Some of you might know that a lot of my inspiration comes from my urban/neighborhood rambles. More specifically, my immediate surroundings. Whenever I travel, I seem to be one of the few taking photos of ordinary things down a random alley instead of the beautiful sunset.

At some point, I realized that my hunger for looking around every corner was a therapeutic act. Sometimes good emerges out of necessity. Like grabbing for a blanket for comfort, I used what my lens could capture. The beauty of finding inspiration at your feet is that you don’t need to travel far. For me, at least, the most seemingly boring surroundings, like an industrial neighborhood, is fodder for inspiration.

What captures my attention might not capture yours. As a graphic designer for decades, my eye seeks out color palettes, pattern and forms. Perhaps what most delights me is the accidental compositions you find. With all that is challenging in this life, the idea that the universe provides, at least aesthetically, is reassuring.

Life is filled with so many agonizing and mundane decisions. To stumble upon graphic delights when you least expect it is a gift. All you have to do is keep your eyes open. Why a degraded painted wall is more beautiful to me than a bunch of roses lies in the awareness that life is full of imperfections. Everything dies, gets worn by time, use and the elements, changes, transforms. We try to seek perfection but that is ultimately a fool’s errand.

If you’re open to the beauty of the temporal and flawed, you will always be fulfilled.