Beyond the Self

To go beyond the self is where the world needs us to be. We live in a world where wars, fighting, too much emphasis on the self, all cause lack of compassion and understanding of differences. Differences that are crucial to the health and wellbeing of all. Differences that are crucial to the survival of the natural world - the world we have become very disconnected from. Immersing myself in the Cornish landscape, a place I return to often, I photograph from a quiet place of stillness and peace, and this also provides a way of reconnecting to what matters. A feeling I wanted to portray with the images in this body of work. When looking out at landscapes within nature, eye movement naturally slows down with longer fixations, leading to the mind relaxing and becoming more contemplative. We also notice the smaller details within nature when relaxed, becoming a metaphor for the important small details that we so often overlook in life, that get lost along the way. A warm smile from a stranger; thoughtful pauses; the quietness nature provides us; and the gentle kindness that is ever present in the world. Looking out at the natural world within landscapes and nature makes us feel good, a feeling that there is something far greater than ourselves, a sense of belonging and peace that creates space to go beyond the self. To where the world needs us to be.