The Power Of Now
How living in the present moment made me a better photographer.
Welcome back to Adopted Lens, my monthly newsletter dedicated to the journey of self-discovery through photography. In this month’s edition, I’m going to share how learning to live in the present moment made me a better photographer (and better person).
By now, there’s a good chance you’ve either heard of, or read the New York Times Bestselling book, entitled “The Power Of Now”, by author Eckhart Tolle.
“This book literally changed my life!”
But before we get into how this book changed my life, and made me a better photographer, I need to share my backstory.
For the majority of my adult life (the better part of 25 years) I’ve been consumed with the idea of being successful by any means necessary. And by that I mean, putting my physical and mental health at risk. I probably could have been the poster child for the “can’t stop, won’t stop” movement.
To put things into perspective, I grew up in the era of the Hustler. For example, I was only 16 years old when Jay-Z dropped his debut album “Reasonable Doubt”, with the hit single “Can’t Knock The Hustle” featuring Mary J. Blige. That record’s been my anthem since ‘96!
I didn’t know it at the time, but subscribing to that hustle culture had me so focused on what success looked like in the future, I was ignoring the present moment. I remember constantly working around the clock to achieve my goals. I wasn’t eating or sleeping properly. I was in survival mode.
As time went on, I realized that no matter how many goals I achieved, the imaginary finish line I had created in my head was getting further and further away from me. It was like I was waiting for the right time to start living, because I was picturing my life happening as a successful person in the future, instead of recognizing life in the now.
In the book, The Power Of Now, Tolle explains that…
“It is not uncommon for people to spend their whole life waiting to start living.” – Eckhart Tolle
What he means by that, is that many of us don’t want the present, we want the future, so we wait. I can’t believe it, but I was actually one of those people. I was literally waiting to become the future version of myself before I really started living.
The concept of time including the past, present and future is another example of how my state of mind was contributing to my overall lack of being present.
For example, Tolle says…
“Nothing has happened in the past; it happened in the Now. Nothing will ever happen in the future; it will happen in the Now.” – Eckhart Tolle
Once I fully understood that statement, my life started to change for the better!
(I encourage you to read it one more time, silently in your head. Read it slowly and let it sink in.)
Up until this point, I was either living in the past, which meant holding on to past trauma and pain (Tolle calls this identifying with the pain-body), or I was losing myself in the worry, stress and anxiety of over thinking and planning for the future.
By now you might be saying to yourself, ok great, you read this book, it changed your life, but how did it make you a better photographer?! That’s a fair question, let me answer it now.
Being present is one of, if not, the most important skill sets any photographer can possess. Think about it. To be a great photographer, whether you’re a street photographer, photo-journalist, sports or wedding photographer or even a studio portrait photographer, you must be aware of the now or else you’re incapable of capturing “the moment”.
As a street photographer, I’ve personally adopted the practice of being present into my daily routine. I call it practice, because it takes work to be present. When I’m on the street I take a breath, I slow down and I try to feel the now. I embrace the energy of the moment and when I fully commit, nothing else matters. I’m not thinking about the bills I have to pay, or how I’ve skipped the gym for the last 4 days in a row and feel like shit. I’m focused on the NOW! I feel calm, relaxed and grateful.
“EVERYTHING CHANGED FOR THE BETTER ONCE I BECAME AWARE OF AND ACCEPTED THE NOW.”
It’s such a simple concept, but incredibly hard to introduce into our busy everyday lives. BUT, I can honestly say that it has changed my life for the better. I’m not just a better photographer because of it, I’m also a better husband, father, son, brother, friend and mentor.
Until next month, my personal CHALLENGE to you is to read The Power Of Now.
Peace,
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Found you through YouTube. I'm liking what you're doing. I'm also a street / urban photographer in the GTA. maybe bump into you in TO one day soon. Cheers!