‘Everything has its beauty but not everyone sees it’ - Andy Warhol.

I'd add 'everything has a story but not everyone sees it.

So here's a one minute and thirty five second challenge to see if you can find either.

If you think you can’t spare one minute and thirty five seconds, then I’d strongly suggest you actually do need to stop and read this blog as by the end of it, it’s likely you’ll consider me your guru.

And a mind reader.

First off, you’ll need to open the timer app on your phone.

Although you won’t need it for the first step as I’m sure you can count to five without any help.

Ok, for five seconds gaze at the photo above then make a mental note of the first thing you thought of when you looked at it.

Just checking you’ve done that now before we move on to the next step.

For non petrol heads, thats the ‘Chevrolet’ emblem on the steering wheel. You know, of the song 'American Pie' “drove the chevy to the levy” fame.

Now it’s ‘timer’ time as I need your full mind juices on the photo and not distracted by counting thirty seconds.

When you’re ready hit start on the timer and take a good look again.

Done?

Note what you thought.

Ok, last arduous step.

Set the timer for one minute and take one long last look before reading any further.

I’m hoping you actually did the above as I’m now going to suggest I know what you thought.

For the five second look you thought ‘steering wheel’.

For the thirty second look,  ‘black and white, reflections, car, and you quite possibly hummed the American Pie tune, or indeed you may have been asking yourself ‘why am I doing this’?

For your one minute gaze.. I’ve absolutely no idea what you may have thought.

It’s quite possible you lost interest - which if you did, then you definitely need to carry on reading!

Anyway, the picture is one of a few I took of a broken down and battered old chevy pick up truck.

When I took a closer look at it, I noted the textures of the peeling paint, the little dents and scratches it'd picked up in it's life and wondered where in America it had been driven.

Route 66? New York? The Pacific Coast Highway? Smokey Mountains?

However, it was now sitting in a car park in Surrey so it’s well travelled.

Therefore it wasn’t just a chunk of old metal.

Well it was, but at one stage its wheels had been rolling along the highways of the American dreamland with some good old American tunes playing from its medium wave radio.

So I patted the bonnet with a ‘get well soon’ wish and headed off.

Now when I look at the photos of the Chevy, I don’t just see a steering wheel.

I see a story from America.

Why am I sharing this with you?

Because once upon a time (except for a few who I know where I’m heading with this blog) you will have used your imagination a lot more than you do now.

Here’s proof. Answer this honestly.

Did you lose interest in the one minute gaze (or even at the start of this blog?!)

If so ask yourself when was the last time you went on a journey?

By that I don’t mean train, plane or somewhere new.

I mean in your mind, by letting it wander and imagining how something came to be right there in front of you, or noticed something out of the ordinary from something seemingly ordinary.

Some readers may be wondering why bother!

Well read on you one minute and thirty five second intrepid adventurer.

It was with the above in mind that made me think about my recent ramblings on here and how I’d added a third photographer to those who’d roadmapped and massively influenced my approach to photography.

It turns out that all three have one thing in common.

‘Mindfulness’.

I found this out after I’d been impressed by their work.

Now I know a few people will think it’s all a bit ‘woo woo’ or ‘being away with the fairies’,  but hang on, you have to admit mindfulness is a word that you’ve heard a lot more in recent times - and I think you may, just may find the below useful and not just useful, healthy for you regardless of your interest in photography.

Mindfulness wasn’t in our mainstream vocabulary up until fairly recently.

Why is that?

I think that we’re much more aware of the stresses and strains and the need for instant everything.

News, deliveries, replies. You know what I mean.

The digital revolution, is in human evolution, very very new. It brings immediate information and communication.

But it also brings immediacy of expectation, demand and massive distraction. Like this blog..

Not only that we now are having to figure out if what we're seeing on our screens is real or not!

If we measured the time since humans started walking the earth in hours, it’d be about 10 hours ago.

Using the above time scale, the digital revolution happened about 0.001 seconds ago.

I’m sure some mathematician will say I’m way out on those numbers ( I skipped maths at school) but I think you understand my point.

In evolutionary terms, our noggins are playing catch up in order to cope with this immediacy of expectation etc.

It’s no wonder people are feeling more stressed, losing focus and missing out on the real life things they once would have noticed and been intrigued about.

Hence the increasing awareness that we need to re-balance our seeing and thinking juices.

Mindfulness is simply an effective way of doing that.

It helps us retune our eyes, our imagination and reminds us what it feels like to be intrigued.

Watching smoke twist into the sky or a rain droplet run down the window and wondering how high it had fallen.

If you’re drinking a mocha vanilla chai with oat milk, by thinking of the coffee and vanilla pod farmers, the oat cows for the milk, the ships and high seas the ingredients travelled across.

All that effort is now in a cup in one hand whilst you gaze at the phone in the other.

By simply sitting still and appreciating all that effort, even for a few moments will likely make it taste better.

I’m not suggesting you practice this all the time. That’d be exhausting!

But by just building a few minutes into your day - to make the effort to notice and appreciate is good for you.

I’m not anti phone or technology, but I have experienced how distracting and to some extent how ‘too much information’ can have a negative impact on thy self

Eastern cultures have practiced mindfulness for donkey years .. in fact, donkey years x 200 and a bit more.

Told you I was useless at maths.

Whilst some in the West have been aware and practiced it for some of those donkeys years, in reality it was a ‘niche’ practice.

There are many ways to practice mindfulness.

From simply sitting still to not sitting still. To looking to not looking.

Thai Chi is an example of moving mindfulness.

Its origins can be traced back to the earliest Chinese texts. And Chinese texts are really old.

Noticing ‘stuff - like the tones and textures of your toast or the reflections in a dew drop on a leaf.

For those few seconds or minutes you’ve exercised the oft neglected seeing and imagining part of your mind.

Even if you’re not creatively minded (you are, you just haven’t given yourself time to think like that), it can help clear your mind.

With practice you’ll soon notice the urge to take time out to notice the real world, the small details and the stories around you.

For the creatively minded, it’s a brilliant exercise too.

Before mindfulness was a word, Da Vinci would stare at a wall for hours, studying its textures, then he’d start to visualise ideas on the wall - and he’s done some ok work I can tell ya..

There are many techniques in the mindfulness bits and bob drawer.

The one I thought maybe helpful to share is my experience of meditation.

Some people reading this may have tried and decided its not for them as they ‘think too much’ which in fact is THE very thing meditation is about as will become clear.

But how does meditation differ from the above examples of mindfulness?

Some mindfulness techniques involve focusing and noticing the most ordinary of things.

Textures of wood, flowers, or pattern of rust on metal.

Or indeed the story of the rain drop.

Meditation however is not intentionally looking for or noticing anything.

If you're in the “oh I couldn’t do it, I think too much” team read on.

It’s completely natural to think during mediation. You simply let the thoughts come.

It means you’re doing it right - with some instruction and practice you'll find yourself not 'hanging' onto those thoughts.

Sometimes your thoughts go quiet for a few seconds, and on occasions they disappear completely for longer periods.

I can’t describe it, but it feels very natural and very peaceful.

And you don’t need a magic carpet or to sit trussed up like a Christmas turkey when doing it.

Don’t believe me?

Then have a listen to this BBC podcast on meditation that I think gives a great insight https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m001xmyp (you'll need to be in the UK)

In the podcast, a young British man who’d been leading a successful but very hedonistic lifestyle realised he was in danger of killing himself through that lifestyle.

So he headed to a Buddhist retreat in Scotland intending to stay for just for a few weeks.

He found peace and ended up staying years during which he undertook intensive training and study in meditation.

When he entered the retreat, smart phones weren’t a thing, then when he returned to London, they were now part of every day life.

He could not believe how everyone was looking down, with their faces glowing from the screens.

He says it was quite scary, he thought he’d walked into a zombie film, the change was that dramatic!

Anyway, he is now in big demand by large Corporations and celebs looking for his help in finding balance in their own lives.

He also happens to have a ‘Times’ best selling book on the subject.

In the podcast he explains how thoughts work in meditation. He then guides listeners on a ten minute meditation.

Give it a go if you’re intrigued (and in the UK). It's ten minutes. It may be the best ten minutes or you find its not for you. However you look at it, it's ten minutes of relaxing, so nothing is lost.

I practice a technique called Transcendental Meditation known as ‘TM’ (thats easier to type too).

I aim to mediate twice a day, early morning and early evening.

Still think it’s weird?

Some highly regarded medical institutes studying neuroscience have recognised the benefits of it, to the extent, there is a movement to get meditation introduced for health care professionals.

I mean even Clint Eastwood has been doing ‘TM’ for forty years and he’s one of the coolest geezers on the planet!

For those seeking some creative inspiration, meditation takes you to a deeper level of consciousness where some of your best ideas are lurking.

To quote the Film Director David Lynch - known for his other worldly and unique artistic films - “Its catching The Big Fish”.

He finds his ideas emerging from practicing ‘TM’ and funds a foundation to spread the word.

Some schools and prisons have introduced it seen a noticeable change in behaviour and learning.

‘TM’ is just one form of many types of meditation and is practiced by people from all faiths and indeed people who don’t practice any.

So, if you feel you need more rest, are being distracted too much, or just some inspiration, give meditation a go.

Right I’m off to stare at a blank wall.

Namaste.