Life {as an artform} Manchester 2010

Sorry about the silence around here! For the last week I got to experience Jesh de Rox’s Life {As an Artform} workshop in Manchester (well, Macclesfield to be precise but hey), which meant I was pretty much out of action on every other front (sorry for the delay in getting back to your emails as well). This was the first time Jesh has brought his workshop to the UK, and the quite small group of us in attendance felt very privileged indeed to be able to share what we did. It’s actually really hard to put into words what it is exactly that we experienced, but I want to try to do it now when it’s all still fresh, even if just in the hopes that I won’t ever forget.

I do have to mention the incredible venue, Hilltop Country House, where the Gardner family took such good care of us. It really was the most idyllic setting for one of the most beautiful (and challenging) weeks of my life.

I learned so many precious things, a lot of which are absolutely impossible to put into words in a way that wouldn’t diminish them. As far as photography and running a business is concerned, I feel like my work and the way I run my business has been completely validated. It’s like I was always intuitively on the right path, but I can now clearly see what that path is – and I feel such freedom when thinking about my future.

The biggest revelations for me were personal ones though. If someone would have told me before hand how wide open I would be cracked in the presence of strangers, I would have thought it absolutely impossible (which in itself is huge). I gained such perspective, let go of so much baggage, and most of all, got reminded that it’s important to listen to my heart, even at times when I can’t quite yet understand where it’s leading me.

I am totally blown away by how quickly and deeply I bonded with the other incredible photographers (such as the beautiful Maz from Light and Day Photography), we shared so many difficult and fantastic things together, that there’s no way we won’t be forever connected in some way.

I also came back with a lot of new practical tools to help me with the way I relate to the people I’m fortunate enough to photograph. Jesh created Beloved sessions in order to help couples reconnect with each other and experience the love that might sometimes get a bit lost in the middle of every day routines. It’s a powerful thing being able to draw real emotions from the people in front of the camera. I’ve always believed that the experience of a photo session should be as important as the final result, and I can’t wait to incorporate some of the Beloved principals into my sessions in order to create a more meaningful experience for my couples.

This really wasn’t a workshop about ‘photography’, especially not about equipment and technique, but on how to experience your life in the most authentic and rewarding way possible, how to communicate meaningfully, and how that benefits every aspect of your life – and that, that’s nothing short of precious.

If you ever get a chance to spend time with Jesh, I urge you to take it. I have never in my life met anyone as infinitely giving and as genuine. I am in awe over how much of himself he gives to total strangers, and how he helps them connect to places in themselves they never even knew existed. I really hope he never tires of sharing his beautiful heart.