{"id":2398,"date":"2016-05-17T18:36:09","date_gmt":"2016-05-17T18:36:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bellagracemagazine.com\/its-not-about-the-equipment\/"},"modified":"2023-04-20T18:11:43","modified_gmt":"2023-04-20T18:11:43","slug":"its-not-about-the-equipment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bellagracemagazine.com\/blog\/its-not-about-the-equipment\/","title":{"rendered":"It\u2019s Not About the Equipment"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Grace<\/a><\/p>\n

Words: Joy Jordan
\nPhoto credit: Joy Jordan<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n

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There are moments where I wish life was wrapped up and under my control, but I also want openness and ease. I crave certainty, but I\u2019m most alive when life unfolds in messy and beautiful ways. <\/strong><\/p>\n

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Like many people, I hope for a quick fix \u2014 a magic pill that lets me leap over difficult circumstances. This is the craving of my small mind. When I listen to the big mind of my heart, I find wisdom: I only grow if I do the hard, honest work, knowing I\u2019ll begin again and again.<\/p>\n

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 <\/p>\n

People ask me about my photography. They inquire about necessary equipment for beautiful bokeh or quick tips for stunning images. My response is bare bones: watch light, slow down, pay attention, try new things, and make mistakes. It\u2019s not about the equipment; it\u2019s about how we see the world. Beneath these questions, I hear the longing of our small minds: If it\u2019s about the equipment, I have a quick fix; I have an easy path. But photography requires time, patience, and commitment. A new camera doesn\u2019t make art and beauty. That\u2019s supplied by our souls.<\/p>\n

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When I teach meditation, I have people sit in chairs. No cushion needed, just a chair. There are no perfect conditions for mindfulness. We sabotage ourselves by thinking change must be grand or circumstances must be perfect. There is great gain in a 3-breath pause. Regular meditation, for just five minutes, creates a clearing. The practice: show up, be present with honesty and gentleness, and start again when needed. No quick fixes in meditation. No quick fixes in life.<\/p>\n

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During my time in academia \u2014 working long hours, feeling important yet equally feeling unworthy \u2014 I focused on equipment. I bought new books. I searched for the perfect floor rug, serving bowl, or colorful scarf. I used multi-stage, expensive skin lotions. I longed for new camera lenses. Yet this external focus removed me from what I most needed: self-kindness, connection with my inner compass, and space to listen inward.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

My current life is less complex. With simplification, I gain clarity: It\u2019s not about the camera, it\u2019s about how I see. It\u2019s not about the clothes, it\u2019s about how I feel inside. It\u2019s not about the meditation bench, it\u2019s about how I stay with myself: stay as I would with a close friend. We often seek externally that which is only found internally. A contented life is not about equipment or circumstances. A contented life is built brick by brick from the inside out. Each day I remind myself to slow down, pay attention, and be kind; to start exactly where I am; to trust that everything I need is already inside of me.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Joy Jordan is both a teacher and student of mindfulness in Appleton, WI. She lives, teaches, writes and photographs with a curious mind and an open heart. You can find her at BornJoy.com<\/a><\/span>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Words: Joy Jordan Photo credit: Joy Jordan   There are moments where I wish life was wrapped up and under my control, but I also want openness and ease. I crave certainty, but I\u2019m most alive when life unfolds in messy and beautiful ways.   Like many people, I hope for a quick fix \u2014 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":937,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,128,129,8,50],"tags":[59,60,61],"class_list":["post-2398","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all","category-everyday-magic","category-inspiration","category-musings","category-photography","tag-life","tag-photography","tag-slowing-down"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bellagracemagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2398","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bellagracemagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bellagracemagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bellagracemagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bellagracemagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2398"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bellagracemagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2398\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bellagracemagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/937"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bellagracemagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2398"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bellagracemagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2398"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bellagracemagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2398"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}