I haven’t heard the term “spiritual creator” before, but there’s something I really love about the idea of creators, artists, and innovators who believe in divine guidance.

As a spiritual creator, these are 3 practices I do before I create anything:

1. I meditate and connect with my own heart.

2. I burn sage or palo santo in order to cleanse and clear myself and my workspace of any stagnant or unwanted energy. (see special note below)

3. I say a prayer and ask God for help and support. Yes, I know that God is a complicated concept for many, but in my heart God is one of my best friends and most badass collaborators. The prayer to God is slightly different every time but always includes the following lines…

Dear God,
Please use me as a vessel for your divine expression.
Use me as an instrument of your love.
Give me the courage to go into the depths of my heart and find my truth.
And the courage to speak my truth in my own authentic voice.
Whatever happens from there, I let go and let God.

Today’s post is dedicated to anyone else who feels seen and recognized when they hear the term Spiritual Creator; people who feel that there is something important in their hearts that they are looking to express.

Whatever personal practices or creative rituals you might have, I hope they lead you to creative momentum and spiritual growth.

Big love,

D

Please note: sage and palo santo are sacred indigenous medicines that need to be treated with reverence. It is a good idea to find a trustworthy source to teach you about these two powerful medicines and how to utilize them with respect to the land and the people they came from.

This past week I have had several conversations with deeply intelligent, kind and spiritual friends who have decided to tune out what’s going on in Iran. I believe this is coming from a place of not knowing what to do, so I’m here to help.

Here are 3 things you can do to tune in to your own humanity and the humanity of others in the face of bad news and global events:

1. Reach out to a friend who is impacted by the situation and ask how they are doing and if they need any support. Don’t be pushy; they might not be ready to talk about it. But knowing that you care might have a positive impact on their lives.

2. Consciously make a boundary around the content you will consume on the topic. If your boundary is 0% tolerance (as in, “I want nothing to do with this topic”) then consciously state that. Maybe your boundary is “I am willing to have 1 conversation on this topic a week” or “I will read and share 1 post a week”. There is no right way of doing this. Each person is different. But I do believe there is power in intentionally deciding your own boundaries. PS: You are allowed to move your boundary at any time.

3. Journal about the topic. Here’s a question to explore in your journalling practice this week. What has your grief or sadness about the situation taught you about life? These emotions can be very intense, but they are also full of gifts. What could happen to your life if you were able to change your relationship to these so-called darker emotions?

Life can be intense. We all need to step back and tune out the noise at times. I get it—I do it too.

But stepping back is only one tool available to us—it shouldn’t be the end destination. It should be a resting point, to help us build capacity so that we can step forward and reconnect with our fellow humans.

Big love,

D

I used to loath social media. Facebook and Instagram used to make me incredibly mentally unhealthy.

As a photographer, Instagram was really hard because at the core of the experience is comparison. You can't avoid looking at people's likes, comments and followers. You quickly ascribe value to users who have more of each. Also, you are overloaded by an endless supply of content. It literally never stops. Which is another point of comparison. e.g. "I am not doing enough. I need to be working/shooting more."

For years, it was very stressful opening Instagram on my phone. I would fall into these roller coaster usage patterns. Classic addictive behaviour, playing at the extremes of love and hate. 

I'd hate instagram and stay fully away and call it a "social media detox" to make myself sound enlightened and put together (hilarious!). After a month or two I'd start-up again and post a shit ton of content for a few weeks. Not seeing the results I expected (which were totally unreasonable to start with), I would go down the comparison rabbit hole all over again. It would take about 1-2 months before I would feel so mentally drained and unstable, that I'd need to detox again. 

This past December, something shifted.

The best way I can describe it was that I stopped seeing with my eyes.

Huh!?? 

I know that sounds crazy, but when I close my eyes, there is no "me" and "you", no "us" and "them". With my eyes closed everything collapses and there is only, all of us. I know that might sound totally hokey to you, but I'm okay with that. I don't need to prove this to others, I am good with just feeling it for myself. 

In December, I decided I was going to let go of "competition" as a limiting belief and become the world's biggest photography fan. This radically changed my life.

When I open Instagram now, I don't see competition, I see art. I started letting my heart do the scrolling, instead of my very insecure mind. My heart is constantly losing its shit (in a good way) over the insane amounts of talent on my feed. Honestly, I am literally yelling and clapping constantly as I scroll through Instagram and Facebook.

When I feel an emotional charge from anything on my feed, I do my best to comment or "like" immediately. My intention is to speak as directly as possible - heart to mouth, with no detours in my mind.

This behaviour definitely trips people out. Especially local photographers. I can tell they are very confused and doubtful. I can see them thinking "Why would a local competitor, publicly recognized AND praise me?! 

It so obvious for me now. It's because I love what you stand for. I love your passion for photography. I love your composition and use of colour and texture. I love your ability to tell a story with a single frame. I love your mastery of light and shadow. I love your commitment to the city, to art, to human expression!! I love your hustle. I love your struggle. I love your persistence and tenacity. Why in the world would I not hit that like button?!!

What you stand for and who you are in this world, is important. So fuck yeah, I will recognize and praise you.

Don't buy into to the concept of competition. It's an illusion they created to separate us. I know this makes no sense to your mind, but that's okay. Some things are best left for your heart. 

They say "give away, that which you seek". That's sort of what I am doing here. But it's not likes or followers I am seeking. It's community and impact. It's support and love.

In my heart I know these quality are not captured by simplistic metrics, made-up by some dudes in their 20's, in a dorm room in Harvard, 15 years ago. It's important to remember that.

Love is much bigger than likes and followers. 

To the insanely talented photographers that constantly inspire me on my feed - I want to thank you for being so committed, passionate and loving to the craft of photography. In a way, we are all in an open relationship with photography, and the better you are to her, the more LOVE she has for me.  

Shout outs to Tina Picard, Brian Ypperciel, Verne Ho, Jon Simo, Soteeoh, Patrick Tomasso, Ajani Charles, Luis Mora, The Sensual Eye, just to name a few. You homies are so brilliant and so talented. Your work lights me on fire, daily. 

I've known some of you for years, others, only a few weeks and only online. Regardless, you have each left a deep imprint on both my work and my life, and it's about time you knew that. 

Much love! 

D (aka Wolfee)

One of the first photos I ever shot with my fancy Canon T3i. I had no idea how to use my camera, but that wasn't going to stop me. :)