I am certainly no behavioral scientist or psychologist.
I speak from the gut here, based on my own humble experience and observations about attraction in general.
I have always found the subject super interesting and compelling.
As I gathered my thoughts about this post, yesterday, I took stock of my beating and bleeding heart.
I noticed just how many times, throughout the day, on my regimens and routines, I felt some level of attraction to someone, something, somewhere.
It was a lot. Pinch me. I am alive. So alive.
Why are we, as humans, consistently attracted to some faces, places, spaces, and not others?
It’s a mystery.
Part of it is biology; the brain releasing those delightful neurotransmitters such as dopamine and serotonin.
Part of it is familiarity, as we tend to be drawn to people who are similar to us, or even “better versions” of ourselves.
Part of it is good old fashion proximity and consistency.
Part of it is physicality-how the other person (or thing) looks to us and our senses.
Part of it is sociability-influences of family, friends, and society at large.
What is really fascinating about attraction, in general, is that it seems to morph and change shape, size, color, intensity, over time and space. Wow.
We seem to be attracted to different things, events, experiences, at different stages and phases of our life?
As you would expect, as a photographer, I’m constantly attracted to a lot of different people, places and things.
As a matter of fact, in photographic discourse, throughout my entire career, I have been principally and primarily, governed by two separate Laws: the Law of Attraction and the Law of Distraction.
The Law of Attraction is simple: shoot the stuff you love, care about most, and are attracted to. Click. Click again and again.
The converse Law of Distraction is equally plain-avoid the stuff you’re not attracted to. Simple. Done. Don’t click.
As in life and love, and especially in photography, attraction is a matter of the heart, not head.
Attraction is the gooey, sticky, syrupy, drippy feelings we have that validate and celebrate, our heart speeding up and our body temperature rising.
So my artist and poet friends, lean into that attraction core and be guided and governed by those touchy-feeling sensations, impressions, passions.
It’s good. It’s healthy. It’s the law of attraction.
Click,
Jack
