You have to fail in order to practice being brave…

“Take chances, make mistakes. That’s how you grow. Pain nourishes your courage. You have to fail in order to practice being brave.”

—Mary Tyler Moore

A couple of weeks ago I had one of my hardest sessions. Before even getting to the actual session date all the little things that can make a session magical just did not align: models out of town or sitting exams, energy depleted (yep Jetlag had a field-day playing havoc with my concepts and ideas), focus way off (the tragic world affairs and the accompanying worries followed me around like a grey rain cloud) and the worst, the negative little devil that loves to sit on my shoulder, had some kind of stereo megaphone plugged into a gettoblaster, that it felt it had to yell into it days before and all during the shoot. Looking back on the whole shebang, it really seems as if the universe gave me a dirty unattractive hurdle to teach me how to jump harder and higher.

Deep breath.

OK so I was not in the zone. I failed at the prep time, I failed at the inspiration, I failed at digging deep to find the spark, I failed at producing quality work, but, where I did not fail was at perseverance, at being brave, at finding a deep sense of calm and knowing that this will clear and from it a wee diamond (or something glittery and bright) will be laying in the puddle of mud that was the whole experience.

And wee diamonds there were. Thanks to wonderful people that step in front of my lens with a smile.