The sky is a perfect metaphor for the mind. It can be clear, bright, flat, drab, stormy, turbulent, calm, stable, changeable, hazy, oppressive, colourful, beautiful. But no matter the weather, the season, the climate or what’s happening in the atmosphere, the sky is always changing, its state in any given moment will pass, and the same clear blue sky is always behind everything else going on.

Applying this concept to the mind is common in meditation. The idea is that the clear blue sky represents the calm and clear mind, and the clouds represent our thoughts and feelings. The clouds can be light and fluffy so they float away easily, they can be heavy and persistent like storm clouds that have settled in, or anything in between. But like the clouds, thoughts, feeling and experiences are not permanent and always pass. And, most importantly, no matter else is happening, that clear and calm mind is always there, just like the clear blue sky is always there. When we take a flight, the plane emerges above the clouds and we find that clear blue sky; just like taking a flight, with some effort and a bit of courage, we can also find that clear mind any time we choose.

I have personally found this metaphor incredibly powerful for keeping myself grounded when thoughts and feelings block out the calm mind and threaten to sweep me along with the storm. Using it to remember that everything passes, no matter how unpleasant or intolerable and even if it takes a lot of time, brings a sense of calmness and certainty that ultimately helps the storm on its way.

And the best bit of this metaphor is that, no matter where you are, you can always remind yourself of it by just looking up and watching the sky as it changes.

I do this often, and decided to visualise the idea in photographs that capture the impermanence of the sky and the extremes of its nature. To start with, I’m taking photographs of the same patch of sky over time to represent its constant state of flux. I’ll see how this develops, but I’m also thinking to try and capture as many different ‘moods’ of sky as possible, which might need a more opportunistic approach. Time lapses also have obvious potential, but I think static images might better get across the idea I’m trying to capture.

Regardless, how to display the images will need some thought – single photographs of the sky are nothing extraordinary alone, so they’ll need to be presented as a series or group in some way to have the impact I want.