Begin at the beginning. Open the gates to downstream possibilities. Go with the flow and pay attention to fortuitous tributaries. “The great majority of men are bundles of beginnings.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson, via PaintersKeys.com

Often, the best and most transformative life experiences are unexpected. We aren’t actively looking for them. Here’s an example of one of mine.

April 7th, 2009

It was an ordinary day. I was answering emails and listening to the Dr. Oz radio program online. He was interviewing a business entrepreneur I’d never heard of before, Seth Godin. Godin was talking about an online writing platform he’d co-founded called Squidoo, which operated under the premise that everyone’s an expert on something. I felt a growing sense of excitement as the interview progressed. I had many interests, photography being one of them, but didn’t feel comfortable with my writing skills.

I looked up the site while still listening to the interview. It used templates where you could add writing and photographs, as well as links to other sites, books, or music on the topic of your choice. It looked like it would be fun and easy to use so I set up a profile and started creating a “lens” that very day on the subject of “My Top 10 Heroes.” Squidoo used the term “lens” because the articles were based on the author’s particular view and expertise on a topic.

Over the next four years, Squidoo became a huge part of my life. I published more than 100 articles or lenses on themes around photography, music, the environment, people, and books.

• I learned about SEO (search engine optimization) and html (internet code).
• I became part of a vibrant online community of writers and developed an ongoing practice of writing.
• It gave me an outlet for expressing my many interests.

Squidoo transformed my life. Sadly, the site no longer exists. It was bought out, but the valuable experience I gained there set me on the path to blogging and creating my current website. I followed my instincts, paying attention to what I felt. When we do this, our enthusiasm and authenticity shines through, and we attract those people who are truly interested.

Pay attention to fortuitous tributaries.

Writing Exercise: Make a list of unexpected moments that changed your life for the better.

Other examples for me are: reading an Ansel Adams book that led me into photography; moving back from an adventure to the West and meeting my husband at my new job; going on a weekend retreat and being inspired to go back to school by a group of nuns who were doing important environmental work; taking a drawing class and learning about one of my most important mentors, Frederick Franck; facilitating a workshop at Star Island and being invited to facilitate another one on Block Island by one of the participants.

The list could go on and on.

Our cameras can teach us to welcome the unexpected.

The Relationship between Rocks and Rockweed

Photographic Exercise: Go for a half hour (or more) walk. Take your camera but don’t look for anything in particular. Just wander with no destination in mind; no expectations. Go where your intuition guides you.

Intuition is felt in the body. Listen to what your body is telling you. Our bodies hold emotions and memories that are not always conscious. Intuition is processed in the pre-frontal cortex, where the brain picks up on recurring patterns. Often called the sixth sense, it is a type of perception – the ability to see, hear or become aware of something through the senses.

Walk slowly, with a subtle awareness of all that surrounds you. Focus on a couple of senses – like sounds and the feel of your feet touching the ground. This will keep you present and not in your mind. Notice what catches your attention. Notice any judgments or resistance that come up about whether or not what draws your attention will make a good photograph. Let those judgments go and photograph anyways. See: Letting Resonance Guide Your Photography

Was your attention drawn to something unexpected or surprising? Does this subject have any relation to something going on in your life right now? Make it a habit to do these types of walks. Keep a file or album of unexpected surprises that come up. After a few months, take a look at the album and see if any themes or patterns emerge. These are clues for you, possible tributaries.

Be yourself – in photography and in life. Notice what’s resonating. Explore. Act on it in some way. Resistance may rear its head but follow through with curiosity anyways.

What unexpected moment changed your life for the better?

Related Posts on this Theme

My Gift from the Sea
How an Ansel Adams Book Changed my Life
Transformed by the Moment