What are yours?

Do not beat yourself up for the areas you are lacking, but instead identify them and draw up a game plan to fix them.

I’ve got some major flaws. One is my disorganization. Another is my forgetfulness. I am sensitive and I’m scared…and I could go on and on. But having weaknesses does not make a person weak. Identifying what those weaknesses are makes one strong, and figuring out how to change your weaknesses can make you invincible.

If you are honest with yourself, no one can tell you something that you don’t already know. Think about how powerful that is! So this week, find the strength in your weakness. Figure out how to take control of your life. And celebrate what makes you awesome…because you are.

But then I got older, and I thought a lot more about what it means to truly be a leader. It doesn’t mean that you have people following your every move, or that you speak in front of big groups of people, or that you make epic speeches like in the movies. It is a solidarity with oneself, a resolve to do what makes your heart sing, and the confidence to move forward without following someone’s footsteps.

We are all leaders and we are all followers. What matters most is not whether you are predominantly one or the other, but if you are leading yourself. The rest will follow.

How often, in your own life, do you choose the road less traveled? How often do you give yourself permission to go where no one has gone before, or to do something out of your comfort zone. It is easier to follow because it is safe. We find security in knowing that someone else has been through what we will go through. Yet someone had to be first. Everything starts with something. Don’t live your life with someone else’s decisions.

Take hold of what is dear to you. Lead yourself through the unknown and trust in your instincts. Know that you have the power to pull yourself up should you fall, the ingenuity to break new ground, and the love of self to know it is worth it. The greatest things in this world are achieved through personal exploration. Do what you love because you love it. Don’t search the internet for an instruction manual. If you should fall, you will get back up. Falling is not failing, it is a lesson learned on the way to success.

Move bravely on your journey, and you may soon find others following in your footsteps.

Ideas come and go. They are planted and buds spiral and we watch them grow up, but even then they need to be watered. We look forward to a time when our ideas become successes so that we have something to work toward. But to answer the question of “Does it get easier?”…I have to say, not really. And that’s how it should be.

Sometimes things get easier. Sometimes your little idea grows into a big idea and then you’re finished. You did what you set out to do and boom, it is complete. But most ideas, the ones that really come from our hearts, are never left to the wayside to just be. They are nurtured and cared for as long as possible. And such is true with artists. To be an artist is to put your heart and soul into your work, and to abandon that project would be to disconnect the artist from the art.

I used to think that I would reach a certain point in time when I didn’t have to work as hard or worry as much. And in some ways, this is true. But in most ways, it is so far from the truth. I think constantly about what my next photo series will be because that is what keeps my heart thumping. I think all the time about how I can use the educational platforms I’ve been given to empower and inspire. And I will never, ever stop these things because they are my passion. If I let them go, I would be lost.

Every single time I post a new workshop online, my stomach tenses up, I hide from my computer, and I cry. This is not an exaggeration. There will always be things that make me worry and stir my nerves, but that doesn’t mean it is a bad thing either. It is okay to worry from time to time, or feel less than spectacular, because it means you care. If you didn’t feel that sometimes, you’re probably not terribly invested in your project.

Does it get easier? Yes and no. Yes, because you learn to understand your own process and how that process will be received. Yes, because you learn about who you are and why you do the things you do, and suddenly you are so connected to them that not much else matters. But I have to say no, it doesn’t get easier when it comes to putting your all into your passions. And sometimes that means that you worry, and other times that means you get to experience the euphoria that is the AH-HAH moment we all dream of.

Should it get easier? I don’t think so. We strive for so much because we are beautiful creative creatures meant to put our stamp on our own little worlds. And as long as we’re pursuing what makes us unique, we will do whatever it takes, from beginning to end, to nurture our special journey.

And suddenly, by the time the sentence was out of her mouth, I was.

Nothing actually changed in that moment. Nothing qualified me to be an artist. But suddenly, I was, simply because I believed.

I feel like I have some elusive secret hiding inside when in fact it is the most obvious thing I can think of. There is nothing qualifying me, no piece of paper stating a fact about a college degree, and certainly no merits that somehow make what I do “art” instead of an alternative. The only truth is what I believe.

All of this seemed particularly poignant when recently I was filling out a piece of paper for a lecture I was preparing to give. On the piece of paper, it asked, “Tell us about your educational experience (to get the crowd excited):” to which I responded, “I fail all the time, and so I learn”. I feel fairly certain that was not the answer anyone was looking for, but it was the only answer I could think to give. A lot of formal training will not prepare someone half as well as the inevitable trying and failing of your art. In fact, trying and failing is what makes what we do an art.

So, what makes you qualified to be an artist? Everything and nothing, and this is the truest thing I know. You may not have formal training. You may not have prestigious awards recognizing your talent. But the moment you take time to recognize your own talent, the world will catch up. When you believe in what you do, others will follow. When you let everyone know that your art is worth creating, it becomes relevant.

There does not exist, in my experience, a power so great as the power we hold within.

Networking and socializing and an endless rambling of achievements does not so much as come close enough to tickle the power of kindness, confidence, and creation. The more we create for ourselves, the more others will appreciate what we create. Our art has no merit based on the amount of people that think it is great. Our art has merit simply when we believe it does. If others follow, our art is not built up or diminished but simply accepted personally into the hearts and minds of those who would identify with our stories.

I ask for no greater power than to share a story with a stranger. I want no greater responsibility than to spread kindness and I want no greater gift than to receive it in return.

The next time you find yourself pondering if you yourself are an artist, answer boldly and bravely that you are. Because in that moment when you whisper to the artist within, the Artist will answer out loud.

We become scared to share our work with others because we fear we will have to answer to someone about why we create, or how we create, or about the decisions that went into creating. It is a wonderful to know these things for ourselves, but we never have to answer to anyone about why we do what we do. That is personal and no one can demand the answers of us.

I personally love sharing the why especially. I don’t like laying out a whole story necessarily about the meanings behind the image, but I do love sharing my inspirations and thoughts behind my pictures. That does not mean, however, that I like to defend myself. I love for people to have their own opinions. I think it’s quite interesting when someone dislikes a picture, just the same as when someone likes it. And the reason I feel that I can separate myself from critique is because I understand that I don’t have to answer to anyone.

Opinions are not fact, yet so often we take them as such. We allow the thoughts of others to penetrate our own and suddenly we believe them as though they are fact. This is something that happens to most people at one time or another. It has happened to me. I’ve never met someone who this hasn’t happened to. And it is no one’s fault in particular. If we only blame those who use negativity as a driving force in their lives, we are no better.

We must understand that how we perceive and react to a situation is under our control. Someone may not like what you do. Someone may criticize what you do. Someone may say something mean about what you do. Yet that does not mean that we must take all of those things at face value.

If we understand that we do not have to answer to anyone else…if we understand that we can choose to react in any way we want to a situation…if we understand that our own opinions should be held at a higher standard…then we might be able to break free of those things that hold us back in creating our art.

It is good to be confident in what you do – to like it and feel the power in it. Because even though we can all grow and learn, we should understand that where we are right now is a great place to be: moving forward and taking control of our circumstance. So tell me, what do you love about what you do? Leave a comment letting me know, and a link to your work if you’d like to share.

Own it! Be confident in your craft. Know your worth and find solace in it. And remember that it is a great thing to understand why you create, but that you never have to share that with anyone but yourself.

*I love exploring the dark side of my imagination and I am resolved that if an image is too dark for someone’s taste, I will not apologize. I will recognize the difference between us and appreciate our uniqueness.*

A self-sustaining photography school free for survivors of human trafficking.

This is where we hope to have your help and support. The incredible photo community is one of a kind and I believe that if everyone donated just one dollar, the could fund this project. I am so hopeful, nervous to ask, humbled, and eager to see this project off the ground. So many emotions running through my body…so I’ll leave it there. I’ll let the campaign page say it all.

And if we do nothing else today, let’s promote passion in our own lives and in the lives of others.

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