3
steps for noticing the beauty
We live in a world filled with noise, rush, and stress. The noise also affects us on a deeper level. We lose touch with what we love and what we see around us. Everything becomes just a performance, where the only aim is the result. Not the beauty of the journey.
We so easily wait until life is somehow ready before we can enjoy the beauty we see around us. Kids first need to grow up until you have time to start a meaningful hobby, or the kitchen needs to be cleaned before you can enjoy a cup of coffee. There is always something that needs to be finished before you can nurture your soul and take a moment for yourself.
I HAVE A PERFECT EXAMPLE FOR YOU.
At the moment, we are renovating an old farmhouse built in 1820, and I guess it will never be fully finished. Imagine what a loss of years it would be if I waited until everything was fully renovated and the garden became something other than a wild bush before I could have a picnic outdoors. Or pick flowers from the wild garden and place them by an old window. The glass in the windows hardly stays up because the window is in such a bad condition, but it´s not stopping me from noticing the beauty through my camera lens.
This leads us to the first step.
1
SEE THE BEAUTY OF PROGRESS
All the details in life don´t have to be finished before noticing the beauty.
There is so much potential and beauty in progress. But we are afraid to notice it because it reveals something a lot deeper about us than a finished task or product. It shows who we are. I like to knit a lot, but I feel uncomfortable showing others my unfinished projects. I can´t hide behind something beautiful. In my projects, the ends of the yarn stick out here and there, and the result looks more like a mess than something beautiful. I am a messy worker, but I don´t want people to know that.
But why don´t we see beyond the mess and enjoy the beauty that lies in the progress?
Let me tell you one thing. The progress, that´s often imperfect, is so much more interesting than the finished thing. The little things in life that are far from perfect become superheroes when we start noticing beyond our expectations. The house doesn´t have to have a floor before you can notice the beautiful light that comes through the windows. Dinner doesn´t have to be cooked before you can enjoy the beautiful ingredients. Notice and photograph them while you cook!
It´s rather difficult to notice details while things are in progress because our attention goes to completing the task. We sort of become blind to the details that aren´t needed.
There is one thing that helps.
2
TAKE A PAUSE
Put your to-do list on a shelf for a minute and breathe in the moment. In the middle of everything, it opens up your eyes to see the environment that you would miss when you keep pushing on. Instead of simply trying to complete the task, put it on hold and take time to pause. Breathe in and out to let yourself go of the expectations. Observe the world with curiosity. Focus on noticing the beauty without going ahead of things. For example, notice the sunshine through the windows. Observe the light, not the dust in the corner or the dirt on the glass it reveals. Stay in this beautiful moment while the light dances in the room. There is no rush to clean the windows or complete your to-do list.
Pausing for a moment allows you to change the way you observe. You mindfully pay attention to your surroundings rather than the task itself. It creates more space for your inspiration to flow, your thoughts and feelings to come to you. And most importantly, you notice all this beauty that otherwise would go unnoticed.
You intentionally create for yourself a minute where you have no expectations, no rules, and simply being present in the moment. If you feel like it, grab your camera or phone and take a photo of what you experience. Frame the view into what you see and notice. When you go back to the photo, you remember this moment, and you get to live it through again.
Take 2 minutes in between your daily chores to observe, notice, and feel. Sit down or stand, whatever feels good for you in this moment. What do you see? Practice your eye to see beyond the obvious. You see the dishes, but what about beautiful plates stacked on top of each other, the traces of an evening spent with loved ones? Photograph this scene.
3
NOTICE HOW YOU FEEL
Don´t just notice what surrounds you, but how it makes you feel.
What surrounds us affects how we feel and sense the environment. When we observe, whether that´s the gorgeous sunlight or withered flowers on the table, they all evoke a feeling in us. While you observe the outside world with curiosity, take also a gentle look inside of you. How do you feel when you see this beauty?
For me, each of my photos stands out for something far more meaningful than a cup of tea or a candle on the table. They are all images of how I felt in that moment. I was sad and in need of comfort, so I noticed a scene that warmed my heart. So it´s no longer a candle on the table, it´s coziness, warmth, and a hug in a photo.
It´s the feeling in you that makes the photo of this moment so special. The quiet presence that made you want to capture the scene in a photo is magical. You can´t describe it, but you can sense it in a photo. There is an emotion that is felt in the scene you just captured. It all comes to noticing, showing up despite the progress, pausing, and then letting yourself feel.
So you learned that beauty isn't something you have to really find. It´s everywhere! It´s in noticing the morning light on your kitchen table, in a quiet moment with your family, or in the flowers blooming outside your window.
The more you practice pausing and noticing these moments, the more naturally you'll begin to see. This inspires you to photograph the scene as you experienced it, as you felt in that moment.
WHAT´S NEXT?
I'll continue to share how I pause and notice the beauty around me through photography on Instagram and via my newsletter. I'd love to have you along. If you'd like to go deeper into noticing the beauty through your camera lens, you might enjoy my Secret Blog, where I teach the artistic and practical techniques behind intentional photography, which I call Nordic Stories style.
Until then, I hope this guide inspires you to slow down, notice the beauty around you, and preserve the moments that matter.