Has your story already started? How will you continue it? What messages do you want it to convey? What is your character like? Where does it take place? What conflicts do you run into? What makes you sing with joy?

The simple fact is that most people don’t see their lives as a story. So many people sit back and let life happen instead of taking control and sculpting it to be as they wish. A writer would never simply scribble words down on the paper without thinking about their meaning. A photographer does not idly point and click and hope to find a masterpiece in their camera. And so should a person take from the same ideology, that instead of waking up each day and going through the motions of life, take control and live it.

I believe that seeing life in this way will help the artist in anyone. It doesn’t matter if you create art traditionally or not: everyone is part artist because an artist is someone who sees the world a little bit differently and acts on it. So everyone has an artist within, and it is up to each individual if they release those stories. By understanding how to not only see, but live life with more intent and more story, you begin to understand more about how stories are told, why they are worth living, and how to put that out into the world.

2. Define what kind of character you are or want to be. Are you strong and bold? Weak and timid? Shy but fearless? How would you describe the character you are playing now, and how would you describe the character you want to be? Who are your favorite characters from books, shows, movies? And why do you love them so much? I am always changing the person I am into the person I want to be, and I will never stop because my life experiences change how I see the world. Strive to write yourself into the character of your dreams.

3. Every character needs a good story arc. Create a goal for yourself or for your art, or both! When you create a dream for yourself, your days are spent contributing to the fulfillment of that dream. Every character in a movie, TV show or book will have a goal they are trying to achieve – it could be an epic saga, a huge journey, or personal growth – and very often, it is many things rolled into one. So set a goal for yourself and work to achieve it every single day so that your book pages are filled with meaning.

In the same way that we craft our art, we must write our story in order to live it.

I do dumb things all the time. Like that time I thought it would be a good idea to buy 300 copies of my own book, only to realize that it is very difficult to travel with so many books. Thus, I have a lot of books just sitting in my living room like some crazy narcissist.

There was that other time when I thought it would save time and energy if I just sent 100 different galleries the same e-mailed plea as to why I thought I should have my work represented by them. Every gallery turned me down because of my time and energy saving methods.

A few years ago I was rushing to get to a shooting location in the forest. By the time I had my camera set up it was so dark I could hardly see what I was shooting, yet I did it anyway. The only problem was that I had wrapped about 10 feet of yarn around my head and couldn’t get it off while in the dark without scissors. I drove to the nearest gas station before nearly cutting off my air supply, all the while chuckling gravely at how strange a death scene that would have been.

One time (re: a lot more than one time) I failed to answer emails and then left them for months because I would start to panic every time I opened my inbox (re: re: this is happening right now).

I went to the grocery store in my favorite skirt, went to the bathroom, and came out with that same skirt tucked into my underwear in the back. Thank you random kind lady for letting me know before I got to the dairy aisle. Yes, that was highly embarrassing.

You are going to do some pretty stupid things. From whacking your head on a tree branch to royally messing up a business deal, things happen, and sometimes they happen often. In fact, sometimes it feels like all you’re doing is messing up. But even though there are endless opportunities to make mistakes, there are the same amount of opportunities to get it right.

Laugh at yourself. Realize that few things are really that serious. Laugh at yourself because if you do it first you recognize your mistakes and take responsibility. Laugh at yourself because you know how short life is, and it can’t be spent in misery. Laugh at yourself for the mistakes you’ve made and the mistakes you will make.

Remember that whacking your head on tree branches is a sign of growth, no matter how much it might hurt, so wear that bruise with pride. And next time you’re out remember to keep your chin up, because you never know where the next tree branch will come from and you don’t want it to smack you in the head.

Tomorrow I’m going out to shoot another red yarn wrapped around the body picture, and this time I am determined not to asphyxiate myself or anyone else in the process. See? Always learning.

So, what dumb things have you done?

In the few times that I have photographed industry models, I have had a much harder time getting what I want. Most people aren’t used to modeling, and that is what I count on when it comes to taking a picture. I don’t want the model to run through 100 poses based on practicing in front of a mirror. That has it’s time and place, but that time and place is never when and where I’m working. I need someone who can become a character. I need someone who has no preconceived notions about what a model does or does not do.

When I shoot, I shoot quickly and decisively. I tell the subject how to pose, often times demonstrating what I mean, and if that doesn’t work, I pose them myself. The great thing about friends is twofold. Usually they are very open to the weird ideas I have and strange poses I pull sometimes. The other good thing is that you have less pressure when trying to get a shot. They are will to go above and beyond for you because they care about you.

In this video you’ll see two different photo shoots. One is with Olivia Clemens, who has been modeling “unofficially” for the last 4 years or so. The other is with KD Stapleton who has had next to no modeling experience. Even though one is very experienced while the other is not, I believe the images, as far as final intent goes, turned out quite equal and I adore photographing them both equally.

I hope that you’ll feel encouraged to create no matter who it’s with. Every person has the potential to be a model, or a character in your story.

Every story is worth being told.

So create…no matter what. Challenge yourself and others to be something more than what meets the eye.