Inspiration

Photography has taught me that inspiration rarely arrives all at once. More often, it begins with a moment of curiosity.

A pattern catches my eye. The way light moves across a weathered wall. The graceful folds of a coral reef. The rhythm of woven fibers. A quiet temple garden. The brushstroke of a calligrapher. The texture of handmade paper. None of these moments seem connected at first, yet over time I began to realize they were all pointing toward the same idea.

They were teaching me how to see.

This gallery is my visual notebook. It is where ideas begin before they become photographs, essays, or watercolor mandalas. Each image represents a small moment of discovery, a reminder that the world is filled with relationships waiting to be noticed. Some reveal the extraordinary creativity of nature. Others celebrate human craftsmanship, cultural traditions, or the beauty that emerges when people devote themselves to a lifetime of practice.

The more I travel, the more I realize that inspiration is not something we find. It is something we cultivate through attention.

Whether I am scuba diving on a coral reef in Fiji, walking through the streets of Tokyo, exploring ancient temples in Cambodia, or photographing the changing light in the California desert, I find myself returning to the same questions. How does nature create such remarkable beauty? Why do certain places leave such a lasting impression? What is it about a simple object, a texture, or a fleeting moment that can stop us in our tracks and invite us to look more closely?

Again and again, I discover that the answer is relationship.

Nature does not create in isolation. Coral grows in response to currents and light. Trees respond to wind and seasons. Rivers shape landscapes over centuries. Human cultures evolve through history, tradition, and shared experience. Even our greatest works of art are conversations with the people, places, and ideas that came before us.

These relationships appear throughout my work. In my Underwater Photography, I explore the extraordinary forms and ecosystems that reveal nature’s endless capacity for adaptation and beauty. My Japan photography reflects a lifelong appreciation for craftsmanship, mindfulness, and the quiet elegance found in everyday life. My Travel Photography celebrates the diversity of cultures and the shared experiences that connect us across continents. Through my watercolor mandalas, these observations become something more abstract, expressing what I have come to think of as Living Geometry: the patterns of growth, connection, and emergence that appear throughout the natural world.

Over the years I have come to believe that creativity does not begin with making something new. It begins with learning to see what has always been there.

This gallery is an invitation to slow down, remain curious, and pay attention to the details we so often overlook. Every photograph here has influenced the way I see the world, and in one way or another, each has found its way into the stories I write, the photographs I make, and the mandalas I paint.

Because inspiration is never really about the subject.

It is about the moment when something ordinary reveals something universal.

Date

November 5, 2024

Category

Inspiration

Tags

Abstract, animals, Art, Biomorphic Design, Black-and-White, books, brushstrokes, Buddhism, calligraphy, caring, Chris Keeney Photography, compassion, contemporary, Coral Reef Inspiration, Create, Creative, culture, dream, Dreamy, Emergence in Nature, Experimental, Explore, eyewear, Family, Fiji, Fiji Coral Reef, Flowers, Forest Bathing, Forests, found art, Friends, gardens, glasses, heart, Help, imagine, inspiration, inspire, Japan, Japanese, Jizō Bosatsu, Kami, Kohei Nawa, Kyoto, Leather Coral, Live, Living Geometry, Love, Marine Life Photography, Mathematical Beauty in Nature, mind, Mindfulness, Modern, Mother-Nature, Natural Pattern Formation, Nature, Nature Inspired Art, Nature's Patterns, Notan, Organic Design, Organic Forms, Organic Geometry, People, Photography, Plants, Reading, reflection, relationships, Sacred Geometry in Nature, Shikoku, Shinto, Shodo, Sinularia, Soft Coral, Spirits, Statues, Sunlight, Sunset, think, Tokushima, Tokyo, Travel, Underwater Photography, Wander, Water, Watercolor Mandalas, way of life, white deer, wonder, Words, Yayoi Kusama, yuzu, アーティスト, カミ, 上野公園, 仏教, 仏足石, 写真家, 写真撮影, 地蔵, 抽象的な, 書道, 東京, 現代写真, 神道, 自然, 鎌倉, 黒と白

A photograph of a light pink rose bush flower in full bloom bathed in blue, white and green tones with bokeh balls throughout the image... as if you're looking into a dream world Macro photograph of a yellow flower blooming in the springtime in San Diego California with rainbows in the white bokeh balls scattered about the image A photo of a woman with a pink shirt, blue hat and sunglasses smiling at the camera while holding a white gardenia flower in her right hand. Two large gardenia plants with healthy green and yellow leaves can be seen in the foreground. photo of a white greeting card on nice paper of a painting of a sunset with colors of orange, yellow, black, blue and gold found in a store in downtown Santa Barbara, California. A photo created while swimming in the ocean just before sunset and you can see the top of the water and the the sky which has rose pink colored clouds and the sky is light blue with the sun glowing gold behind the clouds on the horizon Chris Keeney holding the cover of a book by Akihito Takuma called Lines of Flight in the hotel lobby in Kyoto Japan 2024 a black and white photograph of a page in Lines of Flight, a book by Japanese artist Akihito Takuma who painted this oil canvas painting of a vast open landscape with intriguing structures spread about the space Interior spread of the book Lines of Flight by the Japanese artist Akihito Takuma with a small lack and white photo catalog of the pieces in the book color photograph of many golden Buddhas on a altar in a Buddhist temple in Chiang Mai, Thailand with pink flowers in the foreground and a painting of a large tree with green leaves with a meadow and forest behind it Blue sky with soft wispy like clouds in the foreground with clouds that are built of and puffed as if the wind was moving faster a bunch of different size round wooden branches cut and placed on a wood wall so you can see all the concentric circles inside. The light creates shadows next to the pieces of wood People going towards the light チームラボ ボーダレス 光の方へ行く 森木禮讚，身心的朝聖之路 Rei Moriki, The Path of the Morning Saint of Body and Mind forest and steps with bright sunlight a color photo of a black statue of Kanzeon Bosatsu also known as Avalokitesvara or Kannon, which is a Buddhist bodhisattva. The statue is inside a shrine made out of wood with signs with different Japanese kanji written on them a view from window of a jet airliner traveling in Japan. You can see blue sky with white smooth puffy clouds abstract color photograph of two people walking together through the orange Shinto gates of Fushimi Inari Taisha torii gates in Kyoto Japan. a soft painterly look at the leaves and branches of a Japanese maple tree canopy at a park in Tokyo Japan looking into a large rectangular mirror along the streets in CHIANG MAI, Thailand. You can see the reflection of the photographer and his wife if you look closely color photograph looking down from a cliff along the ocean in Big Sur California at the water with sea foam mixing with the dark blue and teal colors of the sea 360 degree world view panoramic photograph of a neighborhood in Summerland Santa Barbara with large tree in foreground and sunsetting in the background surrounded by blue sky and white puffy clouds. iPhone photo of turquoise blue green ocean water and reef seen out the window of an airplane in Fiji in 2019 drops of water sparkling in the light and making rainbow colors black and white photo showing Chris Keeney's legs and feet standing on top of a large flat granite rock with lines and textures in it. Chris is wearing black shorts and is barefoot in the photo a color photograph of a the looking glass at the top of a the Buddhist temple of Wat Chai Thararam in Phuket Thailand. A woman in a long flowing white dress and long brown hair walks around the shrine and you can see through the glass of blue skies and green trees in the distance Japanese Calligraphy art in frames at the Wakayama Perfecture World Heritage Center The surface of water with gentle ripples and sunlight sparkling on the on the surface of with shades of light blue. A soft mist or fog veils the image abstract black and white photograph of leaves and branches on a tree overhanging onto a waterway along the Kumano Kodo hiking trail in Japan wide angle photograph of fronds and tree leaves of a forest in the highlands of CHIANG MAI, Thailand black and white photograph of a 35mm film contact sheet of negatives Chris Keeney created while he was in college. You can see all sorts of patterns, shapes, faces and towers in in the negative placed in a vertical row next to each other abstract black and white photography of shadows casted on a wall at a Buddhist temple in Kyoto Japan black and white infrared photograph of Chris Keeney standing next to a huge sandstone cliff in Zion National Park in Utah. A forest of trees and strong sunlight can be seen. Chris is ghosted and you can see through him to the tree and rocks behind him A black and white photograph of a view of a pathway leading to a glass doorway with the a reflection of a person. Concrete and travertine rock can be seen in the foreground. Two framed Japanese large and small brush calligraphy art seen at the Tanabe City World Heritage Kumano Motomiyakan Large and small brush calligraphy art seen at the Tanabe City World Heritage Kumano just above the ocean water level view of an island in the distance, palm tree blowing in the wind, sunshine with blue skies and puffy little clouds in Maui Hawaii a color photograph off an old Japanese man sweeping the leaves on the sidewalk next to the street in Tokyo Japan. a wide angle forest of a woman walking through a forest of trees with the sun shining through the canopy color photograph of a forest or garden of Kitayama cedar trees that have been pollarded so their trunks are straight like poles with no branches except for the top abstract color photograph of a reflection of Chris Keeney in the store window in Setoda, Japan. soft painterly view looking the the Japanese cherry trees with blossoming pink and white flowers and a person standing on a grassy field in Springtime large statue of Kannon the Bodhisattva of Mercy and compassion. soft painterlyview of the pink blossoms of a Japanese cherry tree in Spring. Hachinohe, Japan April 2025 circular hand painted blue and white street sign with Japanese kanji and three artist marks (Rakkan-in) color photograph of light reflecting off the ripples and mist over the water in Kyushu Japan color photo of small posters with black, white and blue art created by Japanese artists in the window in Morioka Japan Sacred geometric mandala inspired by the Noble Eightfold Path symbolizing spiritual balance, consciousness, and metaphysical connection color photograph of a oval shaped bottle with yellow colored fluid in it with long tan sticks coming out of it. In the background are yellow, orange, Greenland purple rolled up corrugated color paper to look like flowers behind a piece of wavy glass that softens and distorts in ripples and the image a photograph of the surface of water with ripples and clouds of steam or mist over the top. The color of the water is reddish orange or vermillion abstract painterly photograph of a garden with a yellow modern art statue nestled among the plants and trees. A white office building is behind it but blurred out. abstract painterly interpretation of a Japanese maple tree with red leaves blowing in the wind street photograph of a vertical rectangular poster of a black graphic woman holding a samurai sword with Japanese kanji over the top. Colors of black, red, teal, and orange. photograph of a poster in downtown Tokyo about Toyokawa Inari Spring Festival. The black and white brushstrokes is done in a passionate style with thick and thins with splatter textures Black and white photograph of a welcome sign written in Japanese kanji with a paint brush on a piece of flat wood with beautiful wood grain. Japan 2025 afternoon sunlight shining through the trees and creating shadows on a wood panel door at a Zen Buddhist temple in Kyoto Japan a statue of two young babies sitting next to each other and one of the children has a small baby bunny nestle in the arms. The other baby looks adorning at the young rabbit. There is a shade structure with wooden benches and cheery trees blossoming in the background. a father looking down with the camera at his son looking through a bunch of small pieces of driftwood on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. You can see the father's legs and sandals and the youn boy who is wearing brown shorts, yellow t-shirt, black hoodies and baseball cap. abstract black and white photograph looking into the water of a koi pond at the Kosanji Buddhist Temple in Japan A color image with strong back lighting, looking up at a cresting wave in the ocean about to break with small droplets of water suspended in the air and sun flare that illuminates highlights in the ripples of water in the foreground. Blue sky with white textured cloud on the horizon. Washed out color Through The Viewfinder (TTV) photograph of a young boy standing alone next to the edge of the ocean water in Baja California. Color photograph of a vining bush that has circular shaped leaves of different sizes and shades of green. A beautiful and colorful lens flare kisses the image with light and excitement. black and white abstract photograph of a plasma ball (aka Tesla coil) showing beams of irregular shaped line flowing to a round glass protective sphere. Abstract photograph of people walking through the Shinto torii gates of Fushimi Inari-taisha in Kyoto, Japan. Bright colors of orange, yellow, vermillion, black and white. photo of a Japanese bartender wearing a cheetah print shirt and smiling behind the bar with two bottles of Japanese whiskey sitting on the counter A high contrast black and white conversion of photo of the Gohonzon inscribed by Buddhist monk Nichiren and simplified digitally by Chris Keeney close up photograph of a black and white Japanese brush stroke art work of a Myōgon-ji Buddhist temple located in the city of Toyokawa Black and white photograph of water bubbling up from the earth creating concentric circles and two forms coming together in the center framed by two black shadows in the top right and left corner. color photograph of blue sky in the horizon and a blanket of soft white fluffy clouds in the foreground. photographed from an airplane window. Black and white abstract multiple exposure photograph of the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco, California. bright sunlight and rays of light mixing with the lines on the roman columns Abstract photography of a cluster of Leopard Lilies (Lilium Pardalinum) in an open field in Muir Woods in Marin County. Black and white double exposure of the San Francisco Bay and the Golden Gate Bridge from the window of Coit Tower. color photograph of a wave crashing in the air into a multitude of water droplets and returning to the ocean and making concentric circles. Life renews Black and white coffee can pinhole camera 5x7 photographic paper negative photograph of Chris Keeney sitting on a large boulder in Baja California Mexico. black and white wispy cloud formation surrounded by a field of black. The cloud looks like an angel or a spirit Hand painted sign on the street in San Francisco California. Colors of tan, orange, yellow, burgundy red and white. The are different female figures doing various things Color photograph of posters in a bar with hand painted Japanese calligraphy written on them. Underwater black and white abstract photograph of bull kelp off the coast of Catalina island, California Stone lantern at the entrance to the Myohon-ji Buddhist temple in Kamakura surrounded by a painterly wash of soft green leaves from the trees in the garden. High contrast black and white conversion of the original Gohonzon inscribed by Nichiren in 1280 Hard and paper bound books on a shelf showing the spine of the books so you can read the title and authors name. Afternoon light filters gently through the window onto the wall casting shadows. light colored wood boards with black hand painted Japanese kanji on it. Some green algae is growing on the the wood giving it a natural feeling. A painterly fine art photograph of a statue of Jizō Bosatsu with colorful flowers in front of him and green tree with sparkling light filtering though the leaves. Photo of San Diego photographer Chris Keeney standing next to a large and colorful flower sculpture by Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama in Tokyo Japan a photo of an illustrated color poster with a yellow dandelion flower with its seed floating up in the sky and mixing with Japanese kanji that reads "If the heart is in it's true form, it can soar freely on the wind, going wherever it wishes" close up photograph of small red and white round berries made out of cotton thread and string hung on a small green bush at the Akasaka Hikawa Shinto Shrine in Tokyo, Japan a photo of an illustrated color poster with a with a figure holding a orange and red heart with 13 orange and red balls on it's head while eyes are closed and smiling. There is some hand painted Japanese kanji about it's head reading "Let's believe in the infinite possibilities hidden within our hearts" sun light filtering through the trees and shinning on water creating a reflection of the green leaves and branches above. A color photograph of two feet with a circle and star burst in the middle in a small round stone basin filled with water that is reflecting the trees and sky above. A painterly look of shades of green lit by a Japanese style lantern at a Shinto shrine in Tokyo, Japan. A glow from the lantern can be seen in the bottom right corner. Black, white and red poster for a martial arts performance at the Gion Kobu Kaburenjo Theater in Kyoto, Japan. It has a black and white flowing floral illustration with hand painted red Japanese kanji calligraphy on top Photograph of the Tatsunami-moyou pattern with blue curvy blue waves and flowing lines a storm in the ocean seen at the Kanazawa Castle in Japan color photograph of a picture in a book of a blond woman with long hair and glasses holding a photo book while looking out a window of a man wearing glasses by a pool with palm trees and sunny skies Black and white abstract photograph of Japanese calligraphy seen though glass with the reflections of trees blended with bokeh balls and angular shapes Layers of vertical and horizontal sheets of white paper with handwritten Japanese kanji overlapping each other and creating an interesting high contrast composition. Looking down at thirty or so yuzu citrus fruits on a metal mesh tray. Some are green, orange and yellow and are all different sizes in Shikoku Japan Watercolor silhouette of a woman with moon halo and ocean reflection, abstract spiritual illustration in blue tones Golden cabbage leather coral (Sinularia sp.) photographed while scuba diving in Fiji, displaying flowing organic folds, intricate living geometry, and naturally emerging patterns that inspire Chris Keeney's watercolor mandalas.