There are three female photographers who I absolutely admire for their style, but most importantly, for who they are inside: MeRa Koh, Christa Meola, and Jasmine Star. Last year, I attended MeRa’s CONFIDENCE workshop in Chicago. Last weekend, I virtually attended Christa Meola’s workshop that was broadcast live on creativeLIVE. I follow Jasmine religiously, and am going to try, oh so hard, to win a seat at her upcoming April workshop.
Because I aspire to be a successful photographer, I watch and listen intently to these women, and I observe and analyze. They’re just ordinary women who are extraordinary. So what makes them extraordinary (in my eyes)? I have observed some common characteristics in all three of these of women: they are completely comfortable with who they are, they make mistakes and they move on, they don’t know everything and don’t pretend to, they are completely open and honest with themselves and everyone around them, they are completely vulnerable, and they are comfortable with their vulnerability because they believe they are worthy.
Last year, I ran across a TEDxHouston video, Brene Brown: The Power of Vulnerability. The information in this video is priceless, and I refer back to it often. Here’s some of what I learned: “You have to believe you are worthy of love and connection. You have to have the courage to be imperfect. You have to have compassion, meaning you have to be kind to yourself first and then to others, and you will connect to others as a result of authenticity. You have to be willing to let go of who you think you should be, in order to be who you really are. Allow yourself to be deeply seen, love with your whole heart even though there’s no guarantee, practice gratitude and lean into joy, and believe you are enough.”
Here’s the video. It’s 20 minutes long, so grab a cup of tea and get comfortable.
Always remember: love yourself, then love others, and when something good happens in your life, don’t fight it, believe you deserve it, and enjoy the ride. You are worth it! Happy Valentine’s Day!!
