A Life in Looking: Notes on Beauty, Love, and the Things I Notice

2026
Journal

Black and white self portrait of Malik Adegbola reflected in a train window at night.

I have always paid attention to small things. Not always intentionally, but naturally. A street I have never walked before, the light on a building, a quiet gallery, a record shop, a good coffee, the way someone dresses without trying too hard, a meal after a long day, or time spent with someone I love.

Those things stay with me. They are not always big moments, but they shape how I see the world. I think a lot of my taste comes from that. Looking closely, noticing what feels honest, and understanding when something does not need too much added to it.

When I travel, I like to walk. I like seeing how a city moves before I try to understand it. The buildings, the shops, the signs, the people, the quiet corners, the places you find without planning to. Sometimes the best part of a city is not the landmark. It is the ordinary street beside it, or the café you walked into because something about it felt right.

Yellow record shop storefront on a London street with brick buildings beside it.

View of Canary Wharf and riverside buildings in London on a bright day.

I also believe in beauty as something simple and everyday. A good object. A well made jacket. A room with the right light. A book layout. A chair. A cup on a table. These things do not need to be loud to have presence. They just need to feel considered.

Love is part of that too. It changes the way ordinary moments feel. A walk, a train ride, a quiet evening, even doing nothing. I like that kind of romance. The kind that lives in attention, care, and being present. A life that feels shared, not just built.

Contemporary art is what I connect with most because it leaves room for feeling. It does not always explain itself right away, and I like that. Sometimes it is minimal, strange, quiet, bold, unfinished, or hard to place. It gives you space to look first and understand later.

I am still learning what kind of creative person I am becoming, but I know I want my work to stay close to how I live. Thoughtful, human, shaped by culture, but not chasing it. I care about work that feels clear, restrained, emotional, and honest.

Mostly, I want to keep looking. The more I pay attention, the more I understand what I care about.

Credits:

Writing — Malik Adegbola
Photography — Malik Adegbola
Year — 2026