There’s a concept known as the ‘poet’s eye’, which I rather like the idea of, and for more reasons than it makes life just that little bit more ‘arty.’
As well, it cultivates wonder, and feels essential for growing an attitude of gratitude, and subsequently…joy.
The purpose of writing this particular article, however, isn’t to peddle the incentives of looking at the world through the lens of a prose-writer. Instead, it’s to look at HOW exactly, this might be possible.
One theory I came up with, on a whim, was to dig out and old-fashioned camera, and to go out into the world, armed with the original (and the best) moment-capturer!!
The camera-in-the-pocket era does of course have its advantages, but this brief foray back in time reminded that there is a psychology to being the bearer of an actual physical camera, and especially the kind that hang around one’s neck, almost as a statement of intent.
As I went about my day, I noticed my new ‘wearable’ influencing both my mindset and behaviour, just by its very presence.
By this I mean that I found myself actively LOOKING for photo opportunities, and seeing creative interplays where formerly I might have just seen clouds, trees, grass… flowers.
It was a subtle shift, summed up perfectly by the wild flower field - furiously fizz-popping with bees, butterflies and grass hoppers - which instinctively had my eye to the aperture.
The photo potential was palpable, and as I found myself imagining said picture (‘Wild Flowers in Summer’, by Caroline Matthews) in a frame, maybe on a mantle piece, or above the sofa … there was an epiphany.
Maybe the rewards of honing one’s ‘poet’s eye’ isn’t just a capacity for being more easily pleased, or a nice photo or two.
Maybe it’s also owing to the unlikely dots that are connected, as a direct result of these commodities?
For example, the ideas and actions (like hanging more nature pictures around the home) which ultimately enrich the overall life tapestry.
Once I had cottoned on to these somewhat deeper persuasions to being a perpetual camera-carrier, the frequency illusion (also known as the Baader–Meinhof phenomenon) kicked in.
Suddenly, I was acutely aware of so many other people carrying Canon’s… although they could have been Kodak, for all I knew.
In a world where technology has all but eliminated the NEED for cameras, it’s refreshing to see that there are still those who WANT them, for personal and creative reasons.
Personally, I can now appreciate the reasoning, and not least because being a camera-carrier can be compartmentalising.
It allows my phone to stay in my pocket, so an inspired or fleeting moment of beauty isn’t hijacked by alerts or distraction.
It also, quite importantly, means looking directly at what you’re photographing, rather than a pixel interpretation. It’s a nuanced preference, but few would argue, that the viewfinder colours a scene differently - more authentically- to a digital display.
Maybe it’s to these unique qualities, that the camera owes so much of its ability to hone the ‘poet’s eye’
To help make the mundane not just palatable, but poignant. So poignant, in fact, that it’s worthy of printing, framing and hanging on the wall!
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