Sending Ming a grace note

“If you concentrate on finding whatever is good in every situation, you will discover your life is suddenly filled with gratitude, a feeling that nurtures the soul” – Rabbi Harold Kushner

I noticed on a few occasions; the instructor Laura of an online class I am taking mentioned some of my images were like “grace notes”. Initially I didn’t understand what the term “grace notes” meant. I therefore did research on the term and after understanding its meaning, I would like to introduce more of the idea to my photography.

With grace notes, it means the small things that make life worth living. While we are often preached the idea of life’s fulfillment or the pursuit of one’s grand ambition, life is already a miracle, and I feel our life are with ordinary grace notes if we pay close attention.

When we notice and enjoy the fabric of our life in the present moment, it means we are not stuck in ruminating about the past or being anxious anticipating what is coming our way in the future. Our mind is here, now. You are more likely to notice the many grace notes that are scattered around you as you go through your day. I think my photography forces me take note of those grace notes, appreciate them and collect them even when other people may find them to be trivial. Grace notes are highly individualized, the things that lift me up may not mean much to others. In the end, I look for those little moments, tidbits of life that move me and make me feel grateful for being alive. That is all that matters to me.

How do you go about noticing and collecting grace notes in your life then? The first part is to pay attention. Paying attention is a skill, something that takes time to hone. The more you do it, the easier it becomes. I find my meditation and photography practice go hand in hand in cultivating and heightening my awareness. It is so easy to trample on grace notes, or rush by them without seeing them when we are so busy going somewhere, doing something. It is also common to ignore our body sensations as we grow older, especially when we are accustomed to operating on autopilot, we rarely pay attention to the information provided by our senses. Even when we register an unusual sensation, we tend to brush it off and forget about it quickly.

When I notice there is something that gives me a feeling of grace, I like to take note of it, let it linger and savor that moment. It is particularly gratifying to me when I take photos of things that may look trivial at first glance, but they carry deep meaning to me personally. The process of photographing forces me to slow down, notice what draws me in to the moment, and by composing for the image, I make deeper connection to the subject I am photographing and the environment I am in. Those simple moments can be astonishing when I look at my images later. A raindrop on the lily pad, grass glowing in the sunlight, dandelion seeds flying in the air are all the little joyful moments I found in nature. I am continually in awe of the beauty formed by nature’s design.

As artists, I think we are more sensitive and perceptive to what our environment has to offer. We like to express our feelings about what we see and notice through our work. I like to think I am collecting grace notes by paying more attention, focusing on each moment with my camera.