— It really is like a magic trick. Here’s how it works (circa 2020-2021): The world reveals just how crazy or messed up it is . . . thoughts start to whirl about in your head . . . emotions begin to take the upper hand . . .

And then . . . you simply pick up a camera (or you sit down at Photoshop) . . .

And SHAZAM!

All the world’s craziness disappears.

This is one of the wonders of being an artist. You are always a flash of light and poof of smoke away from a world all your own.

You say you’re a photo artist, but in truth, you’re a quick getaway artist. And where you get away to is the land of your imagination. Which can be anywhere you want it to be . . . but truly exists in the right here and now.

Let me explain.

As humans, most of our lives — from the moment we wake to the moment we fall asleep — we spend caught up in the future or the past. Something captures our attention (even if it’s just a stray thought that came up from nowhere) and off we go, rushing into the future . . . usually to worry about things that haven’t happened yet (and may never happen). Or we go slipping back into the past . . . usually to regret something, or to replay some memory of a frustration or revisit some imagined outrage.

Granted — sometimes we look ahead and think good thoughts. We make plans. We envision nice things happening.

And sometimes we look back and reflect on fond memories. Or replay some happy scene in our minds.

But mostly? If we’re honest, we mostly worry about the future and feel glum about the past. We paint imagined scenes of a future we fear in some way, or replay crummy scenes of a past we can’t let go.

It’s just what human minds DO.

But the thing is, all of that is just stuff in your head.

If you’re fearful or bummed out, I’m here to tell you, you are mostly doing it to yourself. Because what you’re fearful of hasn’t even happened yet, and what you’re bummed out over is done and gone.

These are just thoughts bouncing around in your head making you anxious and unhappy.

And it’s precisely here that the photo artist’s magic trick comes in so handy.

Because what’s actually real is what’s right in front of you, here and now. So if you pick up a camera, all of a sudden you’re forced to get out of your head and bring your attention to the present. In an instant (abracadabra!) you’re HERE and you are working out how to capture something interesting or beautiful. You’re thinking about how to frame the scene, the settings to use, how to nail the focus (or not nail the focus; maybe you want it blurry), and perhaps half a dozen other things besides.

The important thing is, you’re here, in the NOW. You’re not caught up in the neurotic concerns you were fretting over before you picked up the camera.

And just like that, you worked a piece of magic.

It’s the same when a photo artist sits down at Photoshop and begins to tinker with a composition. Whatever your mind was busy fretting over prior, as soon as you open up a new document and start looking through your photo files for an image to work with — SHAZAM! In that instant you are fairly transported. The past and future drop out of sight. Only the NOW remains. You’re already layering textures and assigning blend modes, or you’re carefully extracting your subject with a layer mask, (you might also pause around here to pick some music to have playing in the background while you work), you’re tweaking adjustment layers, you’re dodging and burning or making the lighting more dramatic . . .

You are in it.

Which really is a kind of magic.

Now sure, in a way you might think it’s just a simple escape trick. And it is that. Sort of. But it’s also MORE than that, because what you’re escaping from was never really there in the first place.

So really . . . it’s a WAKING UP trick.

Waking up to what’s actually right in front of you. And what you are going to make of it.

Here’s a similar bit of magic, by analogy:

Imagine you are walking alongside a pretty lake. It’s a beautiful day, there are geese floating nearby, birds are singing, a squirrel hops across your path and gives you a look as if to ask if you might have any nuts or seeds in your pocket you might care to share . . .

Now, you could be there — really be there — taking in all of these things, enjoying the peace and serenity of your sunlit walk alongside the lake. OR you could be off in your head somewhere: Replaying some aggravating YouTube video you saw that morning. Or getting angry all over again because of a conversation you had at breakfast. Or thinking obsessively about some negative email you received (or an uncomfortable one you’re thinking of writing yourself). Or worrying about what might go wrong at a meeting you have to attend a week from now, already rehearsing your side of an argument you’re anxious might take place. Or any of a thousand other things that aren’t actually here or haven’t even happened.

Hey! [Finger snap.] You’re at the lake, remember? Remember the geese? Remember that squirrel? (Did you even notice the squirrel? Much less say good morning and explain why you forgot to bring him a snack?)

We all fall into these dreamy, muddled, past-and-future reveries. We do it all the time. And they are a big part of why you aren’t as happy as you could be.

You’re not happy because you’re not here.

You’re off somewhere else. In your own head.

So come back! Look around you. Breathe.

If you’re petting your cat or sitting there with your dog, take a minute and just be there with your cat or dog. Make them feel adored, and feel gratitude yourself that they are there for you, happy to be adored.

If your daughter is trying to catch your attention with some silly story she wants to tell you, put your dumb phone down or turn off the TV and really BE there with her. She won’t be of an age where she’s eager to tell you her funny stories for long.

And as a photo artist — grab your camera more often. Whenever you’re feeling blue, get out of your own head and look around you for something you can capture in some creative way. Work that magic trick. Step full into the right here and now and see what you can discover.

Or go fire up Photoshop. Pick an image to work on, or begin creating a backdrop for a composition. Put on some music, make a cup of coffee, and just begin. Step into the world of your imagination and set to work.

This is your greatest magic trick.

Or maybe this one is just as great: After you’ve invested an hour or so fully immersed in the NOW in front of you, bring your creation forth and share it with someone (“Here! Look!”), helping them shake off their own fog and wake up to this moment too.

~ Sebastian

PS: All the wonderful images featured throughout this post are by some of the talented artists in our AWAKE Group. Starting up top, they include Bethany Perron (very top), Merrilee Soberg, Barbara Lane, Debbie De Juan, Rebecah Thompson, and Lou Ann Donahue.