I have this picture, and about 4,000 like it.
I have several thousand photographs of wonderful people, and you probably don’t. Given this difference, you might be willing to hear me out on what that experience is like.
I make it a point to photograph inspiring people, and the effect of viewing thousands of photographs of courageous, generous, playful, sincere people is quite remarkable. It has a beneficial effect on the viewer—that would be me.
I would be thrilled if you had a similar experience of being knocked over by the beauty and magic of the people in your life. You don’t need thousands of photos to get the effect, you just need to really make your awareness available to the experience.
Regular readers know that I’m on a crusade to encourage people to value their own experience to the extent of making a record of it to pass on to others. This especially applies to parents and grandparents. Young people are profoundly influenced by family experiences, and the richer the record of these experiences, the better for the children. James Hillman wrote, “the soul is communal.” A record in text and images supports our hunger for community.
My work as a photographer led me to a discovery about how people see themselves. I’ll be blunt. Let’s get over thinking we are boring, undistinguished, and forgettable. Let’s get over the excuse that we are too busy. There is a profound reward for those who make the effort to create a record of their lives, and that is what I want to dwell on today.
I have photographs of yoga teachers, moms, dads, kids in all kinds of settings and activities. I have pictures of people dancing, kissing, hugging, eating, drinking, and even preaching on street corners. I have a photograph of my father-in-law on the day of his wife’s funeral.
My message today is to give yourself credit. I wish you could have the experience of viewing the gorgeous parade of human excellence I get to see any time I want. But, lacking that, maybe you’ll trust me on this one.
If you need help with this, that’s what I do.
