Just Looking is a modern mindfulness project about ways of looking.
Join me, Menka Sanghvi, in exploring ways to slow down, be curious, and notice more. It's really up to us because observation is a creative act.
The ideas here are drawn from ancient wisdom traditions, anthropology, design thinking, and creative visual practices such as photography.
Get the newsletter for a monthly reminder to slow down and look.
Book Recommendations
The ideas in Just Looking are inspired and influenced by many great minds. As Mark Twain once remarked, “all ideas are second-hand.” So if you’re in the market for ideas, here are some delightful places to look. Creativity: * Pat Kane, The Play Ethic * David Horwitz, Everything that Can Happen
Watching Ourselves Wait
Waiting is essentially about a desired future. It's the duration of time that is the obstacle between where we are, and where we want to be. No wonder it brings up feelings of discomfort, boredom, or even anger. But what if we could wait differently? What could we see?
The Loss Of Starry Nights
For thousands of years, the sight of a star-filled sky has been a unifying human inheritance. The invention of the electric lamp in the late 19th century changed that. This has come with so many benefits, but what do we lose when we can no longer see the starry skies?
Steady(ing) Presence
There are metaphoric mountains in the backdrop of all our lives. Standing strong through the different seasons, providing a steady reference point for all the change.
The Best Kind of Localist
Can you point north from where you're reading this right now? Do you know what grasses are native to your area? Many of us are urgently connected to global news yet know very little about where we're at: our local people and places.
You're Too Good For Perfection
Did you know that when we blush, our stomachs blush too? And that our eyes are sensitive enough to see the light of a candle 30 miles away? It's an amazing thing, our bodies. And its fragilty is a core part of that beauty.
Noticing Fragility
A crack, a wrinkle, or a moving cloud. If it's not forever, then it's fragile, at least on some timescale. Responsive to the sands of time. Alive. What reminds you of life's fragility?
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