Waiting for the Bus

Something that goes beyond what I pictured—I’m always searching for it. When I take photos, when I try to give shape to an image in my head. And whenever I’m thinking through an idea, I think I’m always looking for a balance between what I pictured and the chance that goes beyond it.

It’s hard to explain in words without sounding a little abstract, but simply put, it’s a state of waiting—waiting to think of something good, for something good to happen. To put it in everyday terms, it’s like waiting for the usual bus at your nearest stop. Something you do naturally, without thinking.

Lately I try to think things through before I act or start making something, but even so, I work with a sense of searching for chance—of inviting something new in.

For example, when you cook and eat the same recipe over and over, one day you think to add a seasoning, or come up with a new way to flavor it. It’s pretty close to that feeling. Maybe coming up with new ways so you don’t get bored is some kind of instinct built in for survival—maybe our brains are just wired to switch tracks on their own.

Because I work this way, failures happen fairly often. Even so, it’s necessary work to keep things from turning into routine and going stale, and for me it’s one of the small but important things I do. Of course, a failure doesn’t leave me especially down or full of regret. I think of failure, too, as part of the necessary work. Most of the time, when this kind of trying and adjusting is going on, it’s also when I’m having the most fun.