Little things and quiet places.
Guided by curiosity and delight.
Every month we feature an inspiring collaborator on the BreatheSync Instagram feed that helps create moments of calm and wonder for us, and you. We are delighted that our most recent contributor is the wonderful Leonie Wise. Her appreciation of the little moments that make our lives so much richer, and yet, can so easily be forgotten or just passed by, provides a welcome breath of air in our frenetic lives. Here is a short intereview with her and some of the beautiful images she shared with us.
Why did you agree to the collaboration?
I love the BreatheSync app and was deeply honoured to be asked to collaborate and share some of my favourite little things and quiet places with Michael.
How did you approach it?
I believe that the extraordinary can be found everywhere if we take the time to slow down, breathe deep and notice. The images I chose to share were all along a common theme of noticing little things and quiet places — from small details that I photographed during morning walks and slow adventures, to places that fill me with a sense of stillness and peace. There are so many quotes about noticing the ordinary in the everyday. One of my recent favourites is by Abraham Maslow who says:
The great lesson from the true mystics is that the sacred is in the ordinary, that it is to be found in one’s daily life, in one’s neighbours, friends and family, in one’s backyard.
This is how it is for me, but he says it more eloquently I think!
How does your relationship with breathing affect your creative work?
When I am mindful of my breathing, I find that my connection with nature is elevated and I have a heightened awareness of the world around me. A daily meditation practise has also brought a new dimension to my creativity, allowing me to sink more deeply into connection with source. I believe that creativity flows more naturally from that connected place.
Do you have any favorite images that were featured and why?
There are two that I particularly love because they transport me to a place of stillness and delight.
The first is №4. These raindrops were landing in a pond in a little green haven called Gunnersbury Triangle close to where I worked in London. This tranquil spot was close enough to the office that I could walk there; and I often did if I had something I wanted to do some deep thinking about, or I just needed to escape the office for a bit to slow down and breathe deeply. This particular day there was a light rain falling and I stood at the pond for about 10 minutes standing still, contemplating the rain hitting the water, returning to the office feeling more at ease.
The second is №23. My husband and I encountered this little moss covered stump on the last day of a three day walk in New Zealand. It really reminds me of a person sitting quietly in meditation and was a surprising discovery when we rounded the corner.
Any advice for budding photographers or creatives?
Start. Then keep going. Show up for yourself, every day. Find a daily practise, or a common theme to get started and don’t worry if it changes as you go along. Sometimes the idea that your thinking mind has will change in surprising ways once your creative mind/intuition takes over. Allow yourself to be guided by curiosity and delight. Find people who inspire you creatively and learn from them (but don’t copy). You each have your own unique voice and perspective and there is someone else in the world who will benefit from what you have to share. Breathe deep, tune in… Listen to your own ancient wisdom, it will lead you to amazing places.
Thank you Leonie. If you are inspired to breathe the world better with words and images, please get in touch.
