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B+W If we adopt a beginner’s mind we see familiar items, such as these boat sails, as arrangements of lines and shapes.
effort. I haven’t taken anything
decent yet. I need to go home
with a few good shots or the day
will have been a waste of time.’
You get the idea.
When our mind drifts off like
this, we are only half awake.
We have lost touch with our
surroundings: the mountain, the
clouds, the play of light on the
peak, the joy of just being there,
open to what might happen. Our
concentration has gone, and any
moments of pure observation are
virtually impossible.
To bring ourselves back to the
present we need to recognise
when our inner critic turns up,
and roll out the welcome mat for
him or her rather than trying
to lock the door. If we try to
stop the flow of thoughts, they
will simply multiply, causing us
more trouble and creating even
more thoughts. Our mind will
go into overdrive: ‘Why can’t
I stop thinking? Surely no one
else struggles like this? I must be
doing it wrong.’ We humans are
good at beating ourselves up.As soon as we welcome the
thoughts in, we can start work.
Our first job is to notice any
emotions we attach to the
thoughts. When we are waiting
for the ‘right’ light, for example,
do we feel impatient, happy,
bored? Our inner voice is so
keen to label every experience
as either good or bad, worthy or
wasteful, it’s hard to stay neutral.
Having noticed these emotions,
we need to practise letting go of
them, without trying to change
them or cling to them.
If our feet are cold, for
example, we just say to ourselves
‘discomfort’ and let the feeling
pass. If we haven’t taken a decent‘If we imagine seeing
the train for the fi rst
time we can see it
as an arrangement
of shapes, colours,
textures, leading
to more creative
images.’
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