Thank you for looking

Your attention is precious. I appreciate it.

Ci Demi

I was up again before sunrise this morning. This is increasingly common these days. Can you relate? I’m an early riser now. And the best part: waking up with the birds. Their world is crackling with life well before five in the morning when my old bones shuffle out of bed. I made coffee and spent the first few minutes of the day reflecting on my week, which has been pretty harried. Honestly, I’ve been unhappy at times, mainly because the rhythm of things has been too much lately. But also because I lost track of what matters: that these feelings pass. They always do.

After I got out the grumpies, I started reading emails and was again filled with so much gratitude for the photographers in the world. I love looking at pictures, and seeing your work day after day fills me with inspiration and joy. I say this occasionally, and I mean it: thank you for doing what you do.

Facebook reminded me about this picture the other day, a postcard photographer Courtney Dudley sent me in 2015, the year I launched the FlakPhoto Digest newsletter. That date blew my mind: I’ve been writing this thing in various forms for nearly a decade! Time is flying.

I started reading Stephen Levine’s A Gradual Awakening this morning, and it reminds me again how important it is to pause and reflect on what matters. I spend too much time on social media. Still, much of it is spent corresponding with photographers and artists who follow my Instagram or read this newsletter, and the thing I find myself saying repeatedly is, “Thanks for looking.” Attention is precious and something we need to be mindful about using. I’m continually grateful that you make time to read this newsletter week after week. It’s a gift and something I don’t take for granted.

Kristen and I both felt pretty burned out after an overwhelming work week last night. We decided to shake off those blues by venturing into the Madison evening for a sunset walk in the woods along Lake Wingra. It was a gorgeous night, and as I gazed up into the heavens, I realized that we need to connect with gratitude when we feel down and flip the script sometimes. I’m grateful for health and happiness this morning. I’m grateful for a creative community that inspires me daily. And I’m grateful that you, dear reader, tune in here for the images and ideas I publish in this newsletter.

Thank you for looking. It means the world to me. Happy Saturday, friends. Take care.

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