Surrealism is defined by releasing the creative potential of the unconscious mind. The idea is broad, and the results are limitless – after all, that is the point of surrealism. To never be constrained by your own limitations, our own smallness.

I love creating surreal works. It lets you break free of your conscious mind. We could all use a little more of that.

I’ll pull some of the art that I see this week to feature!
Use the hashtag #PromotingPassionChallenge so I can find you!

Here is some food for thought. Enjoy the challenge, and remember to push yourself creatively!

How often do you make something that surprises you?

As the great photographer Jerry Uelsmann once said, and I paraphrase – if he has any goal, it is to surprise himself.

I think that is one of the most profound statements an artist can adopt. It is so difficult to surprise ourselves. After all, we are ourselves. To do something so out of our usual comfort zone that even we are surprised by what we do or the outcome of what we do is my mission.

I found that recently I wasn’t very surprised by myself. And by recently, I mean the past handful of years. I took risks, but they were calculated. I took risks that weren’t really all that dangerous. So, were they risks at all if I have to categorize them as baby risks? Probably not.

When I started photography I would have done anything – misshapen bodies, weird contortions, grotesque imagery. I think that as my taste for imagery grew, so did my images. But, they became more normal.

I’m beginning to shed that.
I’m beginning to stand out.

I’m doing it in small steps. I’m working my way back to the macabre. But I’m going there, little by little, day by day.

(Well, not my spine. My elk spine.)

Essentially, it comes down to this. I want to be willing to look into a strangers eyes and not break eye contact. I want to be able to stand proudly with my art, as dark as it may be or become, and be willing to stand by it. I want to represent my art by not backing down, but presenting my vision and not caring if it is weird or makes me an outsider.

I’m working on it.

How often do you create something that surprises you?

When I began making images, it was entirely selfish. I wanted to have control over my creativity, I wanted to see how much I could learn. I enjoyed the process and soon I learned that I wanted a career. Half a year into creating, I knew that photography was becoming a much larger portion of my life than pure selfishness would allow. I wasn’t only creating for myself, I was creating for others.

For all of my creative adulthood I’ve been told by professors, other creatives, friends, etc., that you should ALWAYS create for yourself and not for others. After all, the hallmark of an Artist (with a capital A, of course), is that they create because they are compelled, because they have the muse within them, because they must.

As I became more motivated by creating for others, I started to wonder: Does that make me less of an artist? Does that mean I’m selling out?

[Which, if you’ll allow this side-note, I am DONE with the word “sellout”. Way too often we use that word to describe other people we are jealous of. Or a situation we don’t understand. Sometimes it is applicable, but it is too negative to fit into my vocabulary. End side-note.]

It took me years to reconcile these questions. And it took me years to train myself to create for the right reasons.
[Ie: Not the social media attention. We’re being honest here.]

Recently I was at an event where I was chatting with someone I would see occasionally at such events. Our conversation really stuck with me. This person praised me for really creating art for myself. I countered by explaining that I actually really love creating for others, too, and that a big motivating factor in my creation process is wanting to make something someone else will be touched by. I’ll never forget the look they gave me that was surprise mixed with a bit if disgust.

Reading between the lines, the word sellout formed in the air.

We had a discussion then about what it means to create for others vs. yourself, and there was a definite feeling that if you are a real artist, you create for yourself. This isn’t the first time I’ve encountered that way of thinking. I used to believe in it vehemently myself.

And, let’s be honest – I benefit tremendously from my art. On a personal level, of course, by feeling fulfilled and working my imagination. Financially, by affording a house. Energetically, by setting my own schedule. Spiritually, by traveling and learning about new cultures. My art is selfish in those ways, and I don’t want to trade that in.

But I would be lying if I said that I would have created everything that I’ve created if it was purely selfish. I am motivated by how much we can change the world through our actions. There are days when I didn’t want to create but the thought of who I might touch roused me into creative motion. If that sounds delusional, or self-centered, let me say two things:

1. It took me a long time to develop enough self-esteem to love my art and believe in the power one individual has to change the world.
2. I have witnessed how impactful art is for people, from fellow Americans in my workshops to girls in India who have never witness art like that, who understand the stories I’m telling even though our circumstances are radically different. I’ve seen art heal.

I think back often to 2009 when I had just started creating and I removed an image from the Internet because it didn’t have enough likes. Then my friend emailed asking where that image was, and I told her I removed it, and she told me I shouldn’t have because it brought her such peace after having a miscarriage.

I remember hearing from someone that they were going to take their own life, but after seeing an image of mine, they felt understood and didn’t go through with it.

These are stories I hear too often. And I’m not the only one. I’m not trying to insinuate that my imagery has magical healing powers. I’m not even trying to say that it is special in the grand scheme of the world. Who knows.

What I am saying is this: What we do with our time will touch the lives of others. We might as well create with the greatest impact for good.

That doesn’t mean what you create has to be cookie-cutter if you don’t want. My images are WEIRD, CREEPY, and UNSETTLING for many. Sometimes, most of the time, it is those exact qualities that resonate.

I remember being told for the first time, but absolutely not the last, that my work has no place in the art market. That no one would want to hang what I create on their walls. Whoever dares to tell an artist that doesn’t understand humanity. There is something out there for everyone. Right now, there is someone in the world who will benefit from seeing your art. It doesn’t matter what form it takes, how weird it is, or how normal. Someone out there needs you. Period.

1) Do you believe you have the
power to change the world for the better?

2) What value do you believe your art adds to the world?

Let me talk about something that is taboo: success. I have been successful in my career. Mind you, I was also saying this when I had not made any money yet, so my opinion may not be of sound mind. I remember when I got my first gallery show. I lost money, no one bought anything, and I had just quit my job with the starry-eyed belief that I was about to be wealthy from my art. Despite that not happening, I felt successful in all the ways that ever mattered to me. I have always felt trapped by success, too. When I created my very first image I remember feeling indebted to that vision. I believed that I had to continue creating like that to remain popular, successful. As time went on that feeling only got stronger. My art evolved, but safely.

As I found more success (again, this is very subjective), I found more trappings holding me back from where I knew I could go. As I made more money I felt reliant on those ways of earning. As I saw reactions to my art that were positive I felt a pull to create more of that positive feeling. As I became known for something, I felt fraudulent should I change directions. This is what no one talks about with success – how very suffocating it can be.

That last statement is precisely why this is a taboo subject – what about people who aren’t successful? “Are you so elitist that you’re going to talk about success?” Before those statements get shouted about, let me share why this is so important.

1. I want you to succeed massively.
2. I believe we all succeed in big and small ways. (The ways I have succeeded will be big to some and small to others, it is a matter of perception).
3. I want to redefine success in a healthy way.

Over the past 8 years of business, I have gone from losing money to earning money, from creating art that I love to art that I didn’t love and back again. I’ve experienced genuinely incredible people who have helped me and genuinely horrendous acts of selfishness. I’ve been lost and found so many times I should create a box on my shelf labeled “Lost & Found” to make things easier. I’ve been obsessively committed to my work and I’ve pushed it away.

Over those 8 years of running a business, I’ve learned a lesson that only just sank in. I was 22 years old when I became self-employed and plowed forward to carve a career. I thought that what I did in that moment would define the rest of my life. I thought that the choices I made then were the choices I would carry with me until I died. I had no perspective. I had no sense of the world and how massive it is, or how willing the world is to forget. I thought I had made my bed and I was prepared to lie in it. And I was so, so happy doing that. I love the choices I made, I love the life I live, and I am not ashamed to say that it is wonderful. But, it is incomplete.

We contain multitudes, said Whitman. We contain multitudes that allow us to be/do/see/explore/create so many things. And herein lies the problem with success: it tricks us into thinking that we have found the one thing we are good at and that we must gently rest in that place forever.

I am not accustomed to resting, just ask anyone who knows me.

Joesph Campbell found that all stories are the same – the hero goes on a journey, discovers something about him/herself and the world, battles his/her dragons and then comes full circle to tell about it. And then that hero goes again on another journey, and another, and another. What we are doing right now in our lives does not have to be what we always do. In fact, I would argue, it shouldn’t be. There are too many unexplored curiosities, too many multitudes.

The fear in exploring unknown places is in thinking we will leave behind what we used to be. Never, ever is that true, nor a possibility. We take what we have learned and done and sew that into the fabric of our new lives.

I am still happily a photographer, but one day I may not be. Who can say? What I do know is that all I have learned from this path so far will bleed into the next, and I will be better for it.

You may feel that where you are in your life right now is where you will always be. You may feel like you are trapped or held back in some way. I hope you will join me in recognizing that our worth is not necessarily tied up in what we do and how we define ourselves; it is evident in our willingness to change and the belief we must have in our abilities to do so.

What is success, then, if not money or status?

1. Success is the forward momentum of your dreams.
2. Success is recognizing when your dreams are changing, and chasing them anyway.
3. Success is moving boldly on your path without concern for who follows you.

This is the lesson I have learned: Rarely are people buying the art, they are buying the soul of the art. We put labels on our life so that we can better manage them, like “photographer”, “educator”, “writer”. Where, though, do those labels come from? What makes us choose one over another? If we back away from the labels and ask ourselves why we are drawn to those things that we do, the answer is clear. If you constantly follow your WHY, your greatest passion and the reasons that come with it, your life can never be defined by a single label. When WHY is more important that HOW and WHAT, you have found your genius, your muse, your inspiration. You have found yourself.

I took a trip to Argentina last week. For the past 10 years I have talked about traveling to Patagonia and it finally happened. I went with no intentions of making images there. I needed to be entirely outside of my norm. And, after I finished hiking and exploring, the most interesting thing happened. I wanted to create. I deeply desired to play with my camera and make something, even though I had expressly given myself permission not to.

This is the interesting part of allowing yourself to do what you want or be who you want to be: you will always end up completely, authentically YOU. I found myself in this creepy, run-down Airbnb apartment. Though it was a little undesirable to sleep in, it awakened my passion. I had just seen glaciers and snow-capped mountains, scenery like I’ve never witnessed before, yet there I was, in this little creepy apartment, and all I wanted was to create there. Just as I started out in my own small, rather disgusting little apartment, I found my creativity awakened.

Life has a funny way of pulling you back to your roots, of making you question why you do what you do. I found my answer sitting in that bed. I create to show beauty in darkness, and I’ve been learning all about how to create beauty through a camera. But now it is time for the darkness, and oh, I’ve been learning darkness, too. I’m ready to create. I don’t know what to call what I’ll do next. I haven’t figured it out.

But it’s December, and I’m sharpening my knife.

Do you ever try to stuff yourself into the life of someone that you know you’re not but think you should be? Of course. We all do it in one way or another. We take jobs we know we don’t want, or go places we don’t really want to be, or even keep friends that don’t fit our lifestyle anymore. One of the ways I have done this is to overexert myself with traveling. Home is my heart in so many ways. But, just like fitting a mould, I wanted to love traveling. And, in so, so many ways, I do. I love experiencing new things. I am a good traveler and I entertain myself easily. I have adored my experiences.

It is not, however, where I cultivate my best self.

I have been traveling what feels like nonstop for years. I wrote about this recently when I talked about learning to say ‘no’. I want to go in more detail about why I feel the need to say no, and it isn’t just because of taking the “right” kinds of jobs or being tired or taking care of my health. It is much deeper than that.

I returned home from a trip last week, which I had been looking forward to because I knew it was my last trip until I had a full two months off from travel. I haven’t had two months off from travel in two years. I got home and after jet lag finally went away, I settled immediately into my happy place – my routine. Wake up just before 5am, hike, yoga, finish my emails, work on business and then dedicate myself to creativity, whether that be reading, writing or photography. I was drinking my yucky looking (but very yummy) green smoothies and finding more energy and getting overly excited about the little things, like moths and falling flowers and blue skies.

I was home – physically in my body, and in my mind.

I know, that sounds like hippie nonsense. But it is true in every sense. My body feels better, physically. My mind feels more focused. I am being more prolific. My desire to create is in full force. My ideas are flowing more naturally. I am more in tune with my deepest inspiration rather than the shallow variety (oh yes, there are many types of inspiration).

What an absolute joy to be in sync with yourself. For me, traveling feels like being out of sync.

I want to find deeper ideas, but they won’t come. I want to explore, but I am tired. I find an idea, but I don’t feel like creating it. My camera feels like a burden. My writing falls short. Out of sync.

I didn’t quite realize the extent of how bad I was feeling until this morning. I woke up smiling, I answered my emails so happily, with so much joy. I did yoga outside on a rock with the blazing sunrise behind me. I gave thanks for every little thing. It is easy to fall into a routine that isn’t natural to your being. Those kinds of routines feel like necessity, like waking up for a job you don’t like or traveling constantly or always being ‘on’ for social functions. Those routines can be learned but they don’t always bring joy. I woke up remembering what it feels like to, with my whole heart, desperately want to be in the life I am living.

I desperately want to be in the life I’m living.

What a way to feel, right? Now I have a standard to measure my decisions against. Would I feel desperate to live that moment, or would I rather let it pass?

Am I living in my bliss, or am I faking someone else’s?

What circumstances do you need to feel your best?

I’d love to hear the ways you feel your best, and maybe we can all learn a tip or two from any responses! Mine starts in being grounded (home), having routine (yoga/hiking, designated email time, etc.), and being able to set my schedule.

At the Promoting Passion Convention this year we will talk in depth about how to find/chase and be inspired by the life you want to live. How to creatively go after it, how to passionately live in it, and how to then encourage others to do the same. I’ve watched lives transformed from talking about this topic in the past and it is a beautiful thing.

Join us for PPC 2017 this year in Buffalo, NY from September 8-10, 2017. Spaces are very limited.

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?