I don’t and I never considered myself a photographer. I often hear from friends though that I have a penchant for evoking strong feelings with the mundane things I photograph with a camera phone. That when I marry them with a story on a post, they engaged with them more. For the most part, the ordinary places around paved the way for me to find or create something beautiful out of them. I wrote on my blog’s biography that “I am the kind who prefers exploring and promoting ordinary places and nonmainstream tourist spots in my area rather than the ones outside, which makes me an economical fuel to your wanderlust. I’m a believer of the idea that there’s always something beautiful out of the mundane. Having said that, I love to travel outside my comfort zones given the opportunity“.
I actually started the initiative in 2012 and made a blog post about it titled “”Creating Something Beautiful Out Of The Mundane” after a visit to a manufacturing plant’s accommodations. The experience made me, as the blog post title says, find and/or create something pleasing from ordinary things, from ordinary places. A lot of the blog posts were inspired by this endeavor, with that being the first. Below are only a few of the countless blog posts of the same theme that I’ve already come up with.
“Exploring the Great Outdoors of Stephen King-Like Days“
“The Flowers, The Greens, and The Bees“
“Wild Desert Flowers Could Make For A Good Day“
“Glimpses And Magic of Riyadh When Darkness Falls“
“Moments of Happiness Out of the Blue“
“Riyadh’s Ten Best Places To Watch The Sunset“
“Giving You A Million Reasons to Travel to and Love Riyadh“
I’ve been attempting to retool the optical organs with the use of a camera phone since. I was then using a point-and-shoot camera, and on some occasions, a DLSR one.
This year, I was particularly interested in and captivated by the charm of winter and its then graduation. This explains why a lot of the featured photos talk that up. The time and effort I’ve been spending on noticing the beautiful things winter and its penultimate effect unfolds are way greater than I used to do, compared to the previous years. The blog’s tagline has a lot to do with this reinforcement initiatives.
There’s really something fulfilling about turning an ordinary thing or place into an object of inspiration or a thing of wonder just as these photos that were taken on random days; random places I passed by; or the ones I incidentally visited. Those photos that I didn’t have to consciously spend money on but made me see, feel, and realize something beautiful and meaningful out of them.
One of the best things I like about this endeavor is I’m no longer stirred into traveling to mainstream destinations in order to come up with something diverting. What I like about it most is that doing it reinforces the unfailing power of gratitude like no other.
What these beautiful views from ordinary places ultimately teach me and you is being grateful no…matter…what! It goes hand in hand with being content with what we have.
It’s amazing how these simple things steered me into to finding contentment in this cybernated world where instant gratification plays demiurge, especially at times that it’s challenging to do so.
These mundane wonders are often hidden in plain sight. As a unit, it’s one of God’s ways of saying He truly cares for us. The captions that went with these photos, respectively, made my wandering mind somewhat soar to previously unattainable heights of insight to say the least. They’re just like our parents or guardians. They’re always there. At times though, it takes extra effort to be able to recognize them, to see through them, or to see beyond them.
If any of these posts couldn’t serve as a testament to how magical, inspirational, and wonderful ordinary things and places are, then I don’t know what is.
Related Articles
The Importance of Finding Beauty in Ordinary Things (becomingminimalist.com)
Love, Lines, and Angles: Finding Beauty in Ordinary Places (iamchandraylynn.com)
How To See Beauty In The Mundane (huffpost.com)
Finding Beauty in Ordinary Moments (herviewfromhome.com)
Finding Beauty in the Ordinary (nytimes.com)
STORIES OF THE WANDERING FEET & MIND 
I like taking photos too sometimes no need for words. You have beautiful photos. Enjoy life there and stay safe.
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Thank you for taking time to drop by, Vinneve, and apologies for not replying on time. Gone are the days when this platform is my go-to for online social interaction. I must admit, that explains why I kind of ignored blogging and responding as well. Apologies…
On a side note, comments like yours there are music to my ears as they reinforce the advocacy of finding beauty in the mundane.
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Me too I have other platforms now that is why I also late in checking up comments and also busy with life and work etc. Keep in touch though late better than never. Regards!
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