Taking photos and practicing meditation seem like divergent activities. While photography takes in the outside world through the camera as a medium, meditation focuses on our inner energy. Solen Feyissa, PhD, an instructional designer in the School of Public Health at the University of Minnesota (UMN), and an independent researcher, states that photography freezes information in our perceived reality while meditation focuses on that particular reality. Dr. Solen Feyissa states that both photography and meditation require commitment, patience, skills, and dedication. Possessing these qualities however, does not guarantee an acquisition of wisdom through meditation or translate to great art through photography. Dr. Solen Feyissa explains that both photography and meditation lead us away from dwelling on imagined realities and take us back to rediscovering the ordinary, day-to-day existence. In today’s connected world, photography has become a way of rediscovering and reflecting one’s personality. Photography helps us reflect external abilities as well as inner thoughts and feelings. Meditation enables us to contemplate and discover those inner feelings and lets our creative side flow. As a practitioner of both, Dr. Solen Feyissa, says that meditation is similar to photography as it narrows and focuses on consideration. Photography requires you to remain calm and to keep your mind relaxed. Good photography is not a result of a hurried mood – it requires patience. The same is true for meditation. It requires patience and deliberate practice. Dr. Solen Feyissa adds that both time and head space have become scarce in our connected society. So many people practice meditation to recover their internal balance. Meditation allows us to create a space for ourselves and remain there without getting distracted by the outside world. As a meditative practice, photography can let us visualize what inspires us to make our compositions intentional. The more in tune we are with ourselves, the more we are able to overcome complexities. The meaning, the motivation behind the image and taking the image in its pure form makes us feel true to ourselves. Dr. Solen Feyissa suggests that by dedicating oneself to meditative practices, one can delve into the source of creativity, and produce deep and personally meaningful imagery. Photographers can capture remarkable images by channeling their inner creativity through meditation. It is fantastic that meditation allows you to understand your artistic side to the fullest and helps you direct it. One way to achieve this is to become one with the surroundings. Dr. Solen Feyissa recommends that even if you have never been interested in meditation, surrender or impermanence, bringing such practices into your photography will improve your thinking process and approach to your photography. Final Word
Meditative practices have been a source of tranquility for Solen Feyissa. He urges others to feel that too. Photography and meditation can go hand in hand.
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AuthorSolen Feyissa, Ph.D. is an Instructional Designer at the School of Public Health, University of Minnesota Twin Cities. His most recent work explores why mobile learning hasn’t improved education in Sub-Saharan Africa. |