Autumn in Japan
Obscuring, revealing. Movement, stillness.
I recently spent a few Autumn weeks in Japan with my girlfriend, and while I was there I had an opportunity to refresh my art practice. Last time I was there, I spent six months in Tokyo, and spent almost every day either having photo sessions or visiting museums or other scenic places, paying attention to the visual language and aesthetics that make a culture. I think that when you have an opportunity to practice your craft every day, with no expectations or pressure, plus the constant enrichment afforded by an entirely different environment, something happens. This time, I felt reconnected with the “beginner’s mind.”
In Zen Buddhism, there’s this concept called Shoshin 初心 (Beginner’s mind), in which you maintain the open-minded feeling of a beginner, even after many years of experience. The beginner doesn’t know what is impossible, so anything is possible, and you’re open to the idea that even as an expert you might get it wrong. Without this, one’s thinking will become rigid and inflexible, retreating further and further into their own expectations as new information is filtered by their own personal baggage.
In this case, I’ve been doing photography for most of my life. I used to carry my camera with me everywhere and I’ve taken tens of thousands of photographs of flowers and sunsets and birds. When I’m in Los Angeles, I’m kind of over it, and I rarely bring my camera unless I have a specific purpose in mind. But being somewhere new, especially with someone who has never been there before, suddenly the mundane is interesting again. A bird under the temple eaves, a koi that looks like a cat, and even simple dappled light under a tree all become something worth noticing— and maybe worth photographing.
Daido Moriyama, arguably Japan’s most famous photographer, has described himself as “a hungry dog that roams the streets in search of images.” I can certainly relate to that. Each day we’d walk 5 to 7 miles, taking in the sights and the foods, but I’d always be on the hunt for… something delicious to see.
Sadly I can’t bring back any of the delightful mochi dango or Kyoto-style okonomiyaki to share with you, but I did bring back some treats for the the eyes.
Thank you for reading, and leave a message if you enjoyed the work I’ve shared here.
