Making This A Better World: A Work In Progress

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These days, there is a collective need to be good for the world. Society wants us to be greener, to be ethical and to have a purpose. Many businesses, especially bigger brands, have successfully aligned their mission with this new collective social conscious. They are working hard towards using 100% green materials, producing with 100% sustainable suppliers, or becoming 100% ethical. But for smaller businesses, particularly creative entrepreneurs, the idea of having to adapt their business to become 100% good for the world can be daunting. Where does one start?

Achieving 100% of anything might not be realistic. Being 100% of something implies that we are done, that we have reached the end of our efforts, and that there is nothing else left to do. But, the reality is that just our mere existence as a business and as a human being has an impact on the planet. To be 100% green and have zero impact in the world we would have to stop existing altogether.

A better approach to sustainability and ethical practices would be to become a work in progress. When you are a work in progress, it means that you are constantly assessing your business and your processes to improve them. It means that you know that your efforts to be better for the planet and for society are never over. And, if you look at it this way, it becomes easier to start slowly and apply changes as you go where you see that they are needed.

To start running a more sustainable and ethical practice, you could start by identifying where improvements can be made. Then, you make a plan of how you are going to apply those changes.

For instance, our photography businesses run on electronic equipment. This equipment has a limited lifespan. Even if we tried to get our money’s worth, we would still have to replace our cameras, computers and phones every 5 years because, otherwise, they become obsolete. Our equipment also uses batteries and, nowadays, most of these batteries have a lifespan of 3 years.

A simple step towards becoming greener could be buying products that will last longer. Equipment that will not force you to replace it too often. If you have to change it, try to repurpose the old one. Use it as a backup, sell it on the second-hand market, or find ways to reuse its individual parts.

Buy from suppliers and manufacturers that are environmentally conscious, those who use less packaging material, and those who have strict environmental policies in place. Try implementing other actions like remembering to turn off electrical equipment when not in use, or buying rechargeable batteries whenever possible.

When it comes to ethical practices, asking yourself a few questions might help. Are your suppliers running businesses with ethical policies in place? Are you paying your collaborators fairly? Are you championing diversity and inclusion in your projects? Do your clients align with your ethos? Is there something else that you could do to have a positive impact on your community?

Contact your current suppliers and ask them about their ethical and equality policies. Find out if you are paying your collaborators a fair living wage. Make a list of those clients who no longer align with your ethos and think of how you can get more like-minded clients and reduce your dependency from the ones who are not. Pay attention to pressing issues in your area and think of ways in which your business can contribute to improving your community.

The unexamined practice is not worth running. We should make the effort to be in a state of constant work in progress, of constant self-improvement. As businesses, our goal is to make a profit. But, in order to make a profit, we need clients who are part of healthy economies and stable communities. If we want to guarantee those conditions, we must make it part of our core mission to benefit and improve the world.

Photo credit: portrait by Ivan Weiss.

Society's Image Of Success is Very Limited

Success looks different to every single person in the world. If you ask Greta Thunberg to define success, she will most likely tell you that for her success means reversing global warming before it is too late. If you ask Elon Musk the same question, he might tell you that for him it means getting the richest people off the planet before the Earth dies. And, if you judge music videos these days, some people in the music industry seem to think that success looks like being a gangster living in a mansion and throwing money to your followers whilst standing on the roof of your luxury car.

However, these to me sound more like a list of goals than a definition of success. I believe that achieving a goal is not the same as being successful. Anyone who runs projects can tell you that after completing a project you feel both fulfilled and empty at the same time. You feel good because you have succeeded in finishing the project, but you are left with a void inside and a feeling that you don't know what's next. Some call it post-project depression. In both Project Management and in life, what happens after you have achieved your goals is as important as achieving them. Sadly, we are brought up to focus on winning the race but nobody teaches us what happens after the race is over.

Life continues, that's what happens. If you equate feeling successful to ticking goals off your list then you will always feel like a failure even if you have reached your goals. I hear so many people around me say that they feel like they haven't really achieved anything yet even if by society standards they should feel successful.

Society's image of success is very limited. Feeling successful should align more with your purpose in life and your values, and less with the completion of your tasks and goals. You can perfectly feel accomplished and successful but at the same time have a long list of unachieved goals. One thing is not a requirement for the other.

I have a list of goals and dreams that I have yet to achieve in my life that could span for kilometres, but that doesn't deter me from feeling accomplished. My purpose in life is to try to make this a better world, and I work hard every day to use my platforms to help others and to raise awareness of the issues that I care for. That makes me feel happy and successful, even if that doesn't always translate into the image that society has of success. Being a good human being is what success means to me.

Photo credit: portrait by Ivan Weiss.

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Do We Really Want Diversity And Inclusion?

The problem with longing for a truly inclusive and diverse society is that we haven't really sat down to ponder on what that really means. For a society to be truly diverse, it must welcome and include everyone. From the ones who look and think like us, to the ones who don't. It must include what we consider good and what we consider bad and every flavour in between. It must also welcome everything that we think is beautiful and everything that we consider ugly of this world. If that is not the case, then it's not a truly diverse society. What does your version of diversity look like?

We can't fight for inclusion by excluding others. That would make us hypocrites. And, as much as this notion hurts, if when you think of a diverse and inclusive world you eliminate a group that you deem unacceptable then you are just creating another broken version of the world we already live in.

This is not to say that we should condone the behaviour of those who attempt against humanity and human rights. Those should never go unpunished. But, it is the duty of our society to establish mechanisms to guarantee that we can all coinhabit our communities in peace.

What are those mechanisms? I don't have the answer. But we have already seen a version of our society that doesn't work. Our communities have lost respect, empathy and accountability. These three elements that were ingrained in my education while I was growing up don't seem to exist anymore. Our communities are so fractured and divided that at this point we have finally achieved some shape of equality. One in which we all equally hate someone else.

We need a more permanent solution. For decades we championed tolerance and political correctness, and those who didn't agree with us were pushed to the side. Then, we started working towards a more equal and diverse world, and those who wouldn't jump on board were cast out.

Now, those who we tried to keep on the edges of society have grown stronger and they have found the leaders that they needed to reclaim their space. And they have come with a fight. We are fighting back with our flags of inclusivity and sustainability and I'm sure we will push them out again. But, for how long? Until they regroup, find new leaders and recharge their batteries? When will this end? Is there another way?

In every ecosystem, there needs to be a balance for all the species to survive. We must find that balance in our communities. That version of society might differ from the image of an ideal society that we have in our minds, but we must find a way to coexist by respecting our differences and empathising with those who don't think like us.

I'm not pretending that this will be easy nor that the perfect version of society that fits everyone's needs exists. All I know is that, whenever I hear versions of inclusive societies that don't have a space for everyone I wonder if we really want inclusion or if all we want is a version of society where everyone looks like us. That doesn't sound very diverse to me.

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If You Don't Shine, I Don't Shine

This post is also available in audio form:

A few years ago, I found myself at a point in my life when I started to think a lot about all the opportunities that I had been given. I felt grateful for the key people in my life who acted as mentors and offered me those opportunities. That feeling of appreciation made me realise that it was time to pay it forward and offer that experience and those opportunities to others.

I know first-hand that having a mentor can change your career forever. When I changed career at almost 40 years old, I started anew in a different industry, a different country, a different work culture and a different language. I wouldn’t have been able to get a foot in the new industry if it hadn’t been for those who lend me a hand.

I discovered that there are people in every industry willing to offer advice, who wish to inspire others and offer career and business advice. People who understand the difficulty of not having contacts or resources when you are starting out.

So I decided to offer that chance to other people coming into the workforce, but also allow myself to have a positive impact on someone else’s career.

It all started with one person asking for advice and for someone to keep them accountable for the progress of their project.

When I started mentoring them, I didn’t know exactly how I could support them or what kind of help they needed. I only knew that I had been in the workforce for 27 years and in the creative industries for almost 15 so at least there were some questions that I could answer.

My mentee also had no idea of the kind of help that they needed. Our first conversation was more to get acquainted with each other and to establish the line of communication that we would follow for the rest of the mentorship.

We soon realised that they had many questions that weren’t obvious to them at first, but that throughout the weeks started to arise. And some questions led to straight answers, but other questions opened more questions and the conversations became more informative with time.

I was able to offer insights into the job market and how the industry works, apart from advice on how to develop projects from inception to completion.

I was happy to help, but I never expected that in turn, they were going to help me as well. As a mentor, you learn as much from them as your mentees learn from you. It’s a symbiotic relationship. You offer advice and give answers to questions about your industry and your job. In return, your mentee offers you a different perspective on your own career and on life. They give you a fresh view of the issues that people coming from other backgrounds face when they join the industry. They show you a whole new way of doing things.

I am someone completely different from the person that I was when I started mentoring others. Mentorship has opened my horizons, and it has made me more conscious of the vast experience and knowledge that I have that I wasn’t aware of. It has helped me sell myself better as an expert in what I do. And, more importantly, it has given me the satisfaction of being able to share my knowledge with others and to see how others thrive when they feel supported.

Photo credit: behind the scenes by Sandy AbdelRahman.

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What About Humans?

I had lunch with an architect last weekend. During our conversation, I told her that there should be a law that stated that anyone who designs a living space for humans must live in it for at least a year after being built. That way, they will learn how to put humans at the centre of their practice. This came about because I was telling her that I just moved into a new flat, and one of its most interesting features is that if I go to the loo with the door open the people from the building across the street can see me in all my glory. Nowadays, we are too focused on maximising income and minimising costs. But, what about humans?

You see the same happening with the leaders of our communities. We elect people who are supposed to represent us, but when the time comes they only respond to the needs of those who contributed economically to their campaigns. Not even to the needs of the people who voted them in.

This has become very evident during the times we are living. I reckon there should also be a law that forced all politicians in power to personally console the families who have lost someone during the pandemic. Maybe that way their decisions would be more human-centric.

As creatives, how can we make sure that the work that we create is human-centric? If we are designing or creating something that will be used for human consumption or appreciation, we must take into account humans while our ideas are still on the drawing board.

People, environment and business must always go hand in hand. What sense does it make to bring something into the world that doesn't have humanity at heart? And when I say humanity, I include everything that humanity needs for the survival of the species. If there is no planet Earth, there is no human race.

Creating something that will have a negative impact on the world, or working in environments where humans are mistreated, or engaging in practices that put the planet and all its species at risk shouldn't be excused anymore.

Start by asking yourself some questions:

1. Is the work that I'm creating improving human lives? How am I portraying the people in my images? Am I representing them well? Am I unfairly profiting or taking advantage of the people in my work? Who's my work helping? What is the message that I'm sending? Some of these questions have answers that must be assessed on a case-by-case basis, but there are behaviours in the photography and creative world that have been tolerated for a long time and that now are being put under scrutiny. Such is the case of leading photographers from the world-renowned agency Magnum and the way that they have profited from victims of exploitation in the name of art.

2. Is my work causing harm to the planet? Am I using processes or materials that have a negative impact on the world? Could I be doing something to reduce my impact on the environment? I am aware that, at first, some of the answers to these questions might not be obvious. But even taking small steps towards a more environmentally friendly practice can go a long way.

3. Is my work being used in detriment of humanity? Sometimes we get commissioned to create work that will be used by others to promote their products, services or agendas. Are we responsible if the work that we created is used to promote practices that harm humans or the planet? This is something that sometimes it's completely out of our control, but choosing to work only with like-minded ethical and sustainable partners will reduce the chances of this happening. What if I need the money, you may ask? That is a question that only you can answer.

You don't have to be an activist or a volunteer to contribute to humanity. You don't have to work for an NGO or a non-profit, you don't even have to support charities. All you have to do is take the time to think about other humans and the planet when making all your decisions.

Paraphrasing JFK, ask not what the world can do for you – ask what you can do for the world.

Image caption: this is how neighbours keep their windows open during windy days in our newly built flat.

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In Order To Grow, We Must Change

These are not easy times for humanity. We are probably the most privilege and well-off generation of humans to ever inhabit the planet. But, at the same time, we are the first ones to live a shared global experience of the magnitude of this pandemic. The repercussions of what we have lived over the last few months will be felt for years to come and they will put humanity to the test. Only those who are willing to adapt to the new circumstances will have a better chance of coping with the new reality.

Change happens all the time. Even when we don't want it to. You may stay in bed all day and not do anything at all, and still, your body will change. It is programmed to grow. From the minute we enter the world, that's all we ever do. We change as we grow. So, if even the tiniest pieces that make who we are don't do anything other than change all the time, why would we want to stay the same?

Change is good. It is ok to change, no one forces you to be, to think or to behave the same way throughout your life. If they do, be wary. You might be living under an authoritarian regime. Change has helped us arrive where we are today. If it hadn't been for change, we'd still be banging two rocks against each other to create fire. When you allow yourself space to change, you grow and you evolve. Look back and ask yourself: are you still the same person that you were 5 or 10 years ago?

One of the key factors why human beings have been such a successful species is our ability to adapt easily to new circumstances. We see something that is not favourable to us, we study it, we experiment with solutions, we implement change and we adapt.

However, being adaptable is a double-edged sword. The better adapted you are, the less adaptable you tend to be. Maybe to live in a constant state of change and growth is what we should all aspire to. We see it in our bodies, why not implement it in our minds as well?

The pandemic has created an inflexion point in the history of humanity. It has revealed the flaws in our ways, but it has also created the perfect opportunity to reinvent ourselves and our societies in order to correct those flaws. If under normal circumstances change is good, under exceptional ones change is vital.

Four centuries ago, during a different outbreak, Shakespeare gave life to King Lear, Macbeth and Antony and Cleopatra. If the plague hadn't shocked his world, there might have been no Lear, or Romeo and Juliet, or Hamlet.

There will be a clear before and a clear after once we overcome the present situation. And I would like to see myself on the other side of the tunnel as someone who was receptive, someone who took the time to look around and acknowledge their flaws and decided to change and to grow.

At the end of the road, very few will remember where you came from. Most people will only see you for what you have become.

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What is Our Role as Creatives in Times of Crisis?

A few years back, when Fashion Week was accused of being all of a sudden too political, I wrote this post about the role of creatives during times of crisis. I read it again this morning and it feels more relevant than ever. But, at the same time, it makes me feel as if we are just going to have to fight for the causes that we believe in every day for the rest of our lives. Is there truly no rest for the wicked?

There might not be. Our role as artists and photographers is to look around us and try to make sense of the world we are living in by studying it, interpreting it and presenting it to society to offer a different perspective on the issues that we care for. We have a powerful and effective way of engaging with our audiences, and we must use it to encourage others to question their own realities.

Is it enough, though? I keep asking myself this question. Lately, I've been thinking that we need a more sustainable and lasting approach. One that doesn't end when we finish the last piece of our series or after our exhibitions are over. What happens after people have engaged with our work? Are our pieces just conversation-starters or are we actually changing people's minds?

The same goes for online activism and all the protests on the streets. Are they enough? They are definitely necessary. All the riots, all the hashtags and the raising of awareness, they are very much needed and they do work. But, are they enough? What happens after all the placards are swept away by the cleaning crews? What happens when all the hashtags stop being trendy?

All of the above acts are not enough. Don't get me wrong, we need the activism and we need the riots and we need artists to create work motivated by this political and social climate. But, the expectation that these actions will spark immediate change in our societies can be demotivating. Sustainable change takes time and commitment. It takes working towards social change every day.

How do we do it? I don't have the answer. But, I can tell you what I'm doing. Over the last few years, I have been producing work with an ethical and social conscious and a focus on making a difference to the world using the work that I create. Every project that I start and every decision that I make begins with the question: how is this making the world a better place?

Maybe we should start by asking ourselves that question in all our endeavours. From doing the groceries to working in our current jobs. When it comes to contributing to humanity, no action is too small. Let me know your thoughts.

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When Tears Are Poisonous

Early this year, I took part in a project by artist Mona M. in which she explores the use of tear gas by riot-control police to disperse protesters even if the use of tear gas is prohibited in war. For her project, other participants and I read for the camera the Articles of the Chemical Weapon Convention about riot-control agents in different languages while onions were being chopped within a short distance from us.

Tear gas does not only produce sensory irritation to unarmed protesters, but it can also cause serious and prolonged health effects to anyone exposed to it. The 1925 Geneva Protocol prohibits the use in war of asphyxiating, poisonous or “other gases”, including lachrymatory gases.

Riot control agents are not allowed as a method of warfare according to the 1993 Chemical Weapon Convention. However, riot-control police all over the world consider this toxic weapon harmless and use it for domestic law enforcement purposes.

When I heard about this project, I was interested in taking part in it because as a child I was exposed to tear gas many times. I grew up in Panama, and in the 70's and 80's the country was controlled by the military dictatorship of Manuel Antonio Noriega and the PRD.

Whenever there were protests against the dictator on the streets, the riot-control officers would disperse protesters using tear gas. As a child, I wasn't involved in those protests but some of them took place right outside my school. The toxic clouds would be blown by the wind directly into the classrooms and we had to rush to close the windows and cover our faces with any piece of cloth that we could find.

No one should have this memory from their childhood, and no child should have to learn that in order to protect themselves from tear gas they must soak a piece of cloth in vinegar and wrap it around their faces. These were instructions that I received as a child from my parents and from my teachers. Go back and read this paragraph again and let that sink in.

In the video performance, we read the Articles of the Chemical Weapon Convention about riot-control agents in English, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, French and Turkish. The onions irritate our eyes and throat, making it impossible for us to read.

Mona M. portrays her work through different languages with an interdisciplinary approach. Her artistic research involves issues like identity and memory. The situations she studies through her research combine her personal memory with ideas rooted in global socio-political values.

You can see the full video on this link. To learn more about the Chemical Weapon Convention, visit the OPCW.

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Be Kind To Others But Also Be Kind to Yourself

This week is Mental Health Awareness Week, and for 2020 the theme is Kindness. Being kind to others has a positive effect on our mental health. And, by helping others we are not only helping ourselves but we are also contributing to making this a better world. Isn't that enough reason to spread kindness around us?

Last year, for Mental Health Awareness Week the theme was Body Image and I ran a debate about Mental Health in the Fashion Industry in collaboration with Olivia Pinnock and her platform the Fashion Debates. But this year, with everything that is going on, I wasn't able to put anything together to contribute to raising awareness of the importance of taking care of our Mental Health.

I think this is why I was having a bit of a writer's block this morning when I was trying to write this post. The current global situation has a toll on creativity and the fact that we are not having new nor diverse experiences contributes to this creative block. To clear my head, I was suggested to go out for a run to see if the fresh air got the creative juices flowing.

While running, I listened to episode 3 - part 1 of Gabrielle Motola's podcast Stranger Curiosity in which she talks to photographic artist Rhiannon Adam. During their conversation, Rhiannon spoke about how the extraordinary stops being extraordinary when it becomes the norm. And this phrase got me into thinking about the times we are living.

For some people, finding themselves suddenly with all this available time became an opportunity to do the things that they have always wanted to do but never had the time to do. It is in a way like a forced vacation, even if many weeks later this new reality may have lost its appeal. It has been normalized, it's not exciting anymore. It has become ordinary.

At the same time, for other people this situation makes them feel like they have been put in prison. Even in the best possible scenarios, in which they kept their jobs and were able to work from home, they are forced to face and re-explore the dynamics with relatives, spouses, housemates and even with themselves. For those in the worst possible scenarios, they are faced with loss and grief. And when this extraordinary situation also became ordinary, things started to feel even worse.

What is a paradise for some, is a prison for others. This duality creates a perfect environment for mental health problems and can put an added stress in the dynamics within communities. That is why is so important to touch base with others and check how they are. And it is as important to also assess our own wellbeing and mental state.

Which acts of kindness can you do for others?

• Call a friend who you haven’t spoken to for a while. Ring someone who is on their own, or video call them. Check on someone you know who is going through a tough time.

• Tell your family how much you love and appreciate them. Help with household chores.

• Offer to help an elderly or vulnerable neighbour.

• Tell someone how much you appreciate them.

Which acts of kindness can you do for yourself?

• Prioritise some “me” time, so you can relax and reflect on how you’re feeling and how your day or week has been so far.

• Treat yourself to something small, such as buying or planting some flowers.

• Do something you enjoy, like listening to a favourite song or dancing in your kitchen.

• Spend some time in nature, which is good for our mental health.

• Whatever you do, don't do anything because you feel pressured to do it.

Doing something kind for others has a positive impact on our mental health. If you combine being kind to others with being kind to yourself, imagine how much happier our communities will be.

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Say It Loud

Last week, I partnered with Say It Loud to deliver a workshop to its members focusing on how to improve their photography skills, train their photographer's eye and turn ideas into photography projects. The workshop was part of a series of creative workshops which will fit into a big project for Pride this year. The theme of the project is "What pride means to me", in which members will be creating pieces of art or performances that express what pride means to them with the aim of showing them in a virtual exhibition.

Say It Loud is an organisation committed to providing support and advocacy for LGBTQ+ refugees and asylum seekers in the UK. It was founded by Aloysius Ssali in Uganda in 1994, who fled to the UK after being targeted, captured and tortured just because of his sexuality. However, the UK didn't formally recognise sexuality as a reason for claiming refugee status until 2010, so Aloysius was forced to live without papers for five years. In 2010, he successfully claimed refugee status.

Seeing that LGBTQ+ refugees have to overcome incredible challenges for the chance to call the UK their home, he decided to found Say It Loud Club in the UK in 2010. Since then, the organisation has helped hundreds of LGBTQ+ refugees to successfully gain the right to live freely in the UK.

If you want to learn more about Aloysius outstanding work, or if you want to support Say It Loud, please visit www.sayitloudclub.org

Photo credit: screenshot by Holly Dawson from Say It Loud.

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There Is So Much Noise Around

Last month, I partnered with Partnership for Young London to write a piece for their blog on my experience during the lockdown. Partnership for Young London is a charity that connects everyone who cares about young people in London – bringing together organisations, local and regional government, and young people themselves. Young people make up 25% of London’s population but are 100% crucial to its future.

Partnership for Young London's blog aims to shine a light on the mental strength, positivity and solidarity shown during the pandemic. Centred around the 5 pillars of mental health, they highlight the innovative ways we’ve been supporting our own and others’ mental health during the lockdown.

The piece was published on the Good Thinking website, a collection of blogs and podcasts about people's own experience of coronavirus. Good Thinking is an online resource delivered by Healthy London Partnership and it’s free for Londoners thanks to London’s NHS, London’s borough councils and Public Health England.

The Good Thinking website offers wellbeing information sources, guides to improving mental health, courses on and offline, and mobile apps to support individuals in managing their own mental health.

You can read the blog post on this link.

Photo credit: Me & My Community programme in partnership with Skaped.

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Interview And Takeover - Loupe Magazine

Recently, Loupe Magazine took an interest in my personal project called "Catalonia: A Work in Progress", and they offered me to feature it on their website and social media. For this project, I took portraits of people living in Catalonia and explored the spectrum of opinions that they have in regards to the Catalan crisis. Loupe Magazine interviewed me for their website and asked me to take over their Instagram account @loupemag from today until Saturday, May 2, 2020. Go check them out!

The interview was conducted by photographer Holly Houlton, and it revolved around my approach to the theme and the visual narrative of the project. They were particularly interested in my interactions with the participants and the respect that I showed for the people from all sides of the conflict.

The interview will go live on Thursday, April 30, 2020, on this link. A massive thank you to all the participants who made this project a reality.

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Out For Good

This past weekend, I went down to the City YMCA homeless shelter with other members from Out For Good to put together care packages to be given to anyone who comes seeking shelter when they first arrive. These packages contain simple, essential items that will help them settle into their new home and show them that there is someone out there who cares.

A massive Thank You to everyone who donated in the form of toiletries or cash, in particular to the extended community of The Trampery, to Lush UK and to the rest of the members of Out For Good. With your generosity, we were able to fill these packages with deodorant, perfume, aftershave, razors, shaving gel, hair products, sanitary items, combs, brushes, flannels, hand sanitiser, lip salve, toothbrushes and toothpaste. We also included handwritten personal notes and Easter Eggs as a little treat.

While we were there sorting the toiletries and filling in the packages, some of the residents of the shelter came to say hi and to thank us for the work that we were doing. They said that they really appreciate it when they receive one of these packages on arrival and that they are very grateful for them, even if it might seem like just a small gesture to someone else. For them, the content of these packages is essential.

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Not all of the members and volunteers were able to come on the day due to the restrictions and social distancing caused by the Covid-19 outbreak. The few of us who were able to make it decided to go forward with the activity because the residents of the shelter need to know that we haven't forgotten about them during these difficult times.

Also, due to the current situation, we weren't able to collect or buy all the toiletries from the donations we had received so watch this space for more information on the final number of packages that will be delivered.

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Fish Don't Know They Are Underwater

I set myself the task for 2020 to try to find common ground with everyone with whom I interact, even those with opposite points of view to mine. It has proven to be a challenging task, one that requires a lot of deep breaths, a lot of counting to a million and a lot of letting go of prejudices and personal beliefs. But, reminding myself that I might be wrong has helped me bring my anxiety levels down whenever I'm faced with an uncomfortable conversation.

We all live our lives with a set of beliefs that influence everything that we do. Some of those beliefs come from our upbringing (family, place of birth), while others have been acquired through the experiences that we have lived so far. Our brain makes every decision based on those beliefs and builds a set of assumptions. For us, that is how the world is.

I read somewhere that fish don't know that they live underwater. For them, being surrounded by liquid is the way the world is. Like fish, we walk around making the assumption that the world is how we see it. Until we meet someone whose views of the world are opposite to ours, someone who doesn't live underwater, but above it. And our first reaction is to say: "No, that can't be possible. They live in the wrong."

The truth is that, even if sometimes we might be right, the rest of the world can't possibly be wrong 100% of the times. There is a chance that sometimes we will be the ones in the wrong. What's more, on some occasions, we could all be partially right, and those are the moments when we need to focus on our commonalities.

What I'm trying to say is that no matter how right you think you are, listening to what others have to say and seeing life through their eyes can only expand your horizons and help you understand the world better. If, in the end, you prove to be right, treat others kindly as they assimilate their new reality. If you are wrong, be humble enough to admit it, and be grateful that you have learnt something new today.

There is a quote that has been running around the internet for some time, and that has been attributed to Japanese writer Haruki Murakami. I haven't been able to find the source. Whether it's his or not, I like what it expresses because it is a lesson on handling disagreements with others: “Always remember that to argue, and win, is to break down the reality of the person you are arguing against. It is painful to lose your reality, so be kind, even if you are right.”

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Showing We Care

When I left home at 19 years old, I was very lucky to have a strong support network that took care of me until I was able to get back on my feet. I couch-surfed from friend's house to friend's house for weeks, which admittedly was very distressing, but I never had to sleep rough. I don't think my friends were fully aware of how much they were doing for me at the time but, looking back, they unknowingly prevented me from ending up on the streets. I feel like I would have to live a few lifetimes before I am able to repay them for their kindness.

In the UK, approximately 1 in 200 people are homeless and, according to figures from City YMCA, 93% of those who seek shelter in their facilities are aged 18 to 24.

I am a member of Out For Good, an organisation formed by LGBTQ+ people who want to make a real difference in their communities, and we are collecting donations to put together care packages for a shelter for young Londoners affected by Homelessness. These packages will be distributed to young people by the City YMCA.

With your donations, we will be able to fill these care packages with items such as deodorant, perfume, aftershave, razors, shaving gel, hair products, sanitary items, combs, brushes, flannels, hand sanitiser, lip salve, toothbrushes and toothpaste.

Donations will be accepted from February 11 to March 13, 2020, and the care packages will be put together on Sunday, March 15.

Please make your donations on this link: https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/care-packages-for-homeless-young-londoners?utm_term=z8j4465Rx

City YMCA London is an independent charity affiliated to the YMCA movement, that works across some of London's most deprived boroughs to give every young person the opportunity to build a future of their own choosing. They have helped over 30,000 isolated, homeless young people struggling with family breakdown, school exclusion, poor mental health and drug and alcohol problems. Their accommodation offers a safe place for young people experiencing homelessness to piece their lives together.

Out for Good is an LGBT+ organisation for people with one thing in common, a willingness to make a real difference in their communities. Members dedicate their talent, time and commitment to help everyone in their community thrive. They act as role models, breaking down barriers in the wider community.

JustGiving is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) under the Payment Service Regulations 2017.

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When The Student Is Ready, The Teacher Will Appear

I first heard this ancient Chinese proverb about a year ago: "When The Student Is Ready, The Teacher Will Appear." I heard it from someone when we met after I offered to help them when they told me that they had been struggling with a personal project for months. That person said to me that the major challenge that they were facing was acknowledging that they needed help to develop the project. It wasn't until they realised that they needed to look for help that I appeared in their life. We now have a mentor/mentee relationship that has lasted for almost a year.

It wasn't by a miracle that we met on that day, nor crazy coincidence nor luck. I'm sure they had met many people before me who would have made excellent mentors. They just weren't ready to be helped and thus missed out on those opportunities. When they finally acknowledged that it is OK to ask for help, they seized the opportunity they saw when I offered it.

Since then, I have started mentoring both students and established professionals to help them develop their projects using my experience of 20 years working as a Project Manager in my previous industry.

At the end of last year, I joined the Beyond Barriers Mentoring Scheme from Kingston University as a student mentor. The programme was developed to achieve equality, diversity and inclusion in graduate employment and improve access and opportunity by offering support to under-represented and disadvantaged students. Who wouldn't want to be part of such a beautiful endeavour?

I've also been helping out students from the University of London who have reached out about learning what it means to have a career as a photographer.

As I've said in previous posts, our biggest challenge as a society for the new decade is bringing people together. What better way of creating connections than sharing my expertise with others. If you find yourself with some spare time in your hands, why not offer advice and support to younger generations or even peers and help them overcome their challenges.

I can assure you that you will not only learn as much from them as they will learn from you, but you will also create new connections, expand your network and contribute to making your industry and your community stronger.

Photo credit: behind the scenes shot by Tori Dance.

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The Day After

I wrote this post a couple of days ago after coming back from having lunch with friends. During the meal, one of them asked us not to talk about politics because they didn’t want to feel sad all the time and politics made them sad. This political climate has caused too much division and too much pain. We need to find a way to fix this.

Adam King, an Artificial Intelligence (AI) software engineer, came up with a tool called Talk To Transformer that generates coherent paragraphs of text one word at a time. The AI software predicts the next word in a text using neural networks to complete the text. I asked Transformer: “How can we bring people together?”, and the software generated an answer that suggested an “interracial alliance”.

We definitely need more allies, and if a piece of software can come up with that conclusion on its own, I don’t see why an intelligent species like the human beings wouldn’t be able to achieve it.

The holidays are over now, and today marks the first day of a new year, a new decade and a new challenge. In the words of Diane from Bojack Horseman: “every happy ending has the day after the happy ending”. Today is the day when we have to start bringing people together.

Photo credit: group shot of the participants of The Trampery’s Pathways Programme.

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An Experiment For The New Decade

In recent posts, I have been advocating for more inclusion and less divide and for finding commonalities with those who are different from us. This includes those with opposing points of views. Before the year ends, I propose an experiment: let's start the new decade by giving inclusion a try. Miranda Dempster, the Editorial Design Director of the New York Magazine, said in a recent interview: "Sometimes you have to try things just to prove why they are not right, but you might discover something else along the way you hadn’t anticipated." Let's keep an open and non-judgemental mind towards other people's opinions, and see where that takes us.

With this, I am not saying that we should condone abuse or hate speech in any way. But it might actually surprise us to learn that, at the core, we all want the same things no matter how different we are.

Someone who does this brilliantly is model Rain Dove. She receives so much abuse online that someone else would have ended up crawling under a rock and disappearing from the face of the planet. However, with kindness and an open mind, she takes the time to listen to her haters and has honest and open conversations with them. Most of the times, she turns haters into allies.

One thing that we must always keep in mind is that others also think that they are right. They also have evidence that we are mistaken. They might be as manipulated as we are. They believe that their point of view is what's best for the world, too. And, you know what? They might be right. Have you ever considered that you might be the one who's wrong?

This is a dilemma that's been on my mind for a few years now. And the election results in many parts of the world over the last few years have made me continuously ask myself that question. How is it possible that over the last decade, people around me are voting for governments with completely opposite views of the world to mine? Am I one of the bad guys?

I think that, just the fact that I am reassessing my views of the world and my stand on the issues that I care for makes me a good human being. A bad person wouldn't even consider that they are wrong. So, my resolution for the next decade is always to try to find common ground with people who have different points of views to mine. As Miranda Dempster said, we might both discover something new.

Happy Holidays 2019 and have a wonderful new decade!

Photo credit: behind the scenes taken by Chloe Rosser.

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Notes On Finding Common Ground

Thanks to everyone who made it last Saturday to create community with us! Art Sense Studio, Skaped and I ran a workshop in which we explored what it means to belong to a community in the present social, political climate. We guided participants to work and reflect on themes like displacement and a sense of belonging. This workshop was an invitation to delve into our commonalities and expand on what kind of relationships we have been building up with the communities around us.

The workshop consisted of a variety of group dynamics and short exercises in which we intended to instigate people to think about the way social issues impact our lives and communities. Participants said that the exercises were thought-provoking, they sparked deep discussions, and they taught them to focus more on our commonalities and less on our differences.

This workshop was the first part of a bigger project that I will be working on in 2020, where I will explore through photography what it feels like to live in London in this ever-changing social, political and economic landscape. Thanks to Art Sense Studio and Skaped for this beautiful collaboration and here is hoping for many more in the future!

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About Art Sense Studio

London-based social enterprise that delivers group sessions facilitated by experienced mediators specialised in community and participatory art interventions and programmes.

Participants and member of groups are supported in taking creative risks and in discovering the benefits of art as therapy.

We empower residents and their communities by providing opportunities for them to develop their artistic projects, and we support them along the way.

We have been delivering talks, one to ones, tutorials, seminars and wellness/CSR projects. We are also experienced in designing and providing programmes for individuals with lived experiences of mental health issues.

About Skaped

Skaped raises awareness of human rights issues and challenges as a way to inspire people to become actively engaged in social and political matters around the world, as well as at their doorstep.

Their mission is to work with people, and for them to take ownership of their human rights and provide a platform in which they develop confidence to realise their power and gives them a voice. They do this through creative arts workshops that use storytelling, film-making, and performance, to widen people's understanding and respect of human rights.

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Finding Common Ground

This coming Saturday, November 2, 2019, I will be running a free workshop in collaboration with Art Sense Studio and Skaped in which we will explore what it means to belong to a community in the present social, political climate. We will guide participants to work and reflect on themes like displacement and a sense of belonging. This workshop is an invitation to delve into our commonalities. Join us and expand on what kind of relationships you have been building up with the communities around you.

Are you someone actively involved in your community? Do you identify as a community leader? Would you like to understand your level of engagement with your community? Are you involved in promoting well-being for your community? Are you interested in exploring displacement in community settings? Do you consider yourself as a change-maker in your community?

If any of these questions sounds like you, sign up for free on https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/finding-common-ground-tickets-37069860952

We aim to provide a welcoming space to explore these themes in an honest, friendly and supportive way. Lunch and refreshments will be provided.

See you there!

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