I’ve gotta tell you.

It’s not about the photo.

Not really.

It’s about everything that happens in the process of taking it.

It’s about coming face to face with our inner critic and choosing to take it anyways.

It’s about being in the present moment when we’re taking it, about being in our bodies.

It’s about finding moments of quiet from external voices of what we should act like, look like.

It’s about choosing to prioritize our own perceptions of our body over others.

It’s about finding breadcrumbs that lead us back to ourselves.

It’s about self-compassion.

It’s about letting go.

The photo?  Its an awesome bonus.

But it’s not about only the photo.

The photo is the doorway to all of this.

The goal all along for me on this path to see myself with kindness, the destination you could say…has always been Home.

To feel at home in my own body, not like a stranger in it.

To feel the safety of home, of a place of refuge where there is quiet from outside sources.

To feel at home in my life and to take photos that include me in it.

To have that ease that you feel when you are home.

To feel the embodiment of being at home in my own skin.

To find my way home to myself.

Sound familiar?  I know its a common thread I hear a lot of folks joining me for Be Your Own Beloved sharing…that we’ve gotten lost from ourselves somewhere along the way.  That we are seeking the resonance of home.

I knew I couldn’t spend my entire life feeling so disconnected from feeling at home in my own skin, in my own life, so I picked up my camera and started to chart my course there, having no clue if would actually help.  But it did, slowly but surely.

Photo by photo by photo.

Day by day which led to years of walking that path.

Along the way finding moments of recognition, sometimes it was a feeling of home in my body as I’d dance playfully in front of the frame,

Or other times when I’d look at the photo and feel like one photo out of the bunch just felt like me, like the woman I could finally see clearly.

A woman I started to see as home.

I’ve been at that place for a year or so now, settling into the feeling of coming home to myself.

Of course, it isn’t a place we get to reside and not cultivate.

So every few days (with some iPhone selfies in the middle) I get out my camera and find a place to take photos.

This is self-care to me, continuing to show up in this exploration of self-compassion through self-portraiture, this seeking and finding of home. 

What has helped you find your way back home to yourself?  Yoga? Art?  Dance? I’d love to know.

If you’d like to explore taking self-portraiture as a part of finding your way home to yourself, there is a session of the powerful online class Be Your Own Beloved starting April 1st (next Tuesday) as we explore the tool of self-portraiture as a way to see ourselves with kindness and chart our course to feeling at home in our bodies and our lives.

Photo by Andrea Scher

I’m SO excited to share that I have a new online one-on-one (via Skype) Mentoring offering launching today!

The Beloved Spark Sessions

The Beloved Spark Sessions focus in on sparking your practice of taking self-portraits.

I think for so many of us, we may have taken a self-portrait class like Be Your Own Beloved and found ourselves disappointed we didn’t keep up our practice after class ended.  Or we might have started a 365 day project this year (or many years ago) and feel like we failed for not finishing it.   Or perhaps you might have wanted to try seeing yourself with kindness through your camera but fear & your inner critic are stopping you from even beginning.

Over the past year at retreats & events I’ve had so many conversations with folks about this and realized that I have a knack for helping people let got of the guilt and instead making room for a practice that fits in with your life, the time you have,  the gear you love and hone in on creating a practice that makes room for compassion, for courage and that you truly can’t wait to do!

The Spark Session Includes:

• The Beloved Spark E-Book which will help you dig into what type of practice or project will serve you best and will get you mighty inspired for our call!
• A 45 minute Skype call in which we will focus in on your self-portrait journey and I’ll help you clarify a self-portrait practice or project that feels inspiring and honouring of your life path.  We’ll dig into creating a practice for you focused on your self-love path and also chat about the technical side of having a self-portrait practice and I’ll be happy to share any technical info you need to spark your journey!
• A Follow Up Email to check in how your journey has gone after our session

The Cost for a Beloved Spark Session is $149 CAD but to celebrate their launch this weekend, I have a SUPER SPECIAL offer for you and by using the coupon code BELOVEDSPARK you can get the session for $50 off (yes..you read that right, its $99 for these two days only).

This offer lasts for the next two days only: Sunday March 16 12:00 am PST until Monday March 17 at 11:59 pm PST.   Once I receive your booking, I’ll send over my scheduler and we’ll book your session anytime in the coming months that works for you!

The fine print: You most definitely need to book within that time frame to get the discount and I won’t be able to make any exceptions beyond that time frame.  As well, the discount only applies to the Beloved Spark Sessions, but not to the other mentoring options.

I can’t wait to help you re-spark your passion for seeing yourself with kindness through your camera!

Head on over here to book your session!