, Sketches

Sketches: Moments

Moments gained. Moments lost.

A look. A gaze. A pause. A burst of energy.

Life comes in stops and starts, flits.

A breath, an exhale, a sigh. A smile. A frown.

And the world turns around.

Don’t blink. Here. Gone.

Moments gained. Moments past.

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Posted by Brian Miller in Buddha, Fuji, Sketches, X100

Sketches: Bells

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There is something about the Asian aesthetic that I just love. I live in a land dominated by Catholic Christian mythology, rites, and art which I am slowly appreciating. But there is always something calming and peaceful for me in Asian religious artwork. These bells were a gift to me and reside in my office.

Posted by Brian Miller in Buddha, Culture, Monochrome

Of Love and Other Demons

Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.
~Rumi

I swiped the above quote from friend’s Facebook post on this Valentine’s Day. It seemed appropriate to think of love in a way that is out of the ordinary for how we, and by this I mean me and perhaps you, think about love. I happen to enjoy Rumi quite a bit, especially because his writing has the habit of shaking up my perception and my perspective–good things to have happen to a photographer.

This quote, and Rumi’s ability, got me thinking: if we put up barriers to that which we often are seeking (Love), what kind of barriers have we placed in the way of our creative potential?

Sometimes it is helpful to write down, to make a list, of those negative things we believe about ourselves. Be it, “I’m not good enough,” or “I’m just an average artist,” or, “I’m just an amateur photographer,” and then to write down the opposite in an attempt to eliminate the negative belief. Whatever you might discover about your negative beliefs, about your creative self, the chances are you are mistaken. Creativity spills from each of our lives much the way flowers creatively express their inevitability.

To be creative we must be much like the flower in its expression. That is to say we must do so simply because it is what we must do; we need not, indeed perhaps must not, await another’s praise in our effort or copy what others have done before. Gavin Gough, professional travel photographer, explains and encourages this beautifully in his post today entitled “Setting Sail on Your Own Course.

So on this Valentine’s Day, day of love and friendship, as you seek to eliminate the barriers you have placed in love’s way, why not also strive to identify and eliminate the barriers you may have placed in the way of your creativity. I imagine–no, I am sure–that both love and creativity will flow more freely from you as a result.

Posted by Brian Miller in Buddha, Creativity, Monochrome, Photographic Mindset

Photo of the Day: Buddha

There is a fancy resort hotel in Playa del Carmen on that we passed each day on the way to the beach that I just love.  I’d photographed it several years ago and was very pleased with the result.  The morning light hits it just perfectly and each time we passed it I was moved to photograph it again.  I’m working up a little series of this statue to post next week but I thought I might provide a little preview at this time.  I hope you enjoy it.

Posted by Brian Miller in Buddha, Photographs