I’m curious… what does this mean to you?
So proud of Ariel Motta for winning the Junior Youth Speaker Slam contest last night. The competition was stiff, but she brought her A-game.
Many of the contestants had years of experience as speakers and competed on debate teams in their school as well.
This was Ariel’s first talk and she absolutely nailed it.
Love you darling!
One year ago today, I created Artist Morning.
I built the entire website in a single day. I generally move fast, but this was something else.
I bought the domain, got the hosting, made the logo, wrote all the copy, found all the photos, made a video, set up an application form, and even recorded my very first guided meditation ever. All in one day.
It reminds me of stories of women who give birth in the cab ride on the way to the hospital. It happened so fast that it felt like a blur.
But here’s the thing… for two weeks I didn’t tell a soul. I kept it to myself.
The truth was, I was terrified of this baby that just came through me. It was not what I wanted. What I really wanted was a solution to making money as a photographer during a global lockdown.
Instead what I got was Artist Morning: a space for creators who felt lost to meditate, journal, and connect as a community.
So I hid this new idea from the world, embarrassed for coming up with such an impractical idea.
“I’m a photographer… what do I know about guiding meditations and building online communities!?”
Thankfully I had a chat with my dear friend Chris Assaad who gave me the time and space to share my doubts and my excitement for this project. He gave me some powerful advice:
“Follow the ease. If something feels good, give yourself permission to play with it and don’t worry about practicality.”
I kept working in secret, but I continued making guided meditations because they felt good to make. When I finally got to a place where I was ready to introduce my baby to the world, I was terrified but somehow I decided to step into the unknown.
Thank God I did. Artist Morning is honestly one of the greatest things to happen to my life.
Anyone else have experience hiding a creative baby from the world?
If so, I feel you, I love you, and I believe in you.
#createmore #creativityeveryday #artisttips #createdtocreate #createyourself #artistsway #ArtistMorning
Good morning y'all!
I love making meditations that help people connect with their hearts. I believe our hearts are a tremendous power source and also a gateway to ENDLESS creativity.
My intention with this 15-minute guided meditation is to help you activate your heart and set you up for deeper connection and more presence throughout your day and week.
Hope you enjoy the meditation.
BIG LOVE,
Darius 🙏🏽
PS: If you’re looking for a FREE collection of Guided Morning Meditations, I’ve got you covered → https://www.artistmorning.com/free-meditation-for-creativity / link in bio @dariusbashar
PPS: Come meditate with me live. We meet as a group on Zoom every Wednesday and Friday at 9am EST. Sign up here for free → Free Group Meditation / @artistmorning
#meditations #meditationpractice #meditationtime #meditationteacher #meditationclass #meditation🙏
If I was going to make you your own personal YouTube video, what topic would the video be about?
Is there anything you always wanted to ask me? Or maybe something you’d love me to demonstrate or teach in a YouTube video?
The sky’s the limit. Nothing is off the table. You can ask me ANYTHING about any part of my life.
DISCLAIMER: I might actually make a YouTube video about your question. If I do, I promise I’ll give you a fun shout-out. 😎
If you’d prefer asking the question privately, send me a DM.
Let’s play!
——
Photo by: the amazing @MichChiu
#artistmorning #torontophotography #torontophotographers #createmore #artistsway #creativityeveryday
It’s okay to have lighter days. It’s okay to rest. It’s okay to ask for support. It’s okay to have a lot of feelings. It’s okay to be giddy AF. It’s okay to be scared. It’s okay to feel invincible. It’s okay to be exactly who you are. I love you… all the way. I got you always. You don’t need to do anything or create anything to be loved. You are always loved. You are always loved.You are always loved. 
Andy gets it.
Most people I know want to create and express themselves more.
And there are many ways to feel more self-expressed and seen in the world. There are tons of books, courses, coaches, and YouTube videos that will give you tools to feel better about expressing yourself.
I think feeling excited and hopeful about self-expression is a great first step; it can build momentum and remind us that PLAY is so important to self-expression.
While play and fun are crucial for the foundation, neither builds perseverance—which you will need, because eventually you will run into emotionally challenging situations.
So there is a really important next step:
DO THINGS THAT SUCK.
There are countless everyday things that suck. And each is an opportunity to build your perseverance muscle.
So a smart approach is starting with simple sucky tasks and then building up to more challenging ones. You want to slowly expose yourself to more and more challenging situations and build a deep library of memories of you making it to the end.
Normally, the end is a few steps past where you thought you’d be able to take it. For example: one thing that sucks is a cold shower. The end would be 10 seconds past where you thought was possible. If you thought you could do 60 seconds, try 70 seconds.
Remember that the most important thing is to get to completion and persevere.
And lastly, make sure to celebrate each completion. Full-body celebrations. Dance, jump up and down, move your body. Get big, get loud, and let your whole system know you are a badass creator who was born for this!
#artistmorning #behindthephoto #torontophotography #torontophotographers #createmore #artistsway #creativityeveryday
Happy Monday y’all! ☀️
If you’re looking to feel more connected to your body and access more gratitude in your heart, this simple guided meditation is a powerful way to start your day.
This 15-minute meditation will help you feel more grounded and clear about your day. It can also help you access more joy.
If you’re looking for a deeper dive, this meditation also pairs well with some post-meditation journaling. Throw an extra 10 to 15 minutes on your timer after you finish the meditation and see what comes up through pen and paper.
Hope you enjoy it.
BIG LOVE,
D
PS: If you’re looking for a FREE collection of Guided Morning Meditations, I’ve got you covered → https://www.artistmorning.com/free-meditation-for-creativity / link in bio @dariusbashar
PPS: Come meditate with me live. We meet as a group on Zoom every Wednesday and Friday at 9am EST. Sign up here for free → Free Group Meditation / @artistmorning
“Within every man and woman a secret is hidden, and as a photographer it is my task to reveal it if I can. The revelation, if it comes at all, will come in a small fraction of a second with an unconscious gesture, a gleam of the eye, a brief lifting of the mask that all humans wear to conceal their innermost selves from the world.”
- Iconic Armenian/Canadian Photography Yousuf Karsh (1908–2002)
Photo credit to the amazingly talented @Michchiu
