Photo Resilience

How do we build resilience with photos? 

Every week (or sometimes every day)  I hear stories of folks struggling with photos. Perhaps someone posted an image of us unexpectedly that brings up vulnerability or we try taking selfies but are hard on ourselves if we don’t get the photo we envisioned. Photos have a way of shaking up (or sometimes even derailing) our day.

But over these past 5 years of teaching self-portrait classes I’ve been formulating ideas and prompts around what I call Photo Resilience. 

Because that moment where our inner critic tries to derail us? It is also an invitation for resilience.

To pick up the camera again after we are convinced by our inner critic to put it down. 

To keep taking photos even when it feels out of our comfort zone.

To invite in resilience on our body acceptance journey. Because learning to see ourselves with compassion isn’t a linear journey. It a journey of highs and lows, joyful days and tough ones. 

To create a practice of resilience, of showing up for ourselves again and again as we heal our relationship to how we see ourselves in photos. 

This is SO pivotal in being our own beloved. Telling ourselves that we don’t have to be perfect and valuing our resilience as much as big epiphanies or getting that photo we envisioned.

Resilience has been at the heart of my own self-portrait and body image healing journey. Especially the first few years. Because it can feel like every time we pick up the camera our inner critic awaits us. But resilience changes that.

Resilience taught me that my inner critic wasn’t right all along and helped me listen in for my own inner voice of compassion. 

Resilience taught me that there was always a new way of seeing myself, in every single moment.

Resilience teaches me still that self-compassion is a practice, not something we ‘perfect’.

And resilience catches me when I have rough body image days and helps me keep showing up for myself. 

And I’d love for YOU to offer that to yourself too, with playfulness and curiosity rather than perfectionism and expectation!

Photo Resilience is a collection of tools to help you shift out of the moments when photos, be they ones from the past or present, feel like they derail you and shift you to a self-critical place.

We’re going to spend a powerful 15 days creating a practice of resilience through our camera lens, exploring tools and tricks for showing up for ourselves even when it’s tough to see ourselves in photos, picking up that camera again and again and celebrating our resilience.

Let’s open the door to our own resilience.

• Create a photo resilience practice, picking up the camera (or phone) each day of class even if your inner critic tries to convince you otherwise (and remember it’s a practice, not something we need to perfect)!
• Explore how a resilience practice with photos and self-compassion practice support one another and overlap.
• Reclaim how we see old photos as well as the selfies we take during class.
• Explore tools for reclaiming how you see yourself through your own camera, with resilience and self-compassion.
• Get more acclimatized and comfortable to seeing ourselves in photos and not just the ones we might share, but the ‘outtakes’ too!

 

• A camera of any sort. iPhones and Androids (or camera phones of any sort) are most welcome. As are point and shoot cameras or DSLRs. No fancy gear or camera skill required, just a willingness to be inquisitive and have fun with your camera in the process!

 

The class is a part of the year-long Body Peace Program.  If you’re already in Body Body Peace, you’re automatically registered.

Find out more about Body Peace here or get on the waiting list for the 2017 Session here!

 

 

 

 

 

Class runs September 1-15th

$79 CAD (Approximately $57 USD)

 

 

 

 

 

What kinds of selfies will we be taking?

We’ll take a variety of selfies that go beyond just arm’s length photos like shadow, mirror photos or selfie of parts of ourselves. This isn’t a ‘How to Take Selfies’ (though the Selfie Starter Guidebook does cover a lot of that) class but for each prompt I’ll offer you tips, suggestions and inspiration for your selfie-taking and will be available if technical or creative questions arise!

What if I love the sound of the class, but am worried I’m not ‘ready’ for the class yet. Any suggestions? 

Exploring selfies is a vulnerable thing and it’s so common that I get messages from folks after they sign up saying that they are both incredibly nervous but excited. If that’s you…you’re ready. Especially with this class as it isn’t just about getting amazing photos (though we will in the process). It’s really about building our resilience, cultivating that practice of listening to ourselves over our inner critics voice which you don’t have to be ready for…it’s for those of us who find it hard to be resilient with photos!

That said, if you haven’t taken a class with me yet, you might want to start with the Selfie Starter Guide (an E-Book) or the Beloved Beginnings class (a self-paced E-Course).  There is a session of Be Your Own Beloved running the month of October and if you haven’t taken it yet, I do encourage you to start there. Be Your Own Beloved is a 30-day class and different from the other 2 options in that I get to be your sidekick in the journey, comment on your photos and support you through it…much like I do in this class! But all of those are great places to begin the journey if you’re not feeling ready for Photo Resilience quite yet or if you haven’t taken a class with me before.

How much time do I need each day for the class?

The prompts are designed to take only a few minutes to read and then about 5-10 minutes to take a selfie. I’ll remind you regularly that these aren’t about taking fancy selfies that you need to take hours for. It’s about showing up for ourselves in front of the lens and going for it.

My inner critic doesn’t show up when I take selfies and I love capturing photos of myself. Can I still take the class?

If you take selfies with ease and never have your inner critic show up and curate what you share…awesome! But in that case, this class probably isn’t for you and you may find yourself thriving more in a more artistic based self-portraiture class or another program. This one really is for folks who struggle with taking selfies and resist being in images (which by the way…is where most of us fall)!

Should I take Be Your Own Beloved first? 

If you’ve taken Be Your Own Beloved or Beloved Beginnings first that is recommended but not mandatory at all. Please don’t hesitate to contact me via the contact form if you have any questions or are wondering it is a good fit for you.

I took Be Your Own Beloved but didn’t do all the activities. Should I take this class?

YES! Absolutely. If you have taken one of the other classes but perhaps didn’t finish all the activities, let’s invite that to be a place of self-compassion. This isn’t about having done ALL the activities first but instead having offered ourselves some space for exploring selfies with kindness either through a class or on our own. Whether it be one photo or a hundred. This class actually isn’t for folks who have no problem taking selfies, it’s more so for those of us who find ourselves facing our inner critic when we do. It’s about letting ourselves have more tools to meet our inner critic there and invite in kindness.