Clearing the Table

Dear Reader,

Mary Jo Hoffmann started a daily practice. She decided she’d do it for one year, and that was about 12 years ago. Every day, she selected an object from her nearby “natural” environment. She photographed that object against a white background, and then posted the image online. Thousands of images later, she has a book called STILL: the Art of Noticing. Her website is STILLblog.net

In her interview with Jennifer Jewell on the podcast, Cultivating Place, Ms. Hoffman said a number of things that caught my ear. She selected ordinary, nearby objects from nature. Every day. So far, it’s been every day for 12 years! She mentioned that she had to go deep, to look more deeply, to go beyond the obvious.

She also said that it’s important for her to start with a clear table. If her desk or table is clear, she can and will start a new project. The image of a clear table, a plain background, was part of the inspiration for photographing on a white background.

She also committed to only photographing in natural light. Keeping it simple.

I’ve been thinking a lot about her ideas and images. What might happen if we cleared off the table—created a plain and simple background? What might happen if we made a practice of noticing small things, ordinary details? Chances are we’d begin to see ourselves, our lives and our possibilities differently. Sounds good to me.

Here’s what’s on my calendar:

If you’d like to explore how movement or conversation can change—meaning improve—your life, check out these possibilities:

Our weekly online Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement lesson is Free/Pay as You Wish, and it’s an easy, gentle way to get moving.

At the Jung Center of Houston, we’ll spend a Saturday afternoon exploring movement. Finding Your Footing: a Feldenkrais Mini-retreat is another in-person experience—on June 22.

If you’re curious about working with me privately, Book an Appointment or reply to this email and we’ll get started.