by Kim Ort | Dec 14, 2016 | Contemplation, Inspiration, People
During December, I’m revisiting older posts to introduce you to some of my mentors in seeing. Thomas Merton is the mentor introduced in the Focus section of my new book, Adventures in Seeing: How the Camera Teaches You to Pause, Focus, and Connect with Life. Enjoy!...
by Kim Ort | Oct 9, 2014 | Belonging / Connection, Contemplative Photographers, People
** Books mentioned have Amazon affiliate links, meaning I make a few cents if you purchase through my link. I only recommend books that I’ve read. There’s nothing like spending a weekend at a retreat center to recharge. Bethany Spring in Kentucky is such a place...
by Kim Ort | Jan 29, 2012 | Contemplation, People, Photography
Jan. 29 – Merton’s Epiphany, a photo by KimManleyOrt on Flickr. I’ve always wanted to visit this site, in downtown Louisville, where the contemplative monk, Thomas Merton, had his epiphany about life. This weekend, I finally got the chance. In...
by Kim Ort | Jul 10, 2020 | Contemplation, Photography, Videos
For the next little while, I’m reposting content from my archive that I think is relevant for today. In 2011 I began my exploration of contemplative photography and here’s the first post I wrote about it. What I’d love for you to note most is the excerpt from the...
by Kim Ort | Mar 23, 2020 | 30 Days of Perception, Contemplation, Inspiration, Practices, Questions, Workshops
Thomas Merton is one of my mentors in living a contemplative life. So, I thought I’d begin with his thoughts as a springboard for coming up with contemplative questions for this unique moment in history, when we are quarantined in our homes (if we’re lucky enough to...
by Kim Ort | Aug 9, 2017 | Essence, Inspiration, People, Possibilities, Visual Journalling
This post is revised and updated from one I wrote in 2015, after hearing Nilofer Merchant’s fabulous TEDx talk. Last week, I listened to her interview with Jonathan Fields at Good Life Project on her new book, The Power of Onlyness. What value do you bring to...
by Kim Ort | Apr 26, 2017
The Adventures in Seeing Book Ordinary reality can be quite extraordinary. I’m sure you enjoy those times in life when you experience something rare and special – a sunset over the ocean, the view from a mountain peak, or the first blooms of spring. These times add...
by Kim Ort | Mar 15, 2017 | Books, Contemplation, Topics
“To take vision for granted, to be thoughtless about the variety, miracle, and magic of seeing is to limit one’s self to a play-by-play objectification of reality. But to envision the act of seeing as the marriage between the viewer and viewed is to be...
by Kim Ort | Nov 16, 2016 | Adventures in Seeing Book, Books, Contemplation, Habits
“Seeing is when awareness and attention become constant and undivided, become contemplation. Seeing is not a self-indulgence, a “pleasant hobby,” but a discipline of awareness of unwavering attention to a world which is fully alive. It is not the...
by Kim Ort | Sep 7, 2016 | Books, Contemplation, Essence, Habits, Inspiration, People, Photography, Seeing
Theologian Matthew Fox says in his book on Thomas Merton, that each one of us is a mystic, an artist, and a prophet. That’s a pretty bold statement. Some of us might say we’re one of these. Many of us might say we’re not any of them, yet Fox states...
