SkipCohenUniversity
  • Home
  • SCU Blog
  • Our Podcasts
  • About Us

the SCU Blog

Finding Delight in Who You Are

7/15/2018

2 Comments

 
Picture
Sometimes the best part of a sunset is away from the sun! LUMIX FZ1000 f3.9 @ 1/80 ISO 200
I started writing Sunday Morning Reflections as a way to step away from the business of photography and remind myself I have a life outside of imaging. It's a way to recharge my battery and touch base with the challenges of finding balance and the multiple hats we all wear.

Now and then, when I have a hard time stepping away from the business, I read Melody Beattie. This morning was one of those days, and she never lets me down. Her July 15 inspiration is called "Delight in Yourself," and I pulled a paragraph to share: 

Be yourself and accept yourself--warts, waistline, and all. You don't have to sit up that straight, be that proper, or fear what others may see. Let your imperfections show...Relax and be who you are! When you do that, your life will be fun and a joyful gift to others. People who comfortably accept who they are - both their flaws and their good points - are healing, delightful, and fun to be around...Relax. Lighten up. Let go of shame and fear. The whole picture is perfect, and perfectly okay.

This past week was pretty remarkable as we launched Excire Inc. a new company involved in developing search software for photographers. In the process, I talked to a lot of photographers I've never met before. One of them introduced herself with, "I'm an amateur and I know my work isn't very good yet, but I love photography so much!" But when I looked at her work, it was stunning!
 
Photography, as my buddy Scott Bourne once wrote, is the great equalizer. Scott's point was that it doesn't matter what your pedigree is, you're going to be judged on the quality of your images. It doesn't matter what you look like, your education, your age, financial status or often, even your gear. The key is going to be the impact of the photographs you share.

And that brings me full circle to my point. Why is it so hard for some of you to just accept who you are? Why do many of you start out with introductions that sound like apologies instead of proclamations of pride for the choices you've made and are making? Isn't today the perfect time to give yourself a big pat on the back and stop wasting time on things that don't matter?

A few years back I did a podcast with Sandy Puc, and we started talking about our definitions of success. By the end of the podcast we had defined success as waking up with a smile every morning. And, that's what loving yourself is all about - accepting and appreciating the choices you've made.
"For me, success is inner peace. That's a good day for me."
Denzel Washington
Wishing all of you the perfect day, whether it's Sunday where you are or Monday morning on the other side of the planet. Make it a day of inner peace, time with the people who matter most in your life and don't forget to cherish that face looking back at you in the mirror. As Melody Beattie started things off this morning - be yourself and accept yourself!

​Happy Sunday everybody!
2 Comments
Peter Cardello
7/15/2018 09:25:44 am

Skip, Love your article. I have always been comfortable with who I am, faults and all. I have ben a photographer most of my adult life. My images have never hung at a convention or received any awards. However, they have pleased every client I have ever photographed and that has made me happy and given me that measure of success more than anything.

Photography is a passion of mine and it has given me a wonderful life. To this day I can count on my camera to bring me joy and relaxation.

Reply
Norma Grieve link
7/19/2018 10:01:39 am

No one else is more uniquely qualified to be you than you, of course. Though, sometimes the artist inside would rather be something more.

Reply

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    RSS Feed

    Picture
    Click to visit Platypod.com

      Sign Up for Our Newsletter!

    Subscribe to Our Newsletter

    Our Partners

    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture

    "Why?"

    Check out "Why?" one of the most popular features on the SCU Blog. It's a very simple concept - one image, one artist and one short sound bite. Each artist shares what makes the image one of their most favorite. We're over 100 artists featured since the project started. Click on the link above and you can scroll through all of the episodes to date.

    Categories

    All
    Beyond Technique
    Business
    Customer Service
    EDU10
    Excire
    F64 Lunch Bunch
    Faculty
    Fast Food Friday
    Guest Post
    Humor And Sarcasm
    In The News
    Lessons Learned
    Lighting
    Luminar
    Lumix
    Marketing
    Mark's Corner
    Mind Your Own Business
    Miscellaneous
    Motivational
    One Step At A Time
    Photodex
    PhotoShelter
    PhotoTexting
    Platypod
    Podcasts
    Profoto
    Sales
    Search
    Skylum
    Social Media
    Sunday Morning Reflections
    Tamron
    Tamron Recipes
    Technique
    Throwback Thursday
    Wedding Photography
    Westcott
    Why?

Categories​

Business
Marketing
Technique
Sales
Fast Food Fridays
​

Podcasts

Tamron Recipes 
Beyond Technique
Why?
Mind Your Own Business
Pro Photographer Journey

 Partners

Tamron
PhotoTexting

​Lumix

Marathon Press
​Platypod
©  2019 Skip Cohen University
  • Home
  • SCU Blog
  • Our Podcasts
  • About Us