“The patterns of our lives reveal us. Our habits measure us. Our battles with our habits speak of dreams yet to become real.” ~ Mary Oliver via Brain Pickings

Reading about the lives of people I admire, like Thomas Merton, Frederick Franck, and Mary Oliver, inspires me, not to be like them, but to be the best me I can be. I’ve discovered nine common threads, what I call nine contemplative habits (or qualities or mindsets) that come up over and over again.

As I delved deeper into these habits, I began to wonder if we could use our cameras to develop them further. This is how the online workshop, Adventures in Seeing, came to be. But first, I had to learn more about how we form habits in the first place.

We could improve ourselves quite well by habit, by its judicious assistance, but it’s more likely that habits rule us. ~ Mary Oliver via Brain Pickings

We can be ruled by habits that don’t serve us well, yet Mary Oliver is saying that we can choose to cultivate habits that improve our lives and serve us. I’ve written several articles about how to do this. Below you’ll find links to some of them, along with corresponding photographic exercises.

9 Simple Photographic Practices to Cultivate Contemplative Habits

1. Openness – Go on a scavenger hunt for subjects that represent openness – a door, an empty cup, a blooming flower, etc. Internalize this idea of being open and see what comes up for you. What does this subject teaches you about openness?

Read: Grace and Four Blocks to Openness

2. Humility – Photograph small things in such a way that shows their strength or importance to you. Or small things that teach you something. They can be in your home or out in nature.

Read: The Value of Humility

3. Acceptance – See and photograph reality as it is. Expand your repertoire by photographing subjects you wouldn’t normally consider worthy subjects, such as rust, an old door, a weed, etc.

Read: 10 Lessons from Tara Brach’s Radical Acceptance

4. Attention – Photograph something familiar – something considered ordinary, boring, mundane, or uninteresting. Focus your attention. Give it a long, loving look from all angles. Notice any judgments that come up. Can you see it’s essence?

Read: The Art of Paying Attention

5. Wonder – Focus your attention (and camera) on wondrous things – they are everywhere. Make space for wonder. What fills you personally with awe? Photograph that.

Read: Is Anything Ordinary?

6. Simplicity – In photography, we simplify by subtraction. A simple photograph and a simple life focuses on what matters most. Create a simple, minimal photograph. Take everything out of the frame that doesn’t support your message or subject.

Read: Creating Space Through Simplicity

7. Connection – Set an intention to look for photographic examples of connections or relationships. For example, a butterfly and plant have a symbiotic relationship – the butterfly pollinates the flower and the flower produces nectar for the butterfly. Photograph whatever comes to you that implies connection. What does it teach you about relationships?

Read: Creating Space for Relationships

8. Curiosity – Take a new route on a walk or visit a place you’ve never been before. What surprises you? What did you learn?

Read: Curiosity, the Antidote to Judgment and Anxiety

9. Possibilities – Take at least 36 images of one subject from different perspectives and vantage points. Be aware that you will reach a point where you don’t think there are any other possibilities. Stay with it. You will be surprised what you come up with.

Read: Possibilities Open up when we Shift our Perspective

Photography is a wonderful tool for practicing these habits. One of the participants in a recent workshop said that he liked how we reframed what he considered contemplative skills as habits. He said that what begins with practice gradually matures into habits. I hope you’ll try some of the exercises above and join me in a workshop sometime.

Who inspires you to be the best you can be?