Weekly Grab
This is my weekly compilation of photos and prompts. If you’d like to see these delivered daily to your inbox when they’re first released, including some subscriber only exclusives, consider supporting my work with a Substack subscription (also complimentary, but donations welcome). Thanks for following my curiosity journey.
Stay curious, preferably with a camera in hand.
Control
We seem to focus on it a lot. Yet, it’s highly elusive and probably less useful than we imagine.
What’s control for? Where does it serve us best? And perhaps more importantly, when should we abandon the chase?
Open
It turns out, in most contexts, especially in the design of physical spaces, we prefer open rather than closed. It just feels better.
Possibility begins with open. How then, can we design more openness into our spaces? Are there any barriers we can remove? Or, perhaps we can reorient ourselves in those spaces to create more connection.
Ready
There are probably hundreds, perhaps thousands, of things which stand in the way of shipping, launching or making a decision. The most important of which, the essential, non debatable, are part of the critical path. It might be helpful to list those first, debate them, and of course solve them before being distracted by everything else. Then, list the pieces which can be left unfinished, imperfect or behind, which might make the project better in the long run, but are not essential and can be added later.
Defining good enough before we get started is a helpful part of the strategy.
Refuel
We all run out of gas sooner or later. No one is spared. And, running on empty isn’t a good strategy if we hope to show up with our best self. Pauses then are an essential part of doing our best work. Planning and taking breaks is an underrated skill. Beyond vacations, how can we incorporate more refueling into our days?
What’s your break strategy?
Precision
Precision isn’t the same as perfect. Precision serves specification, which is what we need to deliver the exact thing someone expects. Perfection is more illusive, often a matter of personal taste and hard to measure. What does the perfect smile look like?
It’s well worth being precise when making something to spec. And, it’s also worth striving for perfection even though it’s less likely we’ll know when we’ve arrived. Perfection motivates us. Precision defines us and holds us accountable. Where can we add some more of each to make better things?
Underneath
A big part of showing our work is the illustration of the underlying struggles, effort, difficulty and the inspiration which form the end product. And often, this is what makes it so interesting. The result is only a small part of the story. How are we exposing the rest? What are interesting bits, the essential elements which help form our craft? What lies underneath?
Free and Clear
Sometimes, our path is obvious, free and clear. Perhaps it’s the result of hard work. Or, maybe it’s just good luck. Either way, it’s ours for the moment. Go, go, go and cherish the opportunity…because it’s not going to stay this way.
Get the Camera Out 