india – Promoting Passion

Promoting Passion Week 92: Letting GO

brookeshaden — Mon, 19 Oct 2015 14:32:14 +0000

Oh my friends, it has been a wild journey this year. And perhaps the biggest lesson I’ve learned is to let go. To let go of what holds you back, makes you feel scared, or tells you that you can’t achieve what your greatest hopes are. If we feel those negative feelings, if we feel held back, it is so often because we ourselves will not let go of what makes us feel safe. In a span of one week, between an experience I had in Chicago and hosting my Promoting Passion Convention, I had that epiphany. I realized that I could blame others for failures or, even, a lack of success, or I could own up to my shortcomings. Good things come most reliably when you change. Moving the thing that was blocking goodness from coming in is the way to move forward. And so I decided to remove that blockage.

A couple weeks ago, on the last night of PPC, I gave a closing statement to everyone gathered in our room. I recapped what we had talked about, and the ways in which we had grown together as a group. And then I made my final point, the thing that I felt that PPC was hinged on: Letting go. And so I did. I called for a pair of scissors, and in that moment, I hacked half of my hair off in front of everyone – a gesture, an invitation, for everyone to let go of something that holds them back.

Have you any idea how silly I am for caring so much about my hair? Chances are, you get it! It is just one of many things that we hold tight as something that defines us. Do you know that when I asked around if I should cut my hair, the number one response was “No, what about your pictures!”. Can you even believe that I listened to that horrible advice? “Yes,” I thought, “what about my pictures!”. And so I held on to my hair for the last six months. Until I had a revelation:

What kind of artist am I if the success of my images resides in my hair?

And that was when I realized something. I was holding myself back from changing fundamentally, from letting my images grow and expand, from being the person I knew I could be. And no, it isn’t all about hair. But that is a pretty darn good place to start. Think about something that you don’t want to let go of but have no real reason to keep it. That is probably a good place to start letting go. It could be something physical, like something you bought from a store, or maybe even your own hair. It could be something more emotional, like anger or stress. Pick one thing, and let it go. My bet is you will feel amazing.

I’ve noticed something fantastic since I chopped my hair off, too. And that is this: When I allowed myself to release one burden, many more fell away. I no longer felt trapped by who I am as an artist, I felt the freedom to grow and change as I wanted, and I felt emboldened to share more of my true self with those around me. Vulnerability comes with letting go, and with that vulnerability comes strength. I would rather be a stronger person because of being more raw and true, rather than building a casing around myself that no one can crack. There are two ways to fight a war.

I am going to be a bit quiet over the next three weeks as I travel. I have videos prepared for you but likely no way of pressing upload on them as I’ll be traveling between India, Cambodia, and Thailand with limited internet access. And I’m going to soak in every bit of it. I’ll update you when I can, and will share lots of videos when I return!

And for an update right now…I’m going to open THE LIGHT SPACE! Thank you all so much for supporting this project through and through. The Light Space is a photography school for survivors of human trafficking in Kolkata, India and thanks to your support, we finally have enough donations (monetary and equipment) to open the school and get things running. The Light Space is in partnership with Blossomy and New Light India, and my dear friend Amy Parrish will be teaching the first semester along with local guest instructors.

And did I mention I’m going jungle exploring in Cambodia/Thailand with Lindsay Adler? I’m still waiting to see if she brings hiking shoes instead of heals! Just kidding…mostly.

All my love during this grand adventure!

And a question…

What are you willing to let go of?

Promoting Passion Week 61: Birthday Reflections

brookeshaden — Mon, 09 Mar 2015 15:17:28 +0000

Last week was my birthday. I love birthdays. It is a chance to celebrate someone when, so often, we fail to do so. To be honest my husband and I don’t celebrate birthdays much. We say that we celebrate each other all the time, so there is no real need. But nonetheless, I love birthdays because of how reflective they make us. We think about our lives in terms of years, and we often find a way to define a certain year of our lives. For example, when I think of being 21, I think of it as a huge, life-changing age. I got married, graduated from college, moved across the country, and discovered photography. Big year! When I think of 26, I think of how I bought my first home. When I think of 16, I think about meeting the love of my life.

But aside from reflecting on the things we’ve done, it is a chance to start anew. It is a chance to evaluate if you really are the person you want to be, or if you need to change something. For me, there is always something to change. The only question is what I am going to change. I spent the last year of my life changing course. I stopped doing a lot of the things I had done before – business and personal – and laid the foundation for a new life. This year, I am living it. Year 28 will be one of discovering my dreams. Dreaming bigger. Dreaming in my own way. Letting dreams define me.

I emailed someone the other day about a big project I’m working on. His response was “This is an absolutely crazy idea”. And that made my heart soar with joy. “Yes,” I thought, “that is the kind of life I want to live.”

Getting older means learning lessons. It means failing miserably. It means succeeding wildly. It means changing perspective on life. And this is what it has meant to me:

1. Failing is winning for those willing to try hard.

2. Life cannot be quantified in years. If I died right now, I will have lived the best life possible. This I can say with absolute confidence and love.

3. I would rather be crazy than boring. After all, I am the only one I can count on to entertain myself.

4. Not everything will work out, because if it did, we wouldn’t be able to see the gems through the dust.

5. There is never an excuse for boredom.

6. Being present in all that you do means you will never feel like life has passed you by.

7. Being genuine will get you farther than attempting to please people.

8. When you refuse to compromise your beliefs, you attract like-minded people into your life.

9. If you treat failure like an old friend, he will always be there to help you back up when he knocks you down.

10. Kindness should never be dependent on someone else’s actions.

11. Fears are friends wearing masks. Get close enough to see the face of fear.

12. Give your love without need for reciprocation. Receive love like you deserve it.

13. The words “best” and “worst” should never be used to describe someone. We will only look foolish when we are proved wrong.

14. Tell someone why you love them.

15. Live your life to make someone else’s life better.

16. Look forward to each day you grow older. The alternative is death.

17. If you build a community, take care of that community.

18. Dream as though it will happen.

What I have learned this past year can be summed up in these words: Love wholly. Give repeatedly. Create selfishly. Challenge yourself regularly. Live beautifully.

Goodnight, 27.

Good morning, 28.

—

If you would like to send along a birthday gift (trust me, this is not a crazy narcissist sentence…) you can donate to the Fibromyalgia awareness campaign I have running, create an image with a butterfly to raise awareness, or join me on May 9 for the Caterpillar Walk. Alternately, you can donate photo equipment for the photography school I am starting in India for survivors of human trafficking – The Light Space. Signing up for the new After Dark conference will help donate to the school. Or simply check out my Giving Back page for ways to get involved.

Equipment Donation for Photo School in India

brookeshaden — Tue, 10 Feb 2015 19:17:07 +0000

As many of you know, I travel to Kolkata, India each year to work with survivors of human trafficking and abuse. I teach photography and storytelling in an effort to show how we are all connected by the stories we share. This year, I am taking this one step further by opening a photography training program. Last year I asked for your help in raising money for the program, and we raised about $20,000 to start the school. This has proved to be enough to run the school for one full year.

We have made great leaps forward during my last trip there and are almost ready to open the doors to the first class of 15 students. I am partnered with Blossomy, the amazing organization that I work through in India, as well as New Light, an organization in Kolkata to help survivors of human trafficking. The partnerships are in place, a location is rented, a curriculum has been set, we are securing the main instructors, and we will open doors officially in October 2015. Now it is time to fill the space…”The Light Space”, to be exact…a play on our partner organization’s name, New Light, and referencing the safe space that these individuals will have to create in.

We are looking for donations to run the school, as using our limited budget for equipment would deplete it quickly, and we need that money to go toward payment of instructors and rental fees.

What we need (any brands, new or used!):

DSLR Cameras
Lenses
Batteries/Chargers
Memory Cards
Tripods
Camera Bags
Laptops/Chargers

If you would like to donate, email me for an address.

My assistant will be gathering the equipment. This address expires in May, so please ship donations before MAY 2015. I will be sending HUGE THANK YOUs to everyone involved. And really, truly, thank you for aiding in the fight against human trafficking and for your generosity. Even if you cannot give anything at this time, thank you for reading and for spreading the word. You are light.

For any questions regarding donations, you can contact me through my website at:

www.brookeshaden.com/contact

Promoting Passion Video Blog: Photography School for Survivors of Human Trafficking

brookeshaden — Mon, 10 Feb 2014 15:14:44 +0000

I know that I can’t say in so many words what the video already does, but let me give this a short try. My life was changed last year when I visited Kolkata, India. I taught photography to survivors of human trafficking with emphasis on storytelling and confidence. We did self-portraiture and learned about the importance of finding your own voice and using art to tell it. After that experience I felt something was missing, and with the beautiful idea from Dave Junion in partnership with Blossomy.org, we decided to take it one step further:

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.

Donate to the
Photography School for Survivors of Human Trafficking