I am fascinated by airports. They fill me with excitement and a sense of creativity. Within those spaces there is never a bad time of day to experience something unique. There are always new things to see and certainly countless people to watch. And while the delays imposed on us by this industry sometimes leave us spending more time in these spaces than we would prefer, our presence within these walls is a very brief portion of our lives.
Whenever I am in an airport, I am always struck by how we are all so completely disconnected from each other. Everyone is just passing through. We don’t share a cultural history, a political belief, a religion, a favorite food, a common set of relatives, a team mascot, or even a similar path through the space. It is a completely random assembly that I find fascinating to witness and experience.
The only thing we all share is being present in the moment. We are neither where we were or where we are going. We are isolated from everything we possess or will possess. We are detached from who we know and are going to know. Those are the moments we are completely open to the experience of being in the moment, unobstructed by the influences in our lives. As Eckhart Tolle writes, “The present moment is the teacher. Work with that – that’s all you need, really.”
These are the moments that make my camera feel the most powerful in my hands. I am forced out of my habits of composition and content, habits which I will very likely fall into again when I arrive at the other end of my journey. But being disconnected during these in-between moments within an airport, my attention is narrowed to only what the moment presents, giving my curiosity and creativity opportunity to learn and thrive.
