It’s easy to make videos alone in my studio back home when I have total control of the content creation process.

But when I’m travelling and I can hear and see people having fun in the sun, I don’t want to draw attention to myself creating content. It doesn’t take long before the combination of feeling self-conscious and the fear of missing out on the fun makes me want to give up before I start.

Before I know it, I am home from my travels and I have no content created. Yes, there are some personal photos of me and my loved ones enjoying ourselves, but it’s not the same. I know there was more I could have expressed and created.

Sometimes it’s super important to put your phone away and fully immerse yourself in your time away from work. But sometimes it’s good to let these exotic destinations activate our creativity. 

Personally I always get BIG downloads from the Universe whenever I travel. Yes, I can write them down in my journal, but I also want to express and share my experiences with my community.

So with today’s post, I’m sharing 6 Tips To Help You Take Better Photos + Videos On Vacation. 

Got any tips for me while I’m away? Share them below and I’ll try them out this week.

As human beings we’re constantly changing, and sometimes it’s nice to look back at photos and remember how far we have come.

For today’s #TipTuesday I want to share one super simple tip to help you better light your next selfie (or even your next Instagram or Facebook video). If it has been a long time since you took a photo of yourself, remember to be gentle and patient with the process.

Bad lighting will: 

1. distract your audience

2. make you look tired

3. discourage you from wanting to take photos or videos of yourself in the future

Good lighting will help you: 

1. look more professional

2. look more attractive

3. feel better about yourself

And when you feel better you are more willing to take up space and let your light shine. 

You don’t need fancy equipment; I made today’s video with my phone. And let’s be honest—most of the new smart phones have incredible cameras.

Just remember that while photos are a great way to grow your business and your brand, they can also be a deeply personal experience. You can do it just for yourself, to document your life.

So have fun, create beautiful things and celebrate yourself as often as possible.

Love, Light + Laughter, 

D

PS: I am curious… how many photos of yourself (aka Selfies) did you take in 2019? How many do you want to take in 2020?

TBD

Do you know what generates more profit and grows my business faster than anything else I’ve ever done? Creating and sharing social media content from my heart. But before I can dive into the writing process and let my heart sing, I focus my energy by asking myself the following 6 questions:

1. Is there a clear deadline for the post? 

Without a deadline, nothing gets done. In order to stay consistent, create a deadline for yourself and make it unmovable. 

2. Can you make the post shorter?

It’s easy to fall in love with your own ideas, but don’t get too attached to your words. The shorter your post, the clearly your message. 

3. Who are you talking to? 

You can’t speak heart-to-heart to a demographic. Your answer to this question should be a person, not an audience. To sound more conversational in your writing, picture a specific person on the receiving end of your post.

4. Are you formatting for social media? 

Avoid writing one giant blob of text and hitting publish. Break up your content into paragraphs and it’ll be much easier to read.

5. Do you have an amazing photo or graphic for your post? 

This is easier than you think. There are so many amazing tools out there, many of which are free. My favourites are Unsplash and Canva. 

6. What value does your post provide? 

• Education: Something your reader can implement in their life. 

• Entertainment: Make your readers laugh, put them on the edge of their seats, or show them something beautiful. 

• Personal Story: Bring your reader closer to your heart by sharing a very personal story about your life. 

• Celebrate: You can celebrate your wins—or better yet, celebrate your community! (This is the concept behind my Coach of the Week content.) 

• Offers: Don’t forget to share your magic with the world. If you really believe in the value of your skills and know you can be of service to others, please don’t hold back! I try to make an offer once every 2 weeks. 

Hopefully this checklist was helpful. I want you to succeed and so does the Universe. 

Finding a photographer to work with is not as simple as looking for someone who takes beautiful photos. You also need to consider if working with this person will help you grow your impact and your business.

If you’re thinking about having your photos taken in 2020, I want you to have a great experience and to feel good about the decision you’ve made. I’ve put together a couple points to help you find the photographer who is right for you.

Here’s a list of 16 questions you can ask yourself before hiring a photographer:

1. Do I love their photos? (If not, keep searching.)

2. Do they work with leaders in my field? (Check their portfolio.)

3. Will their style of photography connect with my audience / potential clients?

4. Will our personalities work well together?

5. What is their process for taking the best photos possible? (Do they have a process?)

6. Will the photographer take time to understand and know me as a person?

7. Will the photographer take time to understand my goals for these photos?

8. How long will we shoot for? (There’s a big difference between 15 minutes and 5 hours.) 

9. Where will we shoot? (Do they have a studio? Does the location fit my brand?) 

10. Will they guide me on how to prepare for the shoot? 

11. How many photos will I receive in the end?

12. How many of the photos I receive will be retouched or edited?

13. What is their editing style like? (Some photographers can over-edit.)

14. How long will it take them to get me the final photos after the shoot? 

15. Am I free to use the photos any way I like?

16. Do they have testimonials from real humans I know and respect? 

These questions will help you discover whether working with this photographer will get you closer to your goals. Feel free to save this post and refer back to it at a later date.

Happy #TipTuesday everyone!

Followers are fun, but whats the point of doing social media if your business and your impact aren’t actually growing?

In the last year, I’ve started to generate $15K - $20K in business per month from social media. And in doing so, I’ve learned a lot of things that really work, as well as a LOT of mistakes.

Sneak peek:

You DON’T have to buy ads or spend a ton of money before you see results. You don’t have to be pushy or be constantly asking people for stuff either.

In today’s video, I’m sharing 4 super simple tips to help you grow your business and generate money through social media. Send this video to someone you know whose social media strategy needs some love!

Coming soon.

I just popped out of my morning meditation and had to share this story. I have not washed my face yet. Not brushed my teeth yet. It’s so fresh—I am literally in my pyjamas in this video and even as I type these words. 

The last 24 hours have blown me away. There is certainly a lot more than just meditating that went into this, but without it I would not have gotten the $27,000. That’s for sure. 

I share this story not to show off, but to inspire others to explore meditation and the power of belief and action. 

Do you guys meditate? Have you ever experimented with using meditation as a magnet to pull in your dreams and goals? If so, please share. This stuff is so freaking cool!

I had to share this story. It's still super fresh. I am literally in my pyjamas as I make this video and type these words. I have not washed my face yet. Not brushed me teeth yet. I just popped out of my morning meditation and had to share this story.

1. I hid behind the brilliance of other people.

I used to caption my photos on social media with lyrics from badass songs and Rumi quotes. I was so caught up in looking “cool” that I ended up hiding my heart behind other people’s brilliance. Ultimately, didn’t allow my audience to feel close to the real me because I was afraid of what people would think. 

2. I focused on the wrong metrics.

3 years ago I got twice as many likes per post as I do today. But 3 years ago, I was making $5,000 a month as a photographer, and this year I am averaging $15k per month. As likes went down, profit went up. When I started to focus on bringing real value to the lives of a niche audience, I connected more deeply with my dream clients. It took a couple bruises to my ego to learn this lesson.

3. I searched for the perfect words.

I added all sorts of fancy words because I badly want to be understood and respected. But each word created distance between my heart and the audience. I now know that the TRUTH is not in the words you use; it’s what you feel in your heart. And the closer your audience feels to your heart, the faster you can work with them.

4. I didn’t take enough risks.

There’s a direct correlation between content that nauseates me and content that leads to paid bookings from my dream client. In fact, my most profitable post this year is the one where I shared that I have $43,000+ of debt. If you would have told me this last year, I’d call you crazy. But as it turns out, knowing that I am REAL matters just as much as my ability to take great photos. 

5. I asked for money too often.

Last year, every post had an ask. It wasn’t forceful; just a part at the bottom of each post that had a call to action to my promo for that month. I’ve stopped doing this for 80% of my posts. My philosophy changed here: I focus on delivering SO MUCH VALUE that my audience feels inspired to contact me. And before we talk about my current promo, I want us to talk about life first. By the time we’re ready to talk about photos, the conversation is less about “Should I book?” and more about “When will I book?”

Have you made any of these mistakes too? Please tell me it's not just me. Share your fave from my list above or share your own below, so that we can all grow together. #strongtogether

So many of us only follow one type of person on social media. People related to our industry. People who say things we agree with.

Obvious people.

Safe people.

But so many of us also choose to NOT follow certain people because they trigger us. Because the person is successful at what we want to do (which makes us feel inadequate) or even simply because we disagree with that person.

I call these people courage mentors.

These are people who consistently share content way beyond our comfort zones.

Courage mentors live on the margins. They are different from 99% of the people you follow. They are not afraid of controversial topics. Sometimes their approach might feel aggressive or uncomfortable. And they consistently create attention-grabbing content, which means they probably make a lot of noise.

But by triggering the shit out of us on social media, they teach us through example how to be more courageous in our own lives.

It’s okay to NOT agree with all of their posts or all of their stances on a topic. But they must be someone who you can respect.

That being said, here are three of my courage mentors who I follow on social media:

1. Nicole Arbour , a beautiful and brilliant comedian who won’t back down from anyone. She’s not afraid of controversy, and even leverages it to her advantage so her messages will have a greater impact on the world. (photo credit: @theedavidd)

2. Taylor Oakes, an intimate photographer who brings her sexual experiences into her amazing work. She’s speaks candidly about her mental health, she doesn’t hold back her truth. She’s raw, real and unapologetic. (photo credit: @katelynscottboudoir)

3. Adam Roa, an artist who shares the most intimate parts of his life with the world: including his very public breakup (conscious uncoupling), his childhood sexual abuse, his conscious masturbation practice and of course all of his art.

I’m triggered by all three of these people because of their COURAGE and their IMPACT.

And guess what? That’s OKAY.

They’re not afraid to piss people off. They don’t need everyone to feel good or agree with them. They know creating conversation is sometime more important than being diplomatic.

My courage mentors remind me that I can be controversial. They remind me that I can be intimate. That I can be bold and post naked photos of myself online. That I can pick a fight in the name of justice, speak my truth, or even just be soft and allow my armour to fall to the ground.

And by following them on social media, it’s like I’m in a mastermind group without any of them knowing.

The most courageous people I have encountered are deeply connected to their purpose. They find power and strength from remembering that this life is about more than just them. They want to inspire hope and possibility.

And when the haters show up—which they always do—the most courageous people don’t run.

They double down and show the fuck up. 

So whatever you do, don’t look away because you feel insecure about their success. Don’t shut them out because you compare yourself to them and feel inadequate. Focus instead on what you can learn.

Do you have any courage mentors? Tag them below.

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My first words ever to Liz Gilbert were, “I love you.”

I’ll never forget what happened next. 

She instantly softened and reached out her hand to mine. Before any photos were taken, we spent a few seconds together hand in hand. At the end of our shoot together I leaned in and told her, “You have radically shifted my life in so many ways, and I am eternally grateful for you.”

Then before I knew it, the two of us were embraced in a hug.

I can’t think of any human that has impacted my creativity more than Liz. And there I was, hugging Liz-freaking-Gilbert.

This was sincerely one of the most special moments in my entire life.

So on this #TipTuesday, I want to share a piece of wisdom Liz taught me 11 years ago via a TED talk that rocked my world. This idea led me to massive levels of creation and productivity in my career:

A “genius” is not a person. Genius is just the energy that flows through a person.

Of course, I am paraphrasing. But this idea shook me to the core, and more importantly it freed me…

What if I was no longer responsible for upholding the daunting and unsustainable duties of a so-called genius? What if instead, genius is an energy that I have access to in any moment? What a gift! 

To this day I remind myself that the photos I take are not mine. These words are not mine. These ideas are NOT MINE. I am just a conduit that allows them to pass through me and into this world. 

And if my vessel is cluttered, clogged up, or otherwise inhospitable for new creative ideas to flow through me, then genius energy will find someone else to flow through.

Here are 4 reminders you can use to help you access the “Genius Energy” every day: 

1. Remember that you aren’t the owner of your creativity. That is not your book. That’s not your event. That’s not your podcast, your photos, or even your song. You are just a vessel allowing the creative energy into this world. Even if attachment to your work feels good short-term, remember that over time it will not lead to long term output.

2. You have access to the infinite source energy. You also have access to the same creative ideas as Liz Gilbert, and any other person you deeply admire. Think about that.

3. Your primary roll in this process is to clear your vessel and make room, so that the genius energy will want to flow through you.

4. Let it all go before it’s too late. Genius energy will not flow through you if you are backlogged. Yes, this means releasing creative ideas into the world so that you can make room for more genius flow. But it also means clean your inbox, do your taxes, say sorry for that thing you feel bad about, exercise, and move energy. Release, release, release!

PS: Liz Gilbert, if you’re reading this, I want you to know how deeply you have changed my life. Not a day goes by that I don’t think of you or the lesson(s) you have gifted me with. I love you Liz, and can’t wait until we meet again.

What do you think happens when you get to witness real-life proof, indisputable evidence AGAINST your biggest, most limiting beliefs?

Something extraordinary, to say the least.

But more accurately, it shakes us to the CORE.

And this weekend, I got to have an experience like this.

The lesson I learned was gifted to me by many incredible thought leaders, influencers, authors, and speakers that I had the privilege of working with and photographing this past weekend. People who have changed my life with their work. Including Seth Godin, and Lisa Nichols, and one of my favourite writers in the world: Liz Gilbert.

By coming face-to-face with the thought leaders I admire, I also had to come face-to-face with my own unconscious beliefs. Because these people were real-life proof that stood in the face of that.

In today’s video I talk about some of the toxic programming I didn’t even known I had, that was holding me back from my greatest good. Have a look, and let me know if you can relate.

I have to give one more shoutout to the man who made this all happen, Giovanni Marsico. Brother, the impact you have on my life and the lives of so many people is bringing us all closer to who we’re meant to be.

Uploaded by Darius Bashar on 2019-10-22.