Zenartwerk

What you don’t see in the video is that right before I found Zenartwerk, I was sitting on a bench having a pity party for myself.

This was my first day in Florida and my first time photographing strangers in a different country. I was nervous and didn’t know what to expect.

I was contemplating calling it a day after walking for 90 minutes without finding one person to photograph.

But that’s not true. I found many people, it’s that I couldn’t find the courage to walk up to them.

Then I saw Zenartwork, waiting for a bus across the street.

This dude just has a look that’s impossible to take a bad photo of. The results were magic.

But honestly his answer at the end perplexed me.

“Look good.”

What did he mean? Was he talking about physical appearances? I’m so used to people sharing such deep insights at the end that it caught me off guard.

I think I am only just now starting to understand.

After watching his video 5 times, I feel like I finally got it. And it’s deep.

What Zenartwerk meant—and I didn’t see this before—is to pay close attention to what’s around you.

Look good.

This was exactly the advice I needed in that moment, when I was almost done looking.

So many of us—myself included—quit right before something interesting is about to happen. But when we pay attention, it gives us the energy to keep going.

Things move slower. There is less of a rush. It allows us to see the love and art and God that exists everywhere.

It gives us the patience we need to reach the breakthrough just around the corner.

After this shoot with Zenartwerk, I was blessed to connect with 4 more amazing humans in less than 45 minutes. Each person was unique, magical, and willing to take time out of their day to make art with a total stranger.

Thank you Zenartwerk for sharing that deep wisdom with me.

I’ve got my eye open thanks to you.

Big love,

D

PS: If you want to see the behind the scenes video of me approaching Zenartwerk and taking these photos, check out my Instagram or my TikTok.