The Tips: Rethink the Mundane

Anything can be interesting if you look closely enough.

Fall leaf; UNC-Chapel Hill campus

There is a beauty in simplicity, in the things we see every day and either take for granted or ignore completely.  As the seasons change, they bring new temperatures and warrant new wardrobes.  Fall arrives and we marvel at the spectacular color of the trees that paint the landscape in shades of red, orange, and gold.  Once the leaves descend from the branches, they seem to disappear from our line of sight, suddenly becoming just a nuisance, merely something to clear from our yards.  Yet against the faded bricks of a cobblestone walkway, the vibrant colors still cling to a shadow of their former selves, as if begging to be noticed one final time before being scooped into a yard waste collection bag.  


Take a moment to see the simple and small things around you: not every shot needs to be a sweeping landscape or sparkling skyline.  For example, as I sit here writing, I am looking at the crown molding and how it comes together in the corners of my living room.  I'm now thinking about corners: molding, baseboards, bricks and mortar, wood planks...the purpose of a corner is to bring things together.  
Now my mind is running with the concept: how many other corners do I encounter on a daily basis without ever having noticed them as anything other than something to pass on my way to somewhere else?  A potential series is forming - interiors, exteriors, ceilings, floors...all because I paused for a moment while staring at the wall. 


Stare at your walls.  Look more closely at the trees after a rainshower.  Take a moment to ponder the bright spark of curiosity in your cat's eyes as she follows a glint of sunlight across the floor.   Embrace the banality of your surroundings.  You may find your own corners to be quite interesting.