I have been thinking a lot lately about the “miniature”, about the smallest things that are so often overlooked but that keep life moving forward.
I have always been interested in macro photography and in finding the small pieces of beauty and joy in the natural world — whether it be a perfect fern leaf in the woods or a little spider living inside a flower or a beautiful mushroom growing out of the dark side of a log. I have always tried to hunt down these minute, unseen organisms and present them to the world. Behold: beauty where you weren’t expecting, life where you weren’t looking, and love where it seems least likely.
I have been spending more time lately realizing that it isn’t just photography and nature that this applies to, however. It is just as important — perhaps more important — to dig deep into the minuscule moments of our lives that we often overlook. To look for the small moments of bliss, of life, and of beauty even amongst a big pile of dread, death and ugliness. Life is not always joyful, and yet we can always find joy if we look for it. Life is not always perfect, and yet we can always find a perfect moment among it all.
There is always beauty in a pile of mud. You just have to keep an open mind, dig right in to all the muck, and go salamander hunting. Don’t be afraid of the mud; don’t be afraid to get covered in it, head to toe. Embrace whole-heartedly the dark and dreary and negative moments in your life and keep on digging, don’t give up. When you do find that little sliver of beauty, it may not stick around for long — salamanders are slippery little things — but remember that it was there, enjoy its presence and appreciate its existence. Don’t get caught up in worrying when it will be back or brooding about how fleeting it was. Just focus on the miniature.