Growth Opportunities for the Heart Raising the Barr Weekly Memo: Issue 286

For as long as I can remember, I love investing in my continued education. It provides me the ability to stimulate my mind, explore new innovations, discover what others are doing, stay on top of the latest and greatest, exchange ideas, while meeting fascinating people.

Each year I found myself selecting several key growth opportunities to attend that would push me outside my comfort zone. Although these events were geared towards improving my business, something different started happening in the last couple of years. All of the sudden, I felt the need to also explore, expand and attend events that would make my heart sing. The kind of events that would push my artistic side in areas of the arts, design, music, and photography, to just name a few.

I just returned from one such event that took place last week in beautiful Chicago, where I got to surround myself and spend four days with some of the most talented photographers in the world. Very little sleep, 27 walking miles, great conversations, many aha moments, and my heart and brain are full.

As I was reflecting on my key insights, I’ve come to realize that each contains a photography lesson that applies to my personal life as well as my business life:

1. You must develop your own unique look.
2. When photographing people, find out what they are passionate about and engage them in that discussion. You then get the best shots in between the poses.
3. Get out of your comfort zone. Be courageous.
4. Tell powerful stories.
5. Plan your shoot ahead of time yet learn to react quickly and adjust your plan in the moment.
6. To get amazing results, evaluate the big picture first, then zoom into to midrange distance, and then start exploring the details.
7. Look for patterns.
8. Changing conditions provide a variety of opportunities.
9. To achieve great images, select great subjects.
10. Stop over-thinking everything.
11. If you don’t like to wake up early, become a writer.
12. Slow down. Breathe!

Why not find an event that will make your heart sing? I am willing to bet it will enrich you personally and expand your creative business mind.

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