Growing up in the digital age I can safely say that I have developed an unhealthy relationship with my phone. This project started when I was a teenager and first started to recognize my dependency, specifically the way I unconsciously took out my phone during any lull in my life. One day, as I sat waiting for friends outside a restaurant, I wondered to myself if maybe I was better off just staring at the cars, people, and every other little thing around me. I discovered that it was kinda nice to just sit there. As I looked around it sort of felt like I was seeing the world for the first time, I don’t care how cheesy it sounds. Looking around with the intention to just take in whatever was there changed the way everything appeared and filled me with a deep sense of gratitude for being able to experience it all. I could find beauty in anything and everything, and then I looked down at my feet. My amazement deepened when I realized that even the view of the concrete at my feet was a sight to behold. I thought to myself that if I could find beauty in simple concrete, without even a single footprint or weed to make it interesting, then I could find beauty in any situation I found myself in. So I started taking these pictures out of genuine desire to capture what to me was a beautiful frame, this practice has served as a reminder to appreciate the little details of life as well as to remain grounded in it.
Years later I have finally begun to paint some of these photos in an effort to further express my gratitude for these beautiful little moments and share them in a way that emphasizes their importance and their completely ordinary nature at the same time. I am pleased to see that other people have also been taking these same types of pictures and I hope to continue to paint other people's moments because the point is to create an appreciation for the world that is relatable, and what better way to do that than to use a wide range of life.
I also think it’s worth mentioning that although I still very much struggle with staying off my phone, staying grounded in the present moment, and consistently seeing the world through the lens of gratitude, I have made progress and my mental health and general outlook on life have benefited greatly because of it.
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