Finding Flow

Do you remember the last time you lost yourself in an activity? Perhaps you were so involved in what you were doing that time slipped away and you were completely engaged and focused on the task at hand. You had no distractions; you forgot about yourself and the world around you. Complete and total immersion in your work resulted in a creation that brought you pure joy. What caused you to feel this way?

I recently read an article discussing the psychology of flow and how it was a key to happiness. The concept of flow was first proposed by psychology professor Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi and he describes it as "being completely involved in an activity for its own sake. The ego falls away. Time flies. Every action, movement, and thought follows inevitably from the previous one, like playing jazz. Your whole being is involved, and you're using your skills to the utmost."

My flow activity is photography, specifically taking photos of my animals. Over the past year I have been learning more about photography and feel like I am finally at the level where I have enough technical knowledge to focus on my subject and getting a good shot instead of fumbling with the settings. There's something about the elusive "perfect shot" that I strive for and want to capture.

I love that feedback is immediate. I know right then and there if I've managed to get the shot that I wanted. And it is challenging, because I can't tell the animals how to pose or where to look. Or in Gizmo's case, I can't tell him to stop moving! That's why I'm overjoyed when I finally get a decent shot of him. Nothing else brings me pride and satisfaction like getting good photos of my animals to treasure for the rest of my life.

What is your flow activity?

~Tammy

Shared with Tuesday Muse, From the Farm Blog Hop