Finding my Mojo and Being Inspired.

We as humans are creatures of habit. We tend to stick with what is safe, predictable and comfortable. If it ain’t broke – why fix it? It’s easy to get complacent in our lives – whether personal or professional. I for one was feeling tired of the same old, same old. So I made some changes.

The biggest change was reinvesting in my craft and myself. I realized it had been over 7 years since I went to a photography workshop, gasp! So last week I beat the snowstorm and arrived safely in Newport, RI to attend a 3-day photography retreat put on by Inspire.

It’s always a tad unnerving to walk into a room with 300 other people you don’t know but the welcoming community of photographers was amazing. Egos were checked at the door and no questions were out of bounds. We were all there to learn and share about our craft. But the biggest take away was the constant encouragement to be true to “why we are photographers”,  to nurture our passions and ourselves.   Hence the word retreat versus workshop or conference. What an immensely different and brilliant concept.

From the moment the opening speaker, Cig Harvey, asked what drew us to photography, I realized I hadn’t picked up a camera to shoot solely for ME in way too long. Huge A-Ha moment. I needed a Passion Project! The instructor & mentor lineup was incredible. A few standouts: Laura Dee taught me “how to use my words”; Karen Kelly encouraged me to embrace my purpose while Teri Fiske reignited my fierceness.

I left there with my head spinning – full of excitement, new ideas, new goals and renewed mojo! Needless to say I will be attending again next year & highly recommend it for any photographers out there. Psst, You can check it out here: Inspire Photo Retreats.

So I encourage all of you to go be inspired. Take time for yourself. Find that fire inside of you that you are passionate about and go do it! I’d love to hear what you are passionate about.

Xo

Stefanie