--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I try not to make conscious decisions…" description: "\"I try not to make conscious decisions about what I am looking for. I don't make elaborate preparations before I go to a location. Essentially I walk, e..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f4/michael-kenna-14079_conscious_i-try-not-to-make-conscious-decisions-ab_1943806.png" --- # I try not to make conscious decisions about what I am… ![“I try not to make conscious decisions about what I am looking for. I don't make elaborate preparations before I go to a location. Essentially I walk, explore, discover and photograph.” quote by Michael Kenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f4/michael-kenna-14079_conscious_i-try-not-to-make-conscious-decisions-ab_1943806.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f4/michael-kenna-14079_conscious_i-try-not-to-make-conscious-decisions-ab_1943806.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f4/michael-kenna-14079_conscious_i-try-not-to-make-conscious-decisions-ab_1943806.png) > “I try not to make conscious decisions about what I am looking for. I don't make elaborate preparations before I go to a location. Essentially I walk, explore, discover and photograph.” [Michael Kenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-kenna/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He avoids pre-planning, letting intuition guide his exploration and photography, emphasizing spontaneous discovery. **In simple terms:** No plans, just walk and shoot. Key Takeaway Embrace spontaneity in creative work. Themes intuition exploration photography Mood reflective curious Type artistic philosophical When to use this quote - travel photography - street shooting - nature walks Key Concepts mindfulness serendipity Questions to Reflect On - How does unplanned wandering affect artistic vision? - When is planning beneficial? A Different Perspective Lack of direction can lead to unfocused results. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Conscious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conscious/) [Conscious Decisions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conscious-decisions-337754/) [Decision](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decision/) [Decisions Looking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decisions-looking-3113604/) [Essentially Walk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/essentially-walk-3113605/) [Location](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/location/) [Looking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/looking/) [Photograph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photograph/) [Preparation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/preparation/) [Trying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trying/) [Walk Explore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/walk-explore-3113606/) [Walks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/walks/) ## Related quotes > [“One should not hastily make decisions without first looking to signs from above.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vd/one-should-not-hastily-make-decisions-without-first-looking-to-signs/) [VD](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vd/) > [“Even when you find yourself alone and in a 'place' where you feel it has no roads, continue to walk and explore; because in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quetzal/even-when-you-find-yourself-alone-and-in-a-place-where-you-feel-it/) [Quetzal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quetzal/) > [“To retreat is to walk alone. To explore is to walk with generations, dead and alive, in an act of love.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-snyder/to-retreat-is-to-walk-alone-to-explore-is-to-walk-with-generations/) [Scott Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-snyder/) > [I never make conscious decisions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-hopkins/i-never-make-conscious-decisions/) [Anthony Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-hopkins/) > [All the conscious decisions that I have taken in my life have never borne fruit. Not even come close! So, I am just very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/imtiaz-ali/all-the-conscious-decisions-that-i-have-taken-in-my-life-have-never/) [Imtiaz Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/imtiaz-ali/) > [“Success doesn’t happen overnight and neither does failure. Both are byproducts of personal choices and conscious decisions we make on a daily basis. 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Without my make-up I'm pretty much the girl next door.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eva-mendes/i-make-conscious-decisions-to-stay-out-of-the-limelight-without-my/) [Eva Mendes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eva-mendes/) > [I never make conscious decisions. If my agent says to me, "It's a good script," I'll do it. I don't plan. I've got a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-hopkins/i-never-make-conscious-decisions-if-my-agent-says-to-me-it-s-a-good/) [Anthony Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-hopkins/) > [Eating and exercising should be conscious decisions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-aniston/eating-and-exercising-should-be-conscious-decisions/) [Jennifer Aniston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-aniston/) > [“Over the past twenty years, various researchers have shown that making conscious decisions (“Which shirt do I want to wear?”) as well as engaging…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-c-pozen/over-the-past-twenty-years-various-researchers-have-shown-that-making/) [Robert C. Pozen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-c-pozen/) > [“Be conscious of your decisions. More importantly, take responsibility for the consequences they bring. When struggling with your passions and goals, be patient and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sully-erna/be-conscious-of-your-decisions-more-importantly-take-responsibility/) [Sully Erna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sully-erna/) > [(I've learned) how important it is to really evaluate your own life...to pay attention to what's going on in your own head, and to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-evans/i-ve-learned-how-important-it-is-to-really-evaluate-your-own-life-to/) [Laura Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-evans/) > [Different assignments, different places, require different approaches. Sometimes I take minutes in a location, at other times days. There are many places that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-kenna/different-assignments-different-places-require-different-approaches/) [Michael Kenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-kenna/) ## More by Michael Kenna > [The golden rule in the arts, as far as I am concerned, is that all rules are meant to be broken.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-kenna/the-golden-rule-in-the-arts-as-far-as-i-am-concerned-is-that-all/) [Michael Kenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-kenna/) > [I gravitate towards places where humans have been and are no more, to the edge of man's influence, where the elements are taking over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-kenna/i-gravitate-towards-places-where-humans-have-been-and-are-no-more-to/) [Michael Kenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-kenna/) > [Getting photographs is not the most important thing. For me it's the act of photographing. It's enlightening, therapeutic and satisfying, because the very process…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-kenna/getting-photographs-is-not-the-most-important-thing-for-me-it-s-the/) [Michael Kenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-kenna/) > [In my photographic work I'm generally attracted to places that contain memories, history, atmospheres and stories. I'm interested in the places where people have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-kenna/in-my-photographic-work-i-m-generally-attracted-to-places-that/) [Michael Kenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-kenna/) > [The photographer Ruth Bernhard used to tell me that this is like asking somebody how they evolved their signature. 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I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-kenna/i-enjoy-places-that-have-mystery-and-atmosphere-perhaps-a-patina-of/) [Michael Kenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-kenna/) > [One needs to fully accept that surprises sometimes happen and complete control over outcome is not necessary or even desirable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-kenna/one-needs-to-fully-accept-that-surprises-sometimes-happen-and/) [Michael Kenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-kenna/) > [Different assignments, different places, require different approaches. Sometimes I take minutes in a location, at other times days. There are many places that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-kenna/different-assignments-different-places-require-different-approaches/) [Michael Kenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-kenna/) > [I find that when one has worked long enough, technical know-how becomes almost irrelevant. In photography, it's not difficult to reach a technical level…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-kenna/i-find-that-when-one-has-worked-long-enough-technical-know-how/) [Michael Kenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-kenna/) > [I believe that every photographer, every artist, should choose materials and equipment based on their own vision. I don't believe that non-digital is necessarily…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-kenna/i-believe-that-every-photographer-every-artist-should-choose/) [Michael Kenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-kenna/) > [Perhaps most intriguing of all is that it is possible to photograph what is impossible for the human eye to see - cumulative time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-kenna/perhaps-most-intriguing-of-all-is-that-it-is-possible-to-photograph/) [Michael Kenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-kenna/) > [Beauty is very much in the mind of the beholder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-kenna/beauty-is-very-much-in-the-mind-of-the-beholder/) [Michael Kenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-kenna/) > [As a landscape photographer we should be open to possibilities, for one thing often leads to another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-kenna/as-a-landscape-photographer-we-should-be-open-to-possibilities-for/) [Michael Kenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-kenna/) [Explore all 48 Michael Kenna quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-kenna/) ## More Conscious quotes > [Ye youths and virgins, when your generous blood Has drunk the warmth of fifteen summers, now The loves invite; now to new rapture wakes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-armstrong/ye-youths-and-virgins-when-your-generous-blood-has-drunk-the-warmth/) [John Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-armstrong/) > [Woman, in short, has an unconscious life, man a conscious life, and the genius the most conscious life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otto-weininger/woman-in-short-has-an-unconscious-life-man-a-conscious-life-and-the/) [Otto Weininger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otto-weininger/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [“What does it mean to be a self-conscious animal? The idea is ludicrous, if it is not monstrous. It means to know that one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-becker/what-does-it-mean-to-be-a-self-conscious-animal-the-idea-is-ludicrous/) [Ernest Becker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-becker/) > [Whatever your conscious mind assumes and believes to be true, your subconscious mind will accept and bring to pass. Believe in good fortune, divine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-murphy/whatever-your-conscious-mind-assumes-and-believes-to-be-true-your/) [Joseph Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-murphy/) > [To be a Negro in this country and to be relatively conscious is to be in a rage almost all the time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/to-be-a-negro-in-this-country-and-to-be-relatively-conscious-is-to-be/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Just as everybody has the vote including women, I think children should, because as a child is conscious of itself then it has to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-stein/just-as-everybody-has-the-vote-including-women-i-think-children/) [Gertrude Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-stein/) > [If you are not conscious of all of the different parts of yourself, the part of yourself that is the strongest will win out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-zukav/if-you-are-not-conscious-of-all-of-the-different-parts-of-yourself/) [Gary Zukav](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-zukav/) > [One of the noblest words in our language is "grace," defined as "unearned blessing." We live by grace far more than by anything else.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-elton-trueblood/one-of-the-noblest-words-in-our-language-is-grace-defined-as-unearned/) [D. Elton Trueblood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-elton-trueblood/) > [Repugnant is a creature who would squander the ability To lift an eye to heaven, conscious of his fleeting time here](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maynard-james-keenan/repugnant-is-a-creature-who-would-squander-the-ability-to-lift-an-eye/) [Maynard James Keenan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maynard-james-keenan/) > [The goal of the Creator is for each entity to make a conscious choice to again seek Oneness, out of our own free will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-wilcock/the-goal-of-the-creator-is-for-each-entity-to-make-a-conscious-choice/) [David Wilcock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-wilcock/) > [I know one thing: that you can do a lot of things but if you don't educate people into conscious anarchism it gets frittered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/murray-bookchin/i-know-one-thing-that-you-can-do-a-lot-of-things-but-if-you-don-t/) [Murray Bookchin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/murray-bookchin/) > [All black people who are even minimally conscious, black people who have ever experienced Europe's technological power crusading in the vanguard of a civilizing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-nkosi/all-black-people-who-are-even-minimally-conscious-black-people-who/) [Lewis Nkosi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-nkosi/) > [ A mind conscious of right laughs at the falsehoods of rumour. \[Lat., Conscia mens recti famae mendacia risit.\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ovid/a-mind-conscious-of-right-laughs-at-the-falsehoods-of-rumour-lat/) [Ovid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ovid/) > [I don't think my paintings are self-conscious but you feel the consciousness of them. Without them being self-conscious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-schnabel/i-don-t-think-my-paintings-are-self-conscious-but-you-feel-the/) [Julian Schnabel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-schnabel/) [Browse all 3,716 Conscious quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conscious/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I try not to make conscious decisions about what I am looking for. I don't make elaborate preparations before I go to a location. 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