The emotion of everyday things and scenes

Three years ago, I started a personal project. Every day I took a photo (sometimes choose a photo taken in the past), then added a quote to express the emotion of the picture. It has now been more than three years and I have posted more than 1000 photos. You can see my full project here.

The project started three years ago when I started to work. The everyday busy work did not allow me to bring my camera with me and to record all the interesting moments and scenes. One day, I sat down in the coffee shop downstairs, seeing the shadow of the shelves falling to the ground. That image was so beautiful.

It reminded me of Auguste Rodin’s words: “Beauty is found everywhere. Our eyes do not show a lack of sense of beauty, but a lack of observation.” So I started digging into the beauty of everyday things, and taking photos with my iPhone.

I have always been fond of poetry since I was a child, and these everyday scenes always remind me of some verses. I started to put some words on the photos based on the emotions that they conveyed; sometimes poems, book excerpts, lyrics, or movie lines. Almost all of the emotions I want to express, there are always ancient or modern people who have described it in wonderful words. I was deeply fascinated by this graphic way of expressing emotions.

Then I started to post these photos on my blog every day. It is a magical beginning for me, giving me a new perspective to observe the world. Since then, nothing and nowhere would make me feel bored. I can always find something interesting. It is like having a fresh eyes to see the world.

A cupboard dropped by the roadside

A cicada that fell from a tree

Picked fallen leaves

Half a lemon

Reed

Green pepper under the sun

Healing headache medicine

Light on the stairs

Vegetables on a plate

Pen tip

A girl

This project has given me a lot of unexpected gains. I started to re-observe daily things, and I saw the beauty in ordinary life. I am more easily touched by the small things such as a cupboard dropped by the roadside, light on the stairs, or a small cicada. When I look closely at these things, I feel like I'm communicating with them and that I can understand them. It makes me more sensitive and forgiving in my own life.

The biggest surprise that this project brought to me was allowing me to meet some new friends. Because I posted these images on social networks, sometimes people sent messages to thank me. They said that these photos and sentences brought them strength or moved them. One of them even became my best friend!

Things

Scenes

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