Photographer and Co-Creator, Minh Cao of du soleil photographie Photographer and Co-Creator, Karthika Gupta of Karthika Gupta

When our days are colored by the monitoring of how many likes we have gotten on our last posts and the anguish over how many followers we’ve lost over the past 2 hours, it’s clear we live in a creative economy ruled by numbers. The intersection of creativity and statistics would strike most artists as odd and unsettling. While data may be important in measuring success, what drives that success is the imagination and originality that comes from within each of us. To allocate time for these internal qualities to thrive is thus of great importance, especially for creatives. Inspired by the slow living movement, we wanted to explore the concept of idleness through a photo essay that offers a view on finding solace in everyday hustle and making time for introspection.

Visualizing an intangible concept like idleness was a challenge that we were thrilled to take on. The photo essay begins with a scene that might just be too familiar for many: bustling and multi-tasking in an effort to tame a work day's folly. We take in sources of inspiration, produce contents and socialize them while feeling as if we were running against time. We talk about our doings yet forget that in order to do, we first need to repose, both physically and mentally. Finding a moment of quietude is just as important as completing a task. Amidst the hustle, solace becomes food for sanity.

The essay then takes you through moments of being idle: taking time to stay still, let the heart steer the mind, and let our calling voice itself without the distraction of social noise or tactical doings. Idleness allows us to reclaim the time that we might have spent occupying ourselves with half-minded activities to refocus on our passion and talent. There can be many who have the aptitude for the same art, whether it be photography, creative writing, calligraphy, or design. But it's not the ability that's unique in a person, for many of us share knowledge and skills in common. It is the way that the ability is used that makes someone unique. Giving ourselves space and liberty to reach within and bring out that uniqueness is at the heart of idleness.

In a creative economy in which the currency is numbers, talent is a commodity and inflation is inevitable. But what if our currency is our passion, imagine how rich we would be and no statistics or data can even begin to measure our wealth as a community.

Full Story Credits

Photographer and Co-Creator, Minh Cao of du soleil photographie Photographer and Co-Creator, Karthika Gupta of Karthika Gupta Hair and Makeup by Air Hair & Makeup Model, Emily Kaler of MMA Outfits from Haute Hippie and Anokhi Props from bonne TEXTURE, World Market, and IKEA