--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If I am lucky, something new and…" description: "\"If I am lucky, something new and inexplicable often appears in front of my lens. I am always surprised by the mystery of how my best images appear. Tha..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab0/joyce-tenneson-23149_discovery_if-i-am-lucky-something-new-and-inexplic_829294.jpg" --- # If I am lucky, something new and inexplicable often… ![“If I am lucky, something new and inexplicable often appears in front of my lens. I am always surprised by the mystery of how my best images appear. That excitement and shock of discovery makes my life at these moments a gift.” quote by Joyce Tenneson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab0/joyce-tenneson-23149_discovery_if-i-am-lucky-something-new-and-inexplic_829294.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab0/joyce-tenneson-23149_discovery_if-i-am-lucky-something-new-and-inexplic_829294.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab0/joyce-tenneson-23149_discovery_if-i-am-lucky-something-new-and-inexplic_829294.jpg) > “If I am lucky, something new and inexplicable often appears in front of my lens. I am always surprised by the mystery of how my best images appear. That excitement and shock of discovery makes my life at these moments a gift.” [Joyce Tenneson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-tenneson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote celebrates unexpected creative inspiration, describing the surprise of capturing mysterious moments as a gift. **In simple terms:** Unexpected inspiration feels like a gift. Key Takeaway Embrace surprise to enrich creative work. Themes creativity inspiration wonder Mood curious enthusiastic Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - photography - travel - everyday life - studio work Key Concepts photography mindfulness artistic process Questions to Reflect On - What moments spark your creativity? - How can you stay open to surprise? A Different Perspective Unexpected inspiration can be fleeting and hard to capture. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Discovery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discovery/) [Excitement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/excitement/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Lucky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lucky/) [Moments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moments/) [Mystery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mystery/) [Photography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photography/) [Shock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shock/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [Where loyalty bound creatures together, they became something larger, something new and whole and inexplicable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/where-loyalty-bound-creatures-together-they-became-something-larger/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [I am the first to be surprised and often terrified by the images that I see appear on my canvas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salvador-dali/i-am-the-first-to-be-surprised-and-often-terrified-by-the-images-that/) [Salvador Dali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salvador-dali/) > [Children are not being assaulted by images that appear on a computer screen. Any Internet user knows it is quite difficult to stumble across…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russ-feingold/children-are-not-being-assaulted-by-images-that-appear-on-a-computer/) [Russ Feingold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russ-feingold/) > [Just as water, gas, and electricity are brought into our houses from far off to satisfy our needs in response to a minimal effort,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-valery/just-as-water-gas-and-electricity-are-brought-into-our-houses-from/) [Paul Valery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-valery/) > [The one thing I always come back to as a writer, what I consider my bedrock, is a lot of charged images that appear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-vandermeer/the-one-thing-i-always-come-back-to-as-a-writer-what-i-consider-my/) [Jeff VanderMeer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-vandermeer/) > [Life itself is the real and most miraculous miracle of all. If one had never before seen a human hand and were suddenly presented…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-fry/life-itself-is-the-real-and-most-miraculous-miracle-of-all-if-one-had/) [Christopher Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-fry/) > [If you travel as much as I do - 165,000 miles last year - you exist nowhere. You're always between heaven and earth, you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-houston/if-you-travel-as-much-as-i-do-165-000-miles-last-year-you-exist/) [Jean Houston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-houston/) > [ When you identify with an organization and you want to do stuff \[but\] you get this inexplicable 'no' - a lot of people get… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-goff/when-you-identify-with-an-organization-and-you-want-to-do-stuff-but/) [Bob Goff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-goff/) > [If you don't understand what al Qaeda was trying to do on 9/11, if you don't have a sense of who Osama bin Laden…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/if-you-don-t-understand-what-al-qaeda-was-trying-to-do-on-9-11-if-you/) [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) > [We must assume our existence as broadly as we in any way can; everything, even the unheard - of, must be possible in it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-maria-rilke/we-must-assume-our-existence-as-broadly-as-we-in-any-way-can/) [Rainer Maria Rilke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-maria-rilke/) > [And also, one is a mother in order to understand the inexplicable. One is a mother to lighten the darkness. One is a mother…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mariama-b/and-also-one-is-a-mother-in-order-to-understand-the-inexplicable-one/) [Mariama Bâ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mariama-b/) > [A man may be accused of cowardice for fleeing away from all manner of physical dangers but when things supernatural, insubstantial and inexplicable threaten…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-hill/a-man-may-be-accused-of-cowardice-for-fleeing-away-from-all-manner-of/) [Susan Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-hill/) > [“We know how ninety-nine percent of the universe works," he told Carter shortly after they met, "and that's the clockworks, that's what we build…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glen-david-gold/we-know-how-ninety-nine-percent-of-the-universe-works-he-told-carter/) [Glen David Gold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glen-david-gold/) > [Love is the only inexplicable language that humans understand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-mosaic/love-is-the-only-inexplicable-language-that-humans-understand/) Keith Mosaic > [War is thus divine in itself, since it is a law of the world. War is divine through its consequences of a supernatural nature…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-de-maistre/war-is-thus-divine-in-itself-since-it-is-a-law-of-the-world-war-is/) [Joseph de Maistre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-de-maistre/) ## More by Joyce Tenneson > [Michaelangelo said the mirror is our greatest teacher. My use of mirrors in my work helps me uncover psychic layers. Often, the face is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-tenneson/michaelangelo-said-the-mirror-is-our-greatest-teacher-my-use-of/) [Joyce Tenneson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-tenneson/) > [My early self-portraits appeared effortlessly and seemed like equivalents for my deeper emotions. Many critics remarked that the images had an almost other-worldly haunting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-tenneson/my-early-self-portraits-appeared-effortlessly-and-seemed-like/) [Joyce Tenneson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-tenneson/) > [My whole artistic life has been devoted to battling myself and my ability to externalize my deepest emotions. As I have gotten older, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-tenneson/my-whole-artistic-life-has-been-devoted-to-battling-myself-and-my/) [Joyce Tenneson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-tenneson/) > [Find the one thing you’re good at and FOCUS on it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-tenneson/find-the-one-thing-you-re-good-at-and-focus-on-it/) [Joyce Tenneson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-tenneson/) > [Photographing these flowers has made me see the world differently. It was as if I had lifted a secret veil from a subject I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-tenneson/photographing-these-flowers-has-made-me-see-the-world-differently-it/) [Joyce Tenneson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-tenneson/) > [I found that I wanted to be best friends with almost all the women I interviewed because they had been through something. They were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-tenneson/i-found-that-i-wanted-to-be-best-friends-with-almost-all-the-women-i/) [Joyce Tenneson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-tenneson/) > [If I had to pick a single word to describe what my pictures are all about, I would say 'secrets.' As a child I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-tenneson/if-i-had-to-pick-a-single-word-to-describe-what-my-pictures-are-all/) [Joyce Tenneson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-tenneson/) > [I would never censor something to please someone. I don't play games.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-tenneson/i-would-never-censor-something-to-please-someone-i-don-t-play-games/) [Joyce Tenneson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-tenneson/) > [The people I work with, the people I photograph, become a kind of family for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-tenneson/the-people-i-work-with-the-people-i-photograph-become-a-kind-of/) [Joyce Tenneson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-tenneson/) > [I never chased after any particular school, never really had mentors; I really just did the work that was true to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-tenneson/i-never-chased-after-any-particular-school-never-really-had-mentors-i/) [Joyce Tenneson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-tenneson/) > [I have the same themes over and over again. How I'm saying it keeps changing or growing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-tenneson/i-have-the-same-themes-over-and-over-again-how-i-m-saying-it-keeps/) [Joyce Tenneson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-tenneson/) > [I want to allow others to reveal and celebrate aspects of themselves that are usually hidden. My camera is a witness. It holds a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-tenneson/i-want-to-allow-others-to-reveal-and-celebrate-aspects-of-themselves/) [Joyce Tenneson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-tenneson/) > [Over the years I have photographed thousands of people. I have never stopped being curious and trying to discover new worlds. I have used…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-tenneson/over-the-years-i-have-photographed-thousands-of-people-i-have-never/) [Joyce Tenneson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-tenneson/) > [I think of my work as very polarizing; either people really do like it and are touched by it or they really don't get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-tenneson/i-think-of-my-work-as-very-polarizing-either-people-really-do-like-it/) [Joyce Tenneson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-tenneson/) > [The most important thing is to try and enjoy life because you never know when it will be gone. If you wake up in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-tenneson/the-most-important-thing-is-to-try-and-enjoy-life-because-you-never/) [Joyce Tenneson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-tenneson/) [Explore all 26 Joyce Tenneson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-tenneson/) ## More Discovery quotes > [ Next came the Patent laws. These began in England in 1624; and, in this country, with the adoption of our constitution. Before then \[these?\],… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/next-came-the-patent-laws-these-began-in-england-in-1624-and-in-this/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [Throughout my work, I have assumed that the standard model is correct, and hence, the Higgs boson should be found. Although this is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashoke-sen/throughout-my-work-i-have-assumed-that-the-standard-model-is-correct/) [Ashoke Sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashoke-sen/) > [There is usually no dreamer so unworldly as the anthologist. He wanders in a vast garden, lost in wonder, unable to decide often between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-webb/there-is-usually-no-dreamer-so-unworldly-as-the-anthologist-he/) [Mary Webb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-webb/) > [New generations of humans inherit the acquired discoveries of generations past, allowing cosmic insight to accumulate without limit. Each discovery of science therefore adds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/new-generations-of-humans-inherit-the-acquired-discoveries-of/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [The discovery that heartbreak is indeed heartbreaking consoles us about our humanity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-shriver/the-discovery-that-heartbreak-is-indeed-heartbreaking-consoles-us/) [Lionel Shriver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-shriver/) > [ “\[W\]e must learn to accommodate ourselves to the discovery that some of those cunningly-fashioned instruments called human souls have only a very limited range… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/w-e-must-learn-to-accommodate-ourselves-to-the-discovery-that-some-of/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [We cannot predict the new forces, powers, and discoveries that will be disclosed to us when we reach the other planets and set up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/we-cannot-predict-the-new-forces-powers-and-discoveries-that-will-be/) [Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) > [ That has been another interesting discovery: that basically a city \[Lagos\] could recover from a really deep, deep, deep pit. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rem-koolhaas/that-has-been-another-interesting-discovery-that-basically-a-city/) [Rem Koolhaas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rem-koolhaas/) > [Every fact of science was once Damned. Every invention was considered impossible. Every discovery was a nervous shock to some orthodoxy. Every artistic innovation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-anton-wilson/every-fact-of-science-was-once-damned-every-invention-was-considered/) [Robert Anton Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-anton-wilson/) > [When we look at the love of Christ, we make a wonderful discovery. Love is more a decision than an emotion! Christ-like love applauds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-lucado/when-we-look-at-the-love-of-christ-we-make-a-wonderful-discovery-love/) [Max Lucado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-lucado/) > [Discovery is the ability to be puzzled by simple things. Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/discovery-is-the-ability-to-be-puzzled-by-simple-things-noam-chomsky/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [“In December of 2007 human bones including skulls, which have been radiocarbon dated back to between 1304 and 1424, were found in a museum…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/captain-hank-bracker-seawater-one/in-december-of-2007-human-bones-including-skulls-which-have-been/) Captain Hank Bracker, "Seawater One > [The European talks of progress because by the aid of a few scientific discoveries he has established a society which has mistaken comfort for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-disraeli/the-european-talks-of-progress-because-by-the-aid-of-a-few-scientific/) [Benjamin Disraeli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-disraeli/) > [Education is a progressive discovery of our own ignorance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-durant/education-is-a-progressive-discovery-of-our-own-ignorance/) [Will Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-durant/) > [The characters in my novels are my own unrealized possibilities. That is why I am equally fond of them all and equally horrified by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/the-characters-in-my-novels-are-my-own-unrealized-possibilities-that/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) [Browse all 3,125 Discovery quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discovery/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If I am lucky, something new and inexplicable often appears in front of my lens. I am always surprised by the mystery of how my best images appear. 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