This is my first paid talk. SpeakerSlam is paying me $1000 to share my story about taking photos of strangers. How freaking awesome is that?!

I thought about playing it super cool and not making a big deal about getting paid to do a talk. There’s a voice inside saying “Dude, it’s tacky to talk about money. Don’t be that guy.”

But you see it’s not about money, it’s about momentum. It’s about breaking a limiting belief that I’m not actually a speaker worthy of getting paid to share my story or my wisdom.

SpeakerSlam has been changing lives for years now with their incredible monthly speaking events, where they give anyone with a story an opportunity to share it with the world. Their speakers have gone crazy viral in the past and their talks have been seen by close to 500 MILLION humans world wide.

Many lives have been changed. Many book deals, speaking tours, and new businesses have launched because of SpeakerSlam. Don’t believe me—ask Gina, Mike, Malcolm, Parul, Marcos, just to name a few.

SpeakerSlam also knows that the next level is to help aspiring speakers get paid for their talks. They already have a robust training program to help new speakers level-up their brands to stand out in the competitive professional speaking world.

And now they are taking it even further by putting their money where their mouths are and throwing their own conference and paying the speakers themselves.

That’s how committed SpeakerSlam is to developing aspiring speakers.

I know there are many humans in my community that are aspiring speakers, authors and thought-leaders. If you have never heard of SpeakerSlam I highly recommend checking them out.

If you happen to be in the Toronto area on November 19th come join me at the SpeakerSlam Momentum conference and hear my talk on following your heart, listening to the whispers of the Universe and building your legacy.

There are many other incredible speakers (that I know personally) who will rock your socks. You are sure to leave this event feeling new creative momentum and inspiration to bring your own story to the world.

Here’s the link to learn more, buy your tickets or get the Live stream details —> LINK.

Big love,

D

This idea changed my life. I first heard it in Liz Gilbert’s incredible book Big Magic—a must read for anyone on a creative journey.

(If you don’t know what “Dating Creativity” means, watch this video on IG or the same video on TikTok.)

When I look back at my own creative journey, the biggest mistakes I’ve made have all been the result of thinking too strategically. Creativity is not a means to an end and should never be treated transactionally. It is a deep and meaningful relationship, worthy of my full presence, adoration and love.

Whenever I bring a creative idea to life and my first step is to ask how much money can I make and how fast can I grow, those ideas usually end with a lot of wasted energy and money, plus a massive blow to my confidence.

On the other hand, the ideas that initially make no logical sense (have no obvious ROI) but deeply fascinate me? Those ideas are often the ones that last.

And ironically, those ideas also become my biggest money makers.

Stepping outside of logic and ROI to pursue a creative idea can be super scary.

But if you show up consistently with an open heart and allow yourself to fall deeper and deeper in love every day, there is a chance you might meet the creative love of your life.

Big love,

D

This was my first photoshoot with Nooshin, but it most definitely won’t be my last.

Yes, she is beautiful. That’s obvious. Yet what’s more impressive to me is how deep and intentional she was throughout our session.

As with most of my photography sessions, we started with a juicy 2-hour conversation.

Hearing her story and learning about her intentions with this photoshoot got me so excited.

By the end of our session I remember having this deeply inspired and hopeful feeling. And it wasn’t just because we took so many incredible photos together.

This hopeful state was due to witnessing the way in which Nooshin loved and celebrated herself through these photos—all of them.

She’s clearly done a lot of inner work to be able to hold space for all the different versions of herself that showed up in the photos. I shared a tiny handful in this IG video, but an entire spectrum of Nooshin showed up and she greeted each version of herself with kindness, compassion and love.

Well done Noosh… I am already planning our next collab!

Love,

D

Everything is a canvas.

Your morning coffee.

Your yoga mat.

Your text message.

Your prayer.

Your outfit.

Your stride.

Your email.

Your breath.

The neck of your lover.

The inside of your lover.

Everything a canvas.

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

Did you know that when I was 29 I dropped everything and went to film school?

I completely upended my life because some part of me wanted to be creative and do something different. But because of my secret weapon, I continued.

I didn’t start photography until I was 32. At the time I didn’t know how to use a DSLR—I had to ask my 12 year old cousin to show me.

The photos were too bright, or too dark, or in the rare moments I got it right… I couldn’t engage with the person in the shot. But because of my secret weapon, I continued.

And in the 7 years since then, I have taken almost 800,000 photos.

In 2020 when the pandemic hit, all of my photoshoots were rescheduled, and I started making guided meditations. Believe me when I tell you that the first few were really rough. But because of my secret weapon, I continued.

And now I have made over 100 meditations for Artist Morning. According to YouTube and Insight Timer, people have spent over 1,000,000 minutes meditating with me worldwide.

Bonkers, right?

In all of these stories, I wanted to quit at least a thousand times. But I didn’t.

Because my secret weapon was to remember that no matter how old I am, the part of me who is excited to express himself and try something new is just an 8-year-old kid.

And that young, precious inner-child DOES NOT need pressure and stress when he is just getting started. Not from me, not from anyone else.

Your job as an adult is to protect, nurture and support your beautiful inner child as they are trying new things for the first time.

I love keeping a photo of 8-year old Darius around my house to remind me to be kind and sweet to myself.

Is there something you and your own inner child are ready to explore together?

Big love,

D

PS: If you want to see the short video I made on this topic check out my Instagram or my TikTok.

This is Daniel. I had seconds to photograph him. Daniel was waiting for the bus and the bus was just down the street.

It felt like an impossible task, but I decided to try anyways.

There is something about this concept of the “impossible task” that can be very freeing to me. The activity in question is meant to fail, so I get to play and take risks that I normally would not.

It seems counter intuitive, but limitations and restrictions can be the most productive thing to an artist. They can help us focus and ensure we stay on course and actually finish the creation.

Thank you Daniel for taking a risk and getting messy with me.

I hope your friend that was waiting for you at the gym wasn’t too mad that you showed up late.

Hopefully the photos and the experience of making art with a stranger was worth it.

Big love,

D

PS: If you want to see the behind the scenes video of me approaching Daniel and taking these photos, check out my Instagram or my TikTok.

I am looking for 5 heart-centred people in the Vancouver area who are open to significantly upgrading their online presence, so that they can connect with more of their dream clients.

My area of specialty is supporting speakers, authors, coaches, therapists and artists.

I have worked with hundreds and have taken over 700,000 photos of people all over the world.

The people I want to support the most are individuals who are committed to using their passion, wisdom and energy to positively impact the world.

I know how to help these people take photos that ACTUALLY FEEL and LOOK like their best selves.

I will be in Vancouver Oct 24 to Oct 28. If you are interested follow the link in my bio that will have all the details including pricing, examples and a ton of testimonials.

Big love,

D

This is Costa. He was immediately down to be a part of this art project and allowed me to take his photos.

What you don’t see in this video are the 3 previous people I approached right before I ran into Costa. All 3 declined my offer for photos, which has never happened to me before. For context, I typically get 1 rejection in a few hours of shooting—which I think is kind of a miracle.

So before I met Costa, I was feeling extra nervous and shy. A voice in my head was telling me to call it a day and go home. I’m glad I didn’t listen to that voice.

Because moments later, I saw Costa walking down the street looking super fresh. He was about to give me some of his confidence. And also his answer at the end of the video was exactly what I needed to hear to keep me from going home for the day.

Honestly, I was so close to bailing and crawling into bed. But I didn’t. I kept going. And I kept my heart open. And I ended up meeting and photographing 5 more wonderful people that same day.

This project constantly reminds me that the moment when I most want to quit is usually a few seconds before something really interesting is about to happen.

Thank you Costa for saying yes to making art with a stranger and for sharing your confidence and wisdom with me. I needed both.

Big love,

D

PS: If you want to see the behind the scenes video of me approaching Costa and taking these photos, check out my Instagram or my TikTok.

This is Chloe. Her answer at the end of the video instantly gave me goosebumps.

It still gives me goosebumps—even now as I am writing these words.

It’s as if my body is telling me to pay attention and that there is something important for me to receive in Chloe’s answer.

I have a feeling I am not the only one.

It blows my mind that there are so many strangers all around me—many of whom I will never speak to—who hold such deep wisdom.

What would happen to my life if I connected with more strangers? Not just for photos and social media, but as a way of living my life.

What if that employee at the grocery store, or that parking attendant, or that old man waiting for the bus has a key piece of my life’s puzzle?

What if I have a key piece of someone else’s life’s puzzle?

What if everyone I met is God in disguise?

Okay okay, I’m getting existential and deep. But that’s sort of my jam. :)

Thanks for coming on this journey with me.

And thank you Chloe. Your wisdom, grace and beautiful smile made an impact on me.

Sincerely,

D

PS: If you want to see the behind the scenes video of me approaching Chloe and taking these photos, check out my Instagram or my TikTok.