an unhurried life
in praise of slowness
Last summer, I unintentionally started capturing photos and videos of things I noticed along my street. I focused mainly on zoomed-in macro shots of flowers, trees, architecture, and walls, which revealed the abstract beauty of ordinary objects. I also captured the colours and shadows of summer light and the sudden breeze moving the leaves on the trees. After a few days of doing this, I realised that I had started discovering things on my street that I had never seen before, despite living here for six years. It is amazing to experience the surprises that ordinary things can bring when we pay close attention to them. This made me feel like a child again! Children see everything in a state of newness. This deep attention was good for my soul.
“To stay eager, to connect, to find interest in the everyday, to notice what everybody else overlooks — these are vital skills and noble goals. They speak between looking and seeing, between hearing and listening, between accepting what the world presents and noticing what matters to you.”
The Art of NoticingMost of us tend to live our lives on autopilot, often overlooking the beauty of the familiar places we come across daily because we have grown accustomed to them. And it’s not just places we take for granted - we also tend to overlook the value of our relationships with family, friends, and lovers. We may stop paying attention to loved ones and fail to acknowledge their importance in our lives.
During the pandemic, I came across the term infra-ordinary. It was coined by French author and artist George Perec and is defined as the opposite of extraordinary. Perec encouraged readers to examine their everyday lives, identify significant moments, and appreciate the beauty in the patterns of their routines. Some time after creating the term, he spent three days at a cafe in Paris, recording everything he saw as he 'exhausted the place.' He presented the data simply but thoughtfully in a book called "An Attempt at Exhausting a Place in Paris." The term infra-ordinary stuck in my head and made me question my own life. This summer, while recording things on my street, the word reappeared in my mind, and I realised that even the most ordinary things can feel special when given extra attention. The weeds growing on the roads and pathways we step on daily can become a source of joy—the joy of noticing that they exist.
Living a more aware life doesn't need to feel complicated or like an additional task on an already long to-do list. Awareness is a natural part of our being and can be accessed and practised anytime. Yes, in today's world, we are constantly bombarded with distractions and noise, making it harder to be present and mindful. Our brains become disengaged as we continuously seek stimulation, leading to shorter attention spans.
Regardless, we can slowly begin noticing things around us and practice using our senses to breathe new life into ordinary things. The key for me is approaching it as if it’s an adventure when I walk to the train station. Despite my walk lasting less than 10 minutes, it is an opportunity to explore my street and discover something new each time. You could try different paths, but intentionally walking the same route and observing different details every time makes it even more special. After six years of taking the same route, I still find something new that I had not noticed before, and it feels like magic!
It's wonderful to utilise our senses in different ways. Have you ever noticed how many smells you can pick up in the air? Can you hear the birds chirping, people talking, or the wind rustling the leaves? You can also pay attention to the sounds your feet make when they touch the ground. Do they sound different because you're wearing different shoes or because the ground is wet?
Alternatively, you can focus on seeing. Do you see any animals, birds, or bugs roaming freely in the nature around you? Try focusing in and relaxing your eyes, focusing on colours, shapes, typography, walls, and signs. Maybe choose one specific colour or shape and notice it every time you pass. I enjoy taking photos of wall structures because they look like abstract paintings when zoomed in. You can shift your perspective and see things from different viewpoints. Remember, there's no limit to curiosity!
Even in one single leaf on a tree or in one blade of grass, the awesome Deity presents itself. SHINTO saying
Being aware sometimes feels like waking up from deep sleep. All of my senses become active and alert. I become curious again. It reminds me of how I felt as a child before society instilled the need to speed up, produce, and seek wealth constantly. In a system that requires never-ending growth, slowing down and paying attention seems like an anti-progress. It's so easy to get caught up in the hustle culture. I'm guilty of it myself. But material things do not fulfil us on a deeper level. Our interest in them is fleeting. We need more daydreaming, wandering, observing, existing, listening, and, most importantly, simply being.
Your friend Tuğba
If you enjoyed this post, I invite you to share it with others. Thank you for your support!
I'm trying to be more disciplined about a sketchbook practice so I can notice the ordinary things. It is so easy to go through a day and literally not actually properly noticed anything so I totally agree with your post. And I love the last clip!
I love the fact that photography brought you to the observant mindset. I experienced this when getting into analog photography. I might write an article about it, now that I mention it...
Thank you for the inspiration, and the invitation to live slowly!