Top 7 Takeaways from the Combining Passions Conference

I remember seeing posts for the Combining Passions Conference showing up in my Instagram feed and curious about it, I stalked the website to find out what it was all about. This idea of trying to find balance among the things in your life that you love really spoke to me. It took me so long to listen to all the signs leading me to what I love to do and to overcome the fears that got in my way. For those reasons, I've always been curious about how others end up where they are. There is always so much to learn from the paths others have taken and to see how life has a way to lead you exactly where you are meant to be (even if it isn't obvious at the time).

I knew I had to be part of this conference. You know that feeling you can't ignore and it just pushes you to do something? That was the feeling that led me to contact the talented Kristine St-Pierre who organized the event. I'm so glad I followed my gut on this one because it led to a day of meeting new people, sharing stories and soaking up all the advice and wisdom from an amazing group of women entrepreneurs, each bringing something different to the table.

There were many great tips and stories shared. I'm sure everyone left full of ideas and inspiration to keep them going along their path. Here are 7 that were especially meaningful to me.

1) Stop worrying about being the best. Just be yourself.
The idea of perfection can stop you from trying in the first place. There will always be people with more skills and experience. Being genuine, kind, and working hard can take you further than you may realize.

2) If you are miserable doing something, it's for a reason - listen to the signs.
Yes, there are times in life where you have no choice to do things for the paycheck but this doesn't mean you can't take small steps and explore those other areas in life that speak to your heart.

3) 'Leap and the net will appear' - John Burroughs (thanks to my friend Karolina for that quote)
Sometimes the fear to go all in means we never give our dream the attention and time it deserves and instead stay inside our comfort zone. Real growth happens outside of that.

4) Behind every success is struggle
So many times we see successful people and assume they have it easy. No matter who you are, behind that success is struggle, challenges and hard work. It doesn't happen overnight.

5) Give back in a meaningful way
Looking outside of ourselves and giving back to causes that are important to us have a way of coming full circle.

6) Surround yourself with positive people
Even if people tell you your idea is impossible, it doesn't mean they are right. Find a support network of positive people who will push you forward.

7) Fail often
Failing means at least you tried something. Use those failures as a way to learn, grow and move on.

Thanks again for letting me be part of this event and can't wait to see what is planned for the next one!

Curious to see all the photos from this wonderful event? Visit:

http://clients.mathieu-photo.com/guestlogin/combiningpassions/?return=/combiningpassions/

4 Photo Project Ideas You Can Start Today

I’ll soon be sharing on my website the latest session in my series: “do what you love” which is an ongoing personal project of mine. Personal projects are a great way to get those creative juices flowing, to re-focus, or to experiment with new techniques. While you hope that others will enjoy and be inspired by it, it is something you do purely for you.  With this in mind, I wanted to challenge you to take on your own personal photo project in the context of family life. As we move into the cooler seasons, we are typically at home more which is a great opportunity to push yourself to explore your creativity, and at the same time, to document your home life. 

A good way to start is by making a list of those things you want to remember about your family as they are right now. You may be amazed at how the act of just taking the time to think about these and write them down will get you to notice these moments more when they do happen. Start using your camera to document those moments. This may mean scheduling a little window of time in the day to use your camera. Keep the camera close, with extra batteries and memory cards handy. Taking a few photos a day or each week doesn’t take that much time. Yes, there will be days when you may just go through the motions, feeling like there isn’t much to capture. If you keep with it, however, you will find those times when everything comes together and it will all be worth it. When you look back on all the photos you captured, you may be surprised to see how the photos as a collection speak to you about your life. 

Here are some project ideas you may want to try:

1)      Photograph the evidence that the kids were there: the aftermath, the forts they build, the trail of toys, the piles of laundry. These all tell a story of your life right now.  There is a wonderful website dedicated to documenting details of evidence that the kids were here. It is worth taking a look for some inspiration and how interesting these images can be - even a sink stacked with dishes is worth documenting.

2)      Document an activity:  get kids (young and older) involved, ask them what they love to do and want to remember. Let them pick the activity and work on telling the story of that activity. Use various perspectives. Don’t forget to include the context. For example, if the activity is apple picking, include wide shots of the orchard, the signs, close up shots of apples.

3)      52 week challenge: the idea behind this challenge is take a photo every week for a year. You could take a portrait of someone in your life or a self-portrait every week for a year  - explore different lighting, locations, moods….or if 52 weeks sounds too hard to manage, try it for a few months. You can pick different themes each week or just shoot whatever inspires you. Photograph parts of the same routine and challenge yourself to find a new way to photograph it, a new perspective, play with light and composition. Photographer Dale Foshe has put together a 52 week photography challenge with weekly themes. You can download his list and get started. You can share your work or see what others have done by following the various social media links provided.

4)      Details only: Focus only on capturing details - whether details of people, things or places. Think about photographing that messy bedhead, details of hands, textures, shadows. Once you start looking for details to shoot, you begin to see things around you in a new way.

  

These projects are meant to challenge yourself but it is important to have fun with it.  Don't be too hard on yourself. If you forget or truly don’t have the time for a few weeks, that’s ok. Just pick up where you left off. This is a project for you and you can make the rules. 

I would love to hear what ideas you come up with! You can visit my website to read more about my personal project focusing on local business owners pursuing their passion.