On Elkins

Elkins find the finest details of the simplest objects we take for granted in every day life. His example: the postage stamp. Not to think about it’s purpose to give your mail it’s passage on to it’s destination or provide the postal service with some shred of income, but as an item to be analyzed for all it is worth. 
He dives into each smudge of shading and each dot and crosshatch to make a point: paying attention to detail means you are paying attention to life. His attentiveness has given him a new outlook, allowed him to appreciate each millisecond of each moment he experiences. He takes notes on sunsets as not to forget them. Notating each color as it passes through the sky like a watercolor painting. 
Elkins asks us to inspect everything for its minute details out of fear that we might miss out on something bigger than we expected.