art – and art appreciation – is a path to stillness and awakening
In my late teens and early 20s I used to wander the streets of New York with my camera snapping candid photos of people on the street. There were times I would get so wrapped up in what I was doing that my mind would become very still and I would get into a kind of ecstasy. I would look at events in front of me, be thrilled by them, snap a photo and move on.
I didn’t know anything about quiet minds or spirituality at the time, and in fact I was fairly confused and unhappy in life, so while I loved these wonderful experiences, I wondered what they were about and how could I have them all the time.
Ice Flash
One thing I noticed then that is still true now is that the photos that I thought were great while taking them were not necessarily the best photos of the shoot. In some way my thoughts and opinions while shooting had very little to do with the result. Something greater was at work.
Mountain Life 8
These days I love to spend my time in nature wandering around with my camera. I still get very quiet and just respond to the beauty I see in front of me. Sometimes I’ll take photographs of what I am seeing and sometimes not.
Mist and Ice
I am not a documenter of nature. If you want to experience the 360 degree wonder of being in nature, by all means go out and be there. What I’m doing in photographs is capturing my experience. If you look at my photos and are stopped, then I’ve been successful.
People like to talk about spiritual art but I don’t like to make differences. To me the purpose of any art is to stop you and take you out of yourself.
– Dan Dhruva Baumbach
Images and text © copyright Dan Dhruva Baumbach
Website: timeless light.com
Blog: danbaumbach.wordpress.com
the awakened eye 