Introducing 5AM StoryTalk's Newest Feature: 'In Search of Beautiful Things (and Creative Inspiration)'
'Beauty' is one of the answers to the question, 'What is the meaning of life?' So, let's celebrate everyday moments of it...together
Today, I’m announcing a new monthly feature at 5AM StoryTalk. On the first Friday morning (EST/PST) of every month, I will publish “In Search of Beautiful Things (and Creative Inspiration)” - an offshoot of the semi-regular Notes I’ve been sharing here calling for you to share photographic moments of beauty from your week as well as a very popular article with the same title You can read that article here or below if you haven’t already. I’m still delighted — even moved — by the reaction this piece received. When I wrote it, I actually wondered if I should even publish it, worried it was too specifically me to matter to anybody else. Well, apparently not. We’re all desperate for something beautiful in this dark, cynical world, as it turns out. Which brings me to—
I NEED YOUR HELP TO MAKE THIS NEW FEATURE WORK!
Here’s how it will work:
Every Saturday/Sunday, I will share a Notes call for more hi-res photographs of moments of beauty in your life. These Notes have proven incredibly meaningful to many, sources of communal joy and inspiration I think, hence why I’m expanding it into this monthly feature.
You can also email your submissions to me at 5AMStoryTalk@gmail.com.
From these, I will curate 28, 30, or 31 days of beauty – depending on the month – selecting photos from a diverse range of locations. As the captain of this project, one of these photos will always come from me, too.
All installments of this series will remain free to all. No paywalls will ever appear, as this began and shall remain a community exercise.
The debut installment of “In Search of Beautiful Things (and Creative Inspiration)” will be published on the morning of September 6th (EST/PST) – so consider this an invitation to begin submitting photographs at 5AMStoryTalk@gmail.com or on the related Note that will appear later today.
As for what you need to include in your email or Notes comments to be considered:
A hi-res photograph
Your first and last name
The location, even if it’s just a town or county or the name of a mountain range
Any note you would like to include to provide context (these are optional)
The rights to these photos will remain yours, of course, but submitting them should be understood as permission to publish them.
Spread the word if you can by sharing this article. This series will only be successful if we care for it as a community.
I look forward to continuing this exploration of moments of everyday beauty with you here at 5AM StoryTalk!
In search of beautiful things - killer title/concept.
It will be cool to see how different people consider different things 'beautiful'. The sudden butterfly versus a shattered train track.
Thanks for this initiative, Cole. I'm so glad to have discovered 5AM StoryTalk and have begun exploring your writing, which I have really enjoyed and connected with. Over the years I've found inspiration and solace in Dostoyevsky's line, "beauty will save the world". When everything seems too dark and depressing and I need a dose of hope I try to look for beauty, and then to create some of my own. I called my Substack, By Nature (https://glynsmusic.substack.com/) because that's where I find inspiration and also because I think we are all by nature in search of beauty. As a composer, music is my way of expressing this. Like you, I started photographing things of beauty a few years ago as a way of paying attention. I very specifically chose to photograph the bark of eucalypts because this made me more observant and appreciative of my surroundings when I was out walking in my local area. This seemingly small choice lead to me composing a series of orchestral works inspired by trees, which I have begun sharing on my Substack. One of them has been performed by the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra at their meditation concert series and enjoyed by a live audience. Just as you decided to look for beauty every day and the effect on your writing was 'near-instantaneous', my hope is that if we all keep recognising and sharing the beauty that surrounds us, we might just save the world. So, thank you for creating this opportunity for the Substack community.