Kim Manley Ort's Blog, page 11

Why You Should Go Abstract

Tomorrow, we begin my annual offering of the Going Abstract workshop, one of my favourites. If you haven’t tried going abstract before, I invite you to join us. Here’s why. As time goes on, I find my work becoming more and more abstract. I think it’s because it’s the best way I know how to express the whole of an experience. I can appreciate the aesthetic beauty of subtle details. My composing skills have improved. And, I’m better able to get to the heart of an image. And, all of these...

Minor White, the Person

���Each artist, going in his own direction, sometimes walks on water.��� ��� Minor White

You can find much written about photographer, editor, and teacher Minor White (1908 – 1976). He was one of the most influential photographers and teachers in the latter half of the 20th century. I even wrote a post about him for my contemplative photographer series back in 2014. Recently, I read the book, Rites and Passages, which gives considerable insight into White’s life and work. I find him a kindre...

Minor White, the Teacher

 
You can find much written about photographer, editor, and teacher Minor White (1908 – 1976). He was one of the most influential photographers and teachers in the latter half of the 20th century. I even wrote a post about him for my contemplative photographer series back in 2014. Recently, I read the book, Rites and Passages, which gives considerable insight into White’s life and work. Over the next few posts, I’ll share some of the reasons why I find him a kindred spirit. Last week’s post...

Minor White’s Abstract Photography

“Abstractions of nature have not left the world of appearances; for to do so is to break the camera’s strongest point – it’s authenticity.” ~ Minor White

You can find much written about photographer, editor, and teacher Minor White (1908 – 1976). He was one of the most influential photographers and teachers in the latter half of the 20th century. I even wrote a post about him for my contemplative photographer series back in 2014.

Recently, I read the book, Rites and Passages, which gives consi...

You and your Onlyness

This post is revised and updated from one I wrote in 2015, after hearing Nilofer Merchant’s fabulous TEDx talk. Last week, I listened to her interview with Jonathan Fields at Good Life Project on her new book, The Power of Onlyness.
 
What value do you bring to the world? I presume that some of you will find this question uncomfortable, perhaps narcissistic. You might think that it’s not up to you to say what value you bring to the world. Or even that you don’t bring any value.

However, I be...

On Synaesthesia and Seeing Sound

What is synaesthesia?

 
In a nutshell, synaesthesia is cross-sensory perception. For example, a person hears or smells colours or shapes; sees or tastes sound. In other words, stimulation of one sense leads to experience in a second sense. People with synaesthesia have stronger connections between the language and colour areas of the brain. As a result, they tend to have better memories.

According to the science, one out of 100 people have this ability. It is considered a trait, not a disor...

On Subtlety in a Photograph

 
One of the most enlightening exercises in the visual journaling workshop is to come up with five adjectives to describe a photograph. Do this for ten or so favourites and see which adjectives come up most. These words will give you insight into your purpose or vision (inspired by the post, The Purposeful Photographer).

An adjective that’s been coming up for me recently is ‘subtle.’ In this post, I’ll look at the meaning of this word and reflect on how it shows up in a photograph or any wor...

On Subtle Photographs

 
One of the most enlightening exercises in the visual journaling workshop is to come up with five adjectives to describe a photograph. Do this for ten or so favourites and see which adjectives come up most. These words will give you insight into your purpose or vision (inspired by the post, The Purposeful Photographer).

An adjective that’s been coming up for me recently is ‘subtle.’ In this post, I’ll look at the meaning of this word and reflect on how it shows up in a photograph or any wor...

What I’ve Learned from Teaching

A recent email from a reader got me thinking about what I’ve learned from teaching photography workshops for seven years now. Susan is planning to offer contemplative photography workshops herself and asked for advice – on what’s worked and what hasn’t. Hmmm, I thought, I could probably write a book about that.

Each workshop is a point of learning in an ever-evolving process.

 
Her question was broad and I thought about it over the course of a week. Here are a few things that came up for me...

The Value of Curiosity

These kids are doing what comes naturally to them, being curious. They were waiting in a long line with their parents to board a tall ship at the lake. To make the most of the time, they examined the ground at their feet, and even photographed what they found.

Curiosity is one of the nine contemplative habits. I’ve written about it before – here and here. We’re all born curious but it sometimes gets dampened as we grow up and filter our responses to life. In many ways, society doesn’t encour...