It’s a quote by Elliott Erwitt, who is apparently a well-known advertising and documentary photographer, famous for his black and white photos, that capture unexpected moments in everyday life. To be honest, I’d never heard of him before, and I am okay with admitting that. We are not all perfect. Or well versed on every topic in the world. Or every historical moment for that matter. But because I’m a little paranoid, I always like to do a quick search on the people whose quotes I am drawn to, just so I am not supporting someone who’s also well known for something unethical. I don’t want to be spreading, what I consider, the wrong message.

I do agree that photography is an art of observation. However, I also believe life is an art of observation. And I believe that to be a much more valuable lesson to acquire in this case.

The way you see or perceive something is an all-encompassing reflection of – what you believe, your most dominating thoughts and your instinctual, habitual actions/responses to any given situation. If your belief system is one that nurtures your soul and being then you are likely to transpose positive thoughts, and consequently, act in accordance with this positive energy. However, if your belief system is one that weighed down by negativity, self-sabotage, and emotional pain, then you are likely to feel defeated. At this point, everyone fosters negative thoughts. In the end, you will act out of alignment with reality and reinforce the negative cycle you’ve found yourself in.

However, that aside, I want to emphasise that this is not a lost cause. You can inject something positive at any stage of this belief-thought-action triad, and trigger a series of positive effects. Although I’ve made it sound easy, I know it’s not always easy, and really depending on how bad you feel, it is mostly hard to do. So sometimes it won’t be easy. Sometimes it will be forced. But all we can do is try.

Charlie x