images of imperfection

As we wrap up our October's One Word Project, I am still basking in the glow of the beauty of imperfection. The ideas, images and affirmations that have been shared over the past month have been inspiring and motivating, to say the least. The integrity and authenticity of this community never ceases to amaze me.

What's stays with me now is knowing that we have engaged in a collective energy that goes far beyond just a creative photography project. We are seeing ourselves and the world around us through a more compassionate lens; embracing who we are as beautifully imperfect. That's a really big deal. Can you feel it?

As Brené Brown says in her book The Gifts of Imperfection, "choosing authenticity means cultivating the courage to be imperfect."

Here's to all of us for being brave as we have cultivated our courage together, declaring that being imperfect isn't just acceptable, it's beautiful. Keep those images of imperfection coming today as we flex our creative muscles of authenticity! If you would like Brene Brown to consider any of your images of imperfection from the month in the OWP for a video she is making in honor of the beauty of imperfection, please tag your images in our OWP Flickr pool "beauty of imperfection". Remember when you are tagging your shots with a phrase like this, you must use the quoation marks in your tag to keep the words together in your tag.

And how about a giveaway today to celebrate all this awesomeness? Leave a comment here between now and Thursday 11/4 at  midnight EST for a chance to win the cutest little camera ever: the Fujifilm Instax Mini.YAY!

A special thanks to the amazing Brené Brown for inspiring us along this path of beautiful imperfection; for the last 30 days and beyond.

As for our new word for November? Come back tomorrow when we announce it! We promise you'll have something wonderful to focus on.

vulnerabilty

Whether I introduce Brené Brown as a cherished and trusted friend (of which she most certainly is) or as an incredibly insightful and authentic author, researcher, and public speaker (all of which are equally true) I would say the exact same thing; that her work and message is really really important.

It seems I'm not the only one who thinks so. If you are already acquainted with Brené then I am not telling you anything you don't already know. If you have yet discover what she is sharing, then today is your lucky day. Not only is Brené's message available in her books and DVD but she can also be found on YouTube of all cool things. I invite you to listen in to one of her TED talks. Yes, I said TED talks. I told you I'm not the only one who thinks she's amazing! She spoke in both Houston and Kansas City on vulnerability and WOW!

Just listen to what Brené says about vulnerability:

"In our culture, vulnerability has become synonymous with weakness and imperfect now means inadequate. We associate vulnerability and imperfection with emotions like fear, shame, and scarcity; emotions that we don’t want to discuss, even when they profoundly affect every aspect of our lives.

To reduce our feelings of vulnerability, we wake up every morning, put on our game face, and rarely take it off - even at home. We use invulnerability as a shield to protect us from uncomfortable emotions and struggles with anxiety and self-doubt. But invulnerability has a price.

Vulnerability is indeed at the core of difficult emotions, but it is also the birthplace of  authenticity, courage, joy, love, belonging, accountability, innovation, inspiration, creativity, and spirituality. When we avoid or shut down vulnerability, we lose access to the experiences that give purpose and meaning to our lives.

  If we want to change the way we live, love, parent, teach, lead organizations, and build communities, we have to start with a conversation about vulnerability and imperfection - this is where our story begins."

- Brené Brown

With our celebration of imperfection this month, we are courageously telling our authentic stories. I'm so proud of us.

Today, lets share our vulnerable sides. We would love to see your images of tenderness, imperfection, and the poetry of vulnerability.

We are delighted to be giving away 2 two book/dvd sets (including the new book The Gifts of Imperfection, another gem, I thought It Was Just Me, and the awesome Hustle for Worthiness DVD) all from the amazing Brené Brown. All you have to do is leave a comment here between now and Saturday midnight EST to be included in the random drawing.

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Congrats to Jet and GwynnieB ; winners of this fab giveaway from Brene Brown!!

mannequin self

A window in Paris.

We prop our mannequin selves up in the window for everyone to see. Do you like her hat? How about her painted-on cheeks and lips, and exquisitely plastic skin? Surrounded by colorful distractions, everything is "perfect". If it weren't for her lonely eyes, you'd assume she was immeasurably content.

But her eyes tell the truth of the real person hiding behind them. Her mannequin self ignores her because she's flawed and has failed. She can be messy or mean or lazy. So she thinks that must mean she's unacceptable. She denis her existence, sometimes even to herself. But the energy it takes to maintain that picture is exhausting. Even worse, it's inevitably isolating. 

Today let's celebrate imperfection. Show us your photos that are beautifully flawed. And you probably know this by now, but if you want to read more (from a true expert) on the subject, Brene is hosting a protest against perfection. I, along with many, have been very inspired by that. And her. 

the creative path

Do you ever just get preoccupied in the day to day, the week to week, the month to month that you forget to stop and take a look back just for the sake of recognizing how far you've traveled?

We keep walking our creative paths; striving, sharing, expressing, working, playing, moving, and creating. There are days we skip along like children, effortless in joy and other we labor just to take one more step. But, we keep walking because as creative women, it's just what we do. We wouldn't have it any other way. But what about really taking stock of all that we've done? It's high time we do that for ourselves. Because we've all come pretty far. Wouldn't you agree?

I was fortunate enough to talk about the creative path with the inspiring Jamie Ridler for a podcast at the Creative Living Series.  Just talking with Jamie helped me reflect on my own creative journey and got me to slow down long enough to look back and acknowledge how far I've come and how my once-upon-a-time dream of gathering like-minded, like-hearted creative, photography loving women together has grown and is thriving. It left me so humbled and full of gratitude that my path has led me to all of you. 

You can listen in on the podcast at Jamie's site (CLICK HERE TO LISTEN).

And in celebration of each of us and this amazing place where we gather to share our passions, how about another Expressive Photography book giveaway? Consider it an expression of my love and gratitude. And I mean it with everything I am!

Share with us something from your own creative path today. Anything at all that celebrates how far you've come! Go you!

To be entered to win a copy of Expressive Photography just leave your comment here between now and Friday at midnight EST.

Congrats to Laura Gillmore/GenBug for winning a copy of Expressive Photography! Woot!

an invitation to integrate

Just the thought of writing these lines to you makes me teary.  There's a way in which this conversation is so close to my heart that it's hard to offer up and to let go.  It's so personal to me that I can only tell you these things if I imagine that you are here in this tea lounge, sitting next to me so I can lean in and look you deeply in the eyes.  So, if you were here with me, this is what I would say.

What we do is not easy.

With every image we shoot and each photo we share, we reveal something about the way we see the world, something about the eyes with which we are looking.  There's an inherent vulnerability to it, and also something that compels us to pick up the camera anyway.  Something within that says that our vision matters, even in the midst of internal and external choruses that disagree.

This is why we are photographers--it's not just because we like pretty pictures, it's because our vision matters.  Even if we are only clinging to this truth by a thread.

How we are seeing is central to our work, and if we are not seeing with our whole selves, our vision is incomplete.  And here's the obstacle: life has a fragmenting nature.  From early ages we experience hurt and disappointment, and vow to protect ourselves by playing it safe.  By sweeping parts of ourselves, our voice and our vision quietly under the rug.

But playing it safe has a cost all its own.

There's a way to invite those banished parts back into the picture, and an expansiveness that follows.  There's a kind of courageous stepping out beyond your constraints that is a coming home to yourself.

Your vision matters, and when you reach for that camera I want you take hold of it with your expansive, original, and utterly courageous self.

Come. We will find the way together.

And today we also invite you to share a photo that reveals something about the way you see the world.

Image and words courtesy of the lovely and talented Jen Lee. You can get to know Jen and learn more about her Integrate Retreats on her blog.