I’m in labor, creatively speaking. I’ve reached the point in the delivery process where my legs have been thrown into the stirrups and it’s time to push. There is no turning back now. I am a bit scared and I’m definitely feeling vulnerable. But there isn’t time to indulge in that now because the pressure of what wants to be born is bearing down inside me and ready or not, it’s coming out.
This project has been in gestation for months.
It all began when a friend asked me to teach a class on Lightroom, a photo editing software, and I agreed. At the end of our first class together she said I’d also like to learn about my camera, can you show me how to use it? I said, of course, and we planned another time to get together. You know, you should teach classes like this, she suggested.
My wheels started spinning.
I love photography, I love people and I love to help. (And I had this secret DARING dream of creating an e•course.)
My vision board for DARE which was my word for 2014. The upper left corner represents my dreams for creating an online e•course.
Months went by and I had done little more than think about it. Then, in October, I met my mom in Albuquerque for the International Balloon Fiesta and over that weekend something shifted. I had been reading The Desire Map by Danielle LaPorte and working through the exercises to determine my Core Desired Feelings. Danielle’s work is based on the idea that all of our goals in life are driven by our deepest desires to feel a certain way and if we can clearly identify the ways that we most want to feel, we can do what needs to be done to generate those feelings every day. She calls it creating goals with soul. I shared my discoveries with my mom… The ways I most want to feel are Vibrantly Alive, Free, Inspired, Open-hearted, Connected and Full. I spilled all my ideas out in my mom’s generous listening and my creative wheels began spinning faster than ever before.
*Sidenote: There is something so incredibly powerful about sharing with someone that really believes in you. If you feel stuck, unsure or scared, find those people in your life and let them love you by lending their ear and reaffirming their faith in you.
On the plane ride home I wrote through the final exercises of The Desire Map and my own personal goals with soul found their way onto the page before me. These were the things that would have me feel the way I most wanted to feel.
I started a task list, created a timeline, wrote down things to research, people to consult and what I knew needed to happen to make this thing a go. I had clearly reached my tipping point and things were gaining speed.
In just over six weeks the Everyday Photography Workshop will launch. It’s an online class that will teach participants all the things they need to know to be comfortable with their camera and take great photos. From a distance it looks like a course about aperture and shutter speed and all that jazz. And it is.
But it isn’t.
Photography is about recognizing the beauty in an ordinary moment. It’s about capturing something that is fleeting as a way to hold it and keep it close. It’s about trying on various perspectives, sharing how you see the world and telling your stories. It’s about truth and dignity and honor. It’s about celebrating all this life has to offer.
But, understanding how to use your camera is the first key to unlocking those gifts, so we are going to start there. We will cover technical terms like metering and learn photography lingo like opening up. We’ll talk about how to take great portraits and how to frame a shot for maximum impact. I’ll show them how to find things on their camera and explain what that button actually does. It’ll be practical and useful and informative.
And I trust it will open up a world of light and possibility unlike anything they have ever known.
If you want to learn more about the workshop click here.
