Of all of the founding fathers, I’ve always admired Ben Franklin the most. Inventions and cold air baths aside, I am intrigued by his morning ritual of asking the question, “What good shall I do this day?” Not really having a daily ritual of my own, beyond that which I consider habit or routine, I thought contemplating the phrase “A calm mind is the way” would be a great way to start each day. Not only does it provide a center of focus, settling the mind and relieving anxiety when one wakes up, but also works really well as a first step for dealing with conflict.
The phrase, “A calm mind is the way”, comes from Japanese calligraphy I received from a middle school principal during my travels to Japan in the fall of 1998. Similar to the function of Japanese phrase calligraphy hanging in a Japanese tearoom, this letterpress print is to be viewed and ritually contemplated.
These 81 photographs represent the first hour of my day, and all the things I do during the first 60 minutes daily, from waking up to going into my studio.