Today’s Sponsor Spotlight is from Julie Einstein. She’s sharing the goods on her photography e-course Seeing Drala, which looks *so* lovely. Thank you, so much, for sponsoring Roots of She, Julie! Love to you! ♥
I am excited to offer an online contemplative photography program that will help you discover and open to the world of phenomena with a fresh set of eyes; as if you were seeing and experiencing your ordinary/personal world (and so much more) for the very first time. The moment we connect with our perceptions, a gap appears in our mind that completely frees us from our habitual thinking. Nothing else exists except the present moment.
In this age of social media and advertising we have been “gifted” with the mindset that we need more, that we should be in constant contact with others, that there is some place better than where we are this very moment. Even with photography we edit, crop, saturate, use apps and post-processing software to add filters and diffused qualities to our images.
The good news is there is a different way of seeing available; a contemplative way of seeing. With contemplative photography we hit the pause button on the tricks used in traditional photography and simply say to ourselves “Let’s appreciate things as they are.” I find this contemplative practice to be quite liberating and refreshing – maybe you will too.
How the class is structured
Participants will receive a topic each week and images will be uploaded onto a private Flickr group where I will make comments to help you learn how to create images that clearly express your perceptions. Any type of digital camera is acceptable including your smart phone (there’s even a Flickr app available). No photography experience is necessary but a bit of curiosity is required!
Exploring the Phenomenal World
Level One – Looking and Seeing: An Introduction to Contemplative Photography
Week One*: Deconstructing our visual world #1
(color, texture and pattern)
Week Two*: Deconstructing our visual world #2
(light, space, and dot in space)
Level Two – Fields of Perception and the Inner Contemplative Teachings
Week Three: Personal/Ordinary World
We will spend time exploring our everyday life that is often overlooked and connect to the ordinary magic in our world. Appreciation of our personal space is cultivated.
Week Four: Natural World
We will step out into the world of Nature and explore flowers & weeds, landscape, visual haiku, and Zen aesthetics and connect with the power of impermanence.
Week Five: Impressionism
We will explore how the world is constantly in flux – what we look at changes from moment to moment.
Week Six: People and Other Sentients
We will notice the exchange of energy between us and ‘other’ as we explore the living beings in our world.
My hope for you is that you will suddenly start to notice the world in a way you you’ve never experienced before and that the richness of the world will start to “break open” moments of unbelievable clarity, of freshness, of liberation for you as well as a sense of belonging in the world.
I look forward to exploring the phenomenal world and all of its magic with you.
Connect: Website | Facebook | Twitter: @julieeinstein
I’m loving this course so far, and am absolutely starting to see the world in a slightly different way even two weeks in. Looking forward to seeing how the rest unfolds!