When I was walking round Ashton the other day taking photographs I went into a light trance where everything I came accross- tired mothers pushing strollers, boarded up buildings, graffiti-covered bus stops- seemed wonderfully interesting and significant and beautiful. It was as if I were seeing beneath the skin of things.

This is what Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi calls "flow".

See http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0060920432/103-1670535-2895819?v=glance

He has a website, too, but I can't find the URL right now.

When I learned about this a few years ago, I was surprised that a)there was a name for it, and b) even though it's something I know well, not everyone experiences it and it is much sought after.