Category Archives: E-Courses

May 18, 2012

Making Beautiful Mistakes

Some of my favourite photos I’ve taken were mistakes.

Were the result of trying something new.

Were shot without me looking through the viewfinder.

Were a mistake that made me smile and taught me something.

Were shots that feel like they have an extra doze of soul to them.

And resulted in discoveries that I now intentionally do in order to get images that are outside of the box.

I am so excited that a new session of Rule-Free Photography is starting. I love the idea of a 2 week course, as last time we offered this class it felt like such an energizing length of time for a course. Long enough to feel super inspiring, but not so long that one get’s behind. I’m thrilled we’re offering it again.

This is for the perfectionist in us who get caught up in what we are ‘supposed to know’ in photography.

This is for the photographer who’s camera is collecting dust on the shelf and need a dose of inspiration.

This is for those of us just beginning to explore photography.

This is for us right brain types who get dizzy with talk of aperture and shutter speed and just want to take photos.

This is for the left brain types who want to get a bit wild and free.

This is for those of us who feel stuck.

This is for those of us who stop and notice the beauty around you and would like some quirky ways to photograph it.

This is for you.

Um, and did you know it is only 29 bucks. Let me tell you my friends, it is worth a lot more than that. You really don’t want to miss this super affordable and mighty inspiring class.

Class starts Monday and I hope you’ll join me and other creatives folks.

You can sign up at the Live it to the Full site!

Have you ever taken a shot that was a beautiful mistake? That didn’t come out the way you expected but allowed you to make some discoveries? I’d love to hear about and see your beautiful mistakes!

May 15, 2012

Showing Up With Love

When I’m teaching an e-course, especially a brand new one, I find myself not blogging about it very much for some reason.

In many ways, when we are gathered in this really incredible community energy in an e-course, I don’t know how to describe it to folks who aren’t a part of it (other than it is a love-fest) and I suppose in a way I like to keep the sacredness of it.

There is something incredible that occurs in these spaces.

Re-writing the Story is running right now and it is happening.

That magic.

When people show up collectively in a creative endeavor. When they show up for each other.

Before I ever started the first session of YAYOM I asked a friend “Should I put parameters around what they can share?” “Will people gather who are so different they might not get along?” “Will people leave unsupportive comments?” I decided not to put parameters around it and just to trust that whoever came to the class was meant to be there and would want the same kindness given to them as they would put out. I have never ever, not even once, seen a comment in one of my classes that was insulting or disresepectful or mocking.

Quite the opposite. It ends up being beyond just being kind.

They show up with love.

And oh my do they show up. That is part of the magic of this being about self-portraiture too. Because by even taking and sharing a photo in the class we are showing up for ourselves, standing in our light. Over these past few years I’ve been brought to tears by the way the participants inspire and encourage each other.

In this class, Re-Writing the Story, in particular, I’m inviting the participants to show up for themselves with that same love. To see themselves as they would a brand new friend, seeing all of the promise and goodness in that person.

I thought I’d share that invitation with you today (and with myself).

To show up with the love that you give to others in your life.

To look at a self-portrait you’ve taken, or even a photo that someone took of you. Or look in the mirror and give yourself the encouragement and love you give to your friends or creative cohorts.

Will you join me in this little act of self-love today?

May 3, 2012

Rule-Free Photography is back!

Back in March I ran a course called Rule-Free Photography hosted by Live it to the Full. We spent 2 amazing weeks breaking the rules of what we think we should know/do/be as people who like to discover the world through a camera lens. I was so energized by this class, by the way people responded to it and all of the gorgeous photos that were shared in the flickr group. There was also something quite magical about the 2 week length of a course. It was the perfect length of time to get energized about photography without being overwhelmed!

It was such a hit that we decided to bring it back….and its actually starting this month!

It runs from May 21st to June 1st and registration is now open.

Um, and did I mention that it was wickedly affordable and is only $29? Its important to me to offer a variety of price points with my courses and this quite honestly is worth way more than its price! It is a gorgeous dose of inspiration, it will help get that camera of yours off the shelf, will help you shake off perfectionism through playfulness and will give you a whole bunch of creative experiments to jump start your photographic adventuring!

You can find out more about the upcoming Rule-Free Photography class over at the Live it to the Full website!

May 1, 2012

Bringing our Stories into Focus

Is it time for you to create the space through self-portraits to let your story be told?

To un-invite the stories that don’t serve you and not let them be a part of your new relationship to your self-image?

To get quiet with the camera and listen for the new stories that want to be told?

Or to let one of those beautiful stories in the blur to come into focus?

April 20, 2012

Introducing Montage!

I’m so excited to share that I have yet another brand new class coming up this spring!

This one is completely different than all the rest as it is both a project based class and is also about creating soulful videos.

I have loved making videos for years now as it felt like it was a great way to make those photo and word weaving posts that I love to do into something even more. It is also so much fun to shoot video, to capture the moment in both still and motion.

Though behind the twirling skirts and jumping shots there is always a story, weaving text motion and still photos together feels like an incredible way to tell our stories.

When I started sharing this video, so many folks responded with “I wish you would create an e-course to show me how to do that”! So this course was created with those of you who said that in mind. You can create a video as a creative way to share your story on your ‘about page’ or to promote your creative ventures. Or, like this video, you can create one to tell your story in a unique way.

I’ve made sure this class explores the technical aspects of making a video in a really accessible way but also brings forth what is at the core of all of my classes which is exploration, playfulness and visual storytelling.

So I’m excited to share with you the brand new Montage Class!

Montage is a powerful 3 week e-course designed to help you create a soulful, storytelling-rich video for your website, business, or just because you feel called to!

This is a ‘make-it-happen’ kind of a class! In the first 2 weeks of the course, each day we’ll explore a new element of our video-making process and take a step towards the creation of our masterpiece! The steps are creative, fun will inspire you to take action in creating a video that tells your story. This class is a perfect balance of taking technical steps towards creating this video mixed with powerful worksheets and creative explorations to pull out the story we seek to tell.

I will be available throughout the class to respond to any questions the participants have about the process or their own work, as well as to provide feedback and encouragement.

I feel as though in 2012 my e-courses are taking on a life of their own. I’m feeling inspired to create new classes, Re-Writing the Story being the other brand new Self-Portrait class starting in May. Whereas in the first year of running e-courses I felt drawn to offer courses multiple times a year, I’m now letting the courses evolve differently. A few may be offered twice a year but some, including Montage, will be turned into a self-paced version for folks to do at their own time, but of course won’t have the support and community element to it.

So if you love the community energy of e-courses and crave to make videos that share your story, now is the time to join us!

***I’m offering an early bird special for this course! Just enter the code EARLYBIRD in the coupon code section to get the course for a special price of $68 (regularly priced at $85)! ***