We are Love

All of Us. It's what we're made of.
The feel good photography of Cole Ramstad and Anna Bonnet.
All Images © RamstadBonnet 2012 unless otherwise noted.
RamstadBonnet@gmail.com

• Take Time.

  From an email I received from Mom this morning. Short and very sweet:

  A man sat at a metro station in  Washington, DC and started to play the violin. It was a cold January morning. He played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, since it was rush hour, it was calculated that thousands of people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.
  
  Three minutes went by and a middle aged man noticed there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried up to meet his schedule.
  
  A minute later, the violinist received his first dollar tip; a woman threw the money in the till and without stopping continued to walk.
  
  A few minutes later, someone leaned against the wall to listen to him, but the man looked at his watch and started to walk again. Clearly he was late for work.
  
  The one who paid the most attention was a 3 year old boy. His mother dragged him along, hurried, but the kid stopped to look at the violinist. Finally the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. All the parents, without exception, forced them to move on.
  
  In the 45 minutes the musician played, only 6 people stopped and stayed for a while. About 20 gave him money but continued to walk their normal pace. He collected $32. When he finished playing and silence took over, no one noticed it. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.
  
  Unbeknownst to anyone, the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the best musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written with a violin worth 3.5 million dollars.
  
  Two days before his playing in the subway, Joshua Bell sold out at a theater in  Boston  and the seats averaged $100.

  Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and priorities of people. The outlines were in a commonplace environment at an inappropriate hour. Do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize the talent in an unexpected context?

  This was in DC, but this just screams, “Welcome to New York.” People carry on everyday, locked in their zone, thinking about what they have to do, what is stressing them out, what more they need in life. It’s the age old story. Make sure you stop and smell the roses. Or in this case, make sure to make time for brilliance.

  Pay attention to beauty.

  It’s all around you.

  c

  14 Jan 2009