What Makes A Great Image?

A lot has been said about what makes a perfect image. As a photographer, the challenge lies in trying to create the image that hasn't been seen before. The image that will make heads turn and that will stand out in the ocean of images that surrounds us everyday. But what makes this so hard to accomplish is that taste is very subjective and what is memorable for some is uneventful for others. How then can we create this perfect image? Is it even possible to plan for a great photo or does it happen on its own?

There is some really good photography out there. Photographers from all walks of life and from any level of expertise are creating amazing imagery. If you are like me and you are curious about what photographers from all over the world are creating you might already know this. And you might have already noticed that even if some images are exquisite some of them just look like what everyone else is doing. Even when I look at my own work I feel like I am just repeating the same pattern and that my work is not standing out.

Since I became a photographer some 5 years ago I have read an infinite amount of books and articles on how to create a great image and even when I went to photography school this was one of the first things that they tried to teach us. And let me tell you, there are a lot of schools of thought. Also, photography is such an extensive field that the formula that might apply to one type of photography might not work for another.

So while I am writing this post I am trying to think of the greatest images that I can remember to then put in writing why I feel that they are memorable to me. They all have one or a combination of the following aspects:

• They follow all the rules.
• They break all the rules.
• They were taken with perfect timing.
• They have great use of Colour Theory.
• They depict a historical moment.
• They depict current affairs.
• They have an interesting or famous subject.
• They evoke a feeling.
• They tell a clear story.
• Location, location, location.
• They have beautiful light.

As you can see, there are so many different reasons why a photograph can be a memorable image. And some of these reasons depend on so many factors that they seem impossible to plan for. Which makes me wonder: should we as photographers even bother? Maybe the clue is to keep on working in our art and let the chips fall where they may. Someone, someday, might think that our work is the best thing that anyone has ever created... what are your thoughts?

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Don't Hate, Just Dislike.

Over the last few years there has been a rise of extremism around the world. From inflammatory political speeches to hate crimes and terrorism, it feels like all the phobias were cooking slowly inside our societies until the pot couldn't contain them anymore. Hatred is such a dark and heinous feeling and I believe that most of us have never really had it ourselves. Which makes me wonder why do we use the word "hate" so loosely when we only mean "dislike"?

A few days ago I was having a conversation with a friend when I said "I hate it when that happens." And the second that the word came out of my mouth it just felt very wrong. Why did I choose that word if what I really meant to say was "I don't like it when that happens"? I don't think that I hate anything in my life or that I have ever felt that way towards something or someone in the past. And nevertheless I think that I use that word frequently instead of saying that I dislike something or someone.

So I made a promise to myself that day to stop using the word hate when I really mean dislike. Because even when the dictionary defines hatred as an "intense dislike", the word has gotten a completely different reputation with the events of the last few years and I don't want to be part of any of that. And I don't want my words to feed that feeling in others, either.

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There Is No Secret Recipe

Back when I was working in corporate I really disliked when suppliers used the phone to offer their services. "We work in technology, people, use the email!", I used to think. In fact, everyone in my department avoided answering suppliers calls for the same reason. We were busy people and a phone call was just a waste of time. Besides, there are some products or services that cannot be sold over the phone; you need some time to process what you are being offered and understand if it's something that you need. At least for me. So anyone who has ever tried to sell me something over the phone has failed. Surprisingly, telemarketing is still a thing no matter how many times I hang up on them.

We are in the last quarter of 2016, almost seventeen years into the XXI century, when thanks to technology we are more connected than ever and distances aren't meaningful anymore. Email, chat, webcams... all tools that transcend space and time. And yet, some people are still using the phone, a technology from the 19th century, to run their businesses. Which goes to prove that we are all different and that the selling techniques that don't work on me might work on others. Where I prefer emails because you have more time to process what you are reading and there is a written proof of everything that has been agreed upon, others prefer phone calls because they feel emails are too impersonal. There are no secret recipes to selling, where some fail others succeed. It's just a matter of understanding your target. Telemarketers who call me over the phone obviously don't know theirs.

The truth is that regardless of the method that you use to approach your prospect clients, the important thing is that you are consistent and that you always follow up. One call, one email, one online ad won't land you a deal. Consistence and perseverance will. There are no secret recipes, just these two secret ingredients.

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What If The Goal Is Becoming You?

I remember the first time when I said "I'm a Photographer" after being asked what I did for a living. It felt so strange yet so fulfilling. For close to 20 years I had been answering the same question awkwardly because I worked in an industry where I always felt a bit out of place. And there I was, a few years before turning 40, feeling like myself for the first time. I finally discovered what it was like to have pride in oneself.

Fast-forward to today and here I am, in the constant self-promotion, in the never-ending struggle to attract clients, in the crunching of the numbers to make ends meet... building a business is not for the faint of heart but it's such a rewarding experience. My friends jokingly wonder if I will remember them if I ever become famous and my husband wishes that I succeed so that I can early retire him. But even if those things sound enticing I really don't see them as my long-term goals.

I feel that one of the reasons why so many entrepreneurs fail in the early stages of their businesses is because they don't have a clear goal, not only for their businesses, but also for their lives. We are so focused on the return of the investment, and the profit, and the growth that we forget about the passion that drove us to starting the business in the first place. What if the goal was not to become a millionaire? What if the goal was not to achieve notoriety? What if the real goal was to become the best version of ourselves?

For 20 years I worked really hard and made a lot of sacrifices in my life without a clear vision of my future. I was just doing what everyone else was doing: pushing hard to climb the corporate ladder and helping other people's businesses grow and succeed with my own sweat and tears. But one day I got fed up, fed up with my choices and with my not realizing before that up until that moment I hadn't thought about myself. That's when I decided that I was going to become who I really wanted to be. And that is why that first time when I said "I'm a Photographer" made me feel so proud of what I had accomplished.

And yes, I want to grow my business and make it sustainable and hopefully one day be able to generate employment for other people. But that's just the plan. The goal is to be the person who is able to do that and probably much more. The goal is always Me.

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Is Anyone Out There?

As a business with a social media presence one of my biggest concerns is defining conversion and being able to track it. Specially because I offer photography services and not products and because I don't have an online shop where you buy my services. My clients have to contact me and together we devise a project. So what should be my conversion and how to know if anyone out there is listening?

The first step in order to know if anyone out there is reacting to your marketing efforts is determining how to track this. The conversion rate is one of those metrics that you define as a business to be able to measure the success of your marketing campaigns and their profitability. You could define it as the number of people who take a desired action that you want for them to take. For instance, you could say that in its basic form it would be converting a person who browses your site into a paying customer. But sometimes you could also want to track other types of conversions that not necessarily end up in a client paying for your services. Like the number of people who opened your marketing email and clicked on a certain link.

The second step is figuring out what is a good conversion rate for your type of business. And I feel like the only way of knowing this is by comparing with other businesses in your sector. The people at Smart Insights posted a very interesting article on email marketing statistics by industry that you should check out.

And lastly, and probably the most difficult step of them all, is deciding what all this means for you. You could have a very good conversion rate but it will only be as good as what you do with this information. Like I said at the beginning of the post, my marketing strategy is not based on a product that I sell, but on a project based service that I offer. My marketing efforts are content based and go into creating brand awareness, audience loyalty and social engagement. For me, a good conversion rate (new subscribers to newsletter, for instance) means nothing on its own if I don't cross-reference it with other metrics (quality of subscribers / leads generated from subscribers).

Like with friends, it's not quantity but quality. No matter how much data you gather or how many metrics you create, it's all worthless if you don't know what to do with them.

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Creative Does Not Mean Chaotic

There are two types of people in this world: tidy people and messy people, and those who know me know that I belong on the first group. But even if my world is very structured, I respect people who find peace in chaos. Until they use chaos as an excuse to be disrespectful to others. Because you can be chaotically creative but still be on time, respect deadlines and keep your word. In the end, it's all about being professional.

There is always a new study that finds out something new about human nature. And we will still be having those kinds of studies for as long as it takes us to understand our species. But we are such complex creatures that it will take us probably a few more centuries before we can finally decipher how our brains work. So, read all those studies as amusement articles but don't take them too seriously. The same people who wrote them might contradict themselves in a few years time.

Lately I have been reading a lot of articles about new studies on creative chaos and how the biggest creative brains in history were or are really messy and disorganized people. And the way these studies are written tend to suggest that people like me, who are very structured and have a system for everything, are not allowed to be creative because it is not in our nature. But to me that is just non-sense. First of all, because it implies by definition that I am not a creative person. And second of all, because what most of these studies say is that messy people tend to find order in chaos, which actually means that messy people are as organized as I am, they just express it differently.

So if you are one of those people who is always excusing themselves for being "fashionably late" or for not being able to keep deadlines by saying that it all comes with being a creative, stop lying to yourself and stop disrespecting others. That's just selfish. And to those of you who fear acknowledging how tidy you are because others might not think that you are creative enough, I say: don't let anyone tell you what you are supposed or not supposed to be. Be who you are but always respect others.

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5 Networking Tips For Fashion Week

London Fashion Week is around the corner and there isn't a better time to dust-off your networking skills. It is the biggest event of the industry and if you are lucky enough to be able to attend you should be prepared. You might not have a networking opportunity like this for another 6 months.

A year ago I wrote a post on Do's and Dont's for networking events. Check it out here. But today I'm adding a few more that relate specifically to fashion events:

1. Dress For Success: this is not only the name of a song from the 90's band Roxette. If there is a time of the year when you have to buy clothes it is now. If you are trying to appeal to a target that is fashion oriented, you must understand fashion.

2. Every Second Is A Networking Opportunity: you have to make the most out of this event. Talk to everyone and do not underestimate anyone. The person behind you on the cue to the restroom could easily be your next client.

3. Don't Get Discouraged: you are going to meet a lot of people and not everyone can be interested in what you have to say. Besides, this is a trade show, so everyone is busy trying to sell their businesses. A brief introduction and a follow up after the event is the key.

4. Be Prepared To Show Your Work: maybe carrying around your portfolio is not advisable, but fill your phone or tablet with samples of your work so you can show what you do on demand.

5. But Get Your Face Off Your Phone: you are here to admire fashion and talk to people. Why waste precious time or risk a neck injury? Look up, smile and admire fashion at its best.

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What's Next?

If you have reached a point in your career where you feel comfortable with what you have and where you finally have mastered what you do, it might be time to move on. No growth ever came from staying in the comfort zone. So take a risk, even if it's as small as trying out a new technique or as big as researching a new target. In order to move forward you should always ask yourself: what's next?

And it's scary... oh, I know it's scary, believe me! All the what-if questions come to your mind to try to prevent you from change. But you didn't get to where you are by not taking risks. You didn't get to where you are by paying attention to your inner fears. So why do it now? If it's true that it's not the destination but the journey, why have you decided to end the journey so soon?

I am no better than you on this and to be honest I looked in the mirror this morning and asked myself: "where are you going from here?". I feel the winds of change starting to blow and I don't want to feel too comfortable where I am to not let them take me along.

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Bee A Role Model

My inspiration for today's blog post came from a construction site that I can see from my living room's window. Those tiny construction workers working in harmony as if they were playing in an orchestra made me think about bees and how all their hard work is oriented at the improvement of the community. And if you have been reading my blog long enough you already know how important the sense of community is to me.

A few weeks ago I went to the Kew Gardens with my friend Jessica (#hellojess #bestiesorbeesties?) and we were lucky enough to listen to a talk by beekeeper Harry Stigner on bee societies and their importance in our food supply chain. We learned that no bee is an island and that every single bee has an important role in the beehive: "from security bees defending the hive, to gathering forage, feeding young, cleaning, building, central heating, air conditioning, grooming and preparing honey." And even if you could argue that beehives are not perfect societies because of the lack of individuality, among other things, there is no doubt that there is so much that we could learn from them on "how hundreds and thousands of beings can cohabit harmoniously in a small space."

Should bees be our new role models? Probably not, as it would be hard to relate to an insect. But there is something that needs to be done about the role models that we have today. These new generations are looking up to people who have achieved absolutely nothing. From people who are notorious just because we made them famous to others who are in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons. Why can't we have as a role model a hardworking person who, like the bees, has earned what they have with sweat and tears? Why can't we make a construction worker's hard work our aspiration in life?

I am sure that there are a lot of honest and hardworking people out there that would make excellent role models. Maybe the problem is that we haven't heard about them because the media feeds from what sells and apparently we are more interested in someone's makeup technique or sex-tape than the achievements of everyday people. Or maybe it is true that it is hard to find a role model in our communities and that is why the fake role models are taking over our aspirations. So, if that is the case, I have a proposal: why not be the role model for others that you can't seem to find for yourself? And in trying to be the best person that you can be you will not only be setting an example for others but you will also be making this world a better place.

Bee a role model. Bee the change.

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Brexiters - A Photography Project

As an EU citizen living and working in London, the decision of 17 million british people to leave the European Union and the motivations behind the Brexit campaign affected me and my family directly. When I decided to work on this series I wanted to explore what I felt when I found out about the results of the voting and also the mixed feelings that I had in the aftermath of the referendum. The media told us that the majority of the pro-Brexit voters were English people 45 years old and above, with almost no education and living in rural areas of England, but I just couldn't believe that this description fit the totality of the voters. So I placed an ad asking for british people who wanted to be photographed impersonating someone who they thought voted pro-Brexit. I was not interested on their actual political views nor did I want to know which way they voted. I was just interested in the image that british people had of this voter: how would they dress, how would they behave, how would they look at me while I was taking their photo. I specified in the ad that it didn't have to be a stereotyped profile; I just wanted to see their interpretation of this voter and see if it matched the description that the media was portraying.

Almost 50 people signed up to my project but in the end, after many email exchanges, only 7 agreed to be photographed. I told these 7 persons that I was not going to influence their characterization. My only condition was that the portrait had to be taken at their place, because I wanted them to feel comfortable in their role and also because I wanted to have a real home feel in each of the portraits. They all lived in different parts of England so in a matter of 3 weeks I travelled around the country to take the portraits. And to my surprise, the image that each and every one of them had of the Brexiter was completely different from the rest. Neither of them had a similar view to the others. While I was taking their photos I realised that not only there was no Brexiter profile but also that the description that the media made of the Brexiter was very different from the image that british people have of them. My sitters got inspired either by people that the knew or they just interpreted themselves, as some of them admitted that they had voted leave.

All the portraits were taken using the same composition: landscape, to give a cinematic feeling to the portrait as if one were watching these people on the TV, and always taking the photograph through a door, a doorway or some bushes, as if one were peeking in to these persons' private life.

While working on this personal project I not only met some really interesting and lovely people but also I realized that part of the reason why the country got so divided during the referendum campaign period was due to the fact that the media demonized the Brexiter and also their political representatives didn't actually represent them at all.

You can see the whole series at www.greypistachio.com/brexiters

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Creation By Innovation

Fashion throughout history has always been a reflection of the needs and circumstances of the times that we are living. When we started evolving and we lost our body hair, we needed to cover up for warmth; the opposite happened with hats, because when we started commuting in covered transport there was no longer a reason for keeping our heads warm; and when the binding oppression of corsets became unbearable, fluid and soft clothes became the new norm. So, if fashion has always been at the forefront of innovation, why are we copying each other so much?

I see it in photography: if you spend some time on social media you soon realize that you can divide photographers into the ones who shoot in a certain style and the ones who shoot in another. I see it in design: designers get "inspired" by other designers and then the fast fashion retailers copy these designers to make those clothes cheaper and available to the mass. I see it in makeup: one big name makeup artist comes up with a technique and in less than the blink of an eye all the models are wearing the same look.

I feel like we are not taking risks anymore. We do what seems to work for others and what is selling more. Investors just want their money's worth and if something is working and selling, why change it? Money-driven mentalities seem to be ruining the industry and demoting creativity to a the bottom of the priority list. And I know what you are thinking: this is a business and we all need to make money to pay wages and rent. But when everyone gets bored of seeing the same things over and over again, the only ones left standing will be the ones doing something different than the rest.

Lately I have been challenging myself to break this cycle and pay less attention to what others are doing and start taking some risks. I am trying to do things differently by coming up with alternative approaches to existing solutions but also with new solutions of my own. I am trying to answer the question "what makes me, me?" and see how that reflects in my work. Like Juergen Teller says: "I just want to create a picture that no-one's ever seen before".

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Take The Blindfold Off

Back when I was growing up in Panama, I lived a very comfortable life. I was brought up in a bubble, and in that bubble, I was made believe that we were better than the rest and that some colours shouldn't mix. And it wasn't until my early twenties, when I moved to Europe and experienced discrimination for the first time, that the blindfold was taken off my eyes. Life gave me one of the biggest lessons I would ever receive.

It's funny because being gay and having come out at such a young age you would imagine that I had experienced discrimination all along. But the truth is that, apart from the expected problems with my parents and the occasional bullying at school, my family and my friends were cool with it, and it was never an issue at university or later at work either. So the first time that I was made aware that my skin tone mattered, that my features stood out, that my accent spoke more than my words and that, apparently, the fact that I was making minimum wage working in a computer warehouse defined me as a human being, I had a reality check that changed my life forever.

Discrimination in some societies is taken so much for granted, especially if you are in a privileged position, that people don't even realize that they are discriminating in the first place. We are brought up with fear and rejection to those who are different because of their origin, their race, their social class, their believes, or whom they love. And that has made us a paranoid species that lives in constant distrust of their surroundings. We have lost the innocence and the beauty of pure human interaction.

Maybe I am too naive, but interacting with others without taboos nor prejudices, with trust and an open heart, is not only a beautiful experience but it makes you gain so much. You learn, you grow, you expand your horizons, and at the same time you teach, you share, and you let others grow with you. I don't want to live in a world where every time that I leave home I have to live in fear, paranoia and distrust of those around me. When I meet someone, I give myself and my trust a 100% and if they lose my trust along the way that is on them, not on me.

It took me going through a very dark moment almost 20 years ago to learn this very valuable lesson. But it doesn't have to be like that for you. You have the power to take that blindfold off yourself. Life is so much happier without it.

Photo credit: self portrait.

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To Learn As Much As To Teach...

"To learn as much as to teach, to receive as much as to give." This week's post is a thank you note and also a word of praise to all the members of the creative community who not only work hard to excel in their craft but also give back to the community by sharing their knowledge and expertise so that others can succeed too. I strongly believe that when we all grow together and learn from each other the industry becomes stronger.

The title of this post is a phrase by Samuel Barnett, a social reformer who founded the Toynbee Hall at the end of the 19th century and who helped improve the quality of life of the communities of the East End (where I currently live). He once wrote that the volunteers who would come to work on his social projects came "to learn as much as to teach, to receive as much as to give...". I love these words because they completely reflect my way of thinking: there is no better life than the one led helping others. When we climb but at the same time lift the ones coming behind we improve the quality of the industry and that translates into a better community for everyone, one where we teach as much as we learn.

So from here I want to give a big shout-out to Nick Knight and SHOWstudio, to the team of Mastered and to all the people involved in their fantastic courses for taking the time to share their life experiences and their wisdom with those of us starting out in the industry.

Photo credit: behind the scenes taken by Rachel Williamson.

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Before Going Freelance

Carl Sagan was a cosmologist who famously said: "If you want to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first create the universe", meaning that before buying the ingredients and even before the farmer plants the apples or the wheat or the sugar cane, if you really want to make something from scratch you would have to go all the way back to the big bang, or whatever came before. The same way, if you want to start a career as a freelancer from scratch, before you quit your day job you must start by asking yourself the first and most basic question: am I capable of running a business?

Being a freelance photographer I can tell you that it's all fun and games while I'm shooting, but sadly shooting only accounts to approximately 10% of my time. The other 90% is spent on looking for clients, meeting with clients, pre-production, post-production, self-promotion, crunching numbers and what it seems like an infinite number of other administrative tasks. So if what you are is what you do the most, a freelancer is a business person even before being a crafter.

If you are considering a career as a freelancer, you should ask yourself at least some of the questions below:

• Do I have the financial support? Many years can go by before you start seeing profit. At best you will be covering your expenses in those first few years. So before quitting your day job make sure that you have money for the rent, for food and for keeping your business running until you start seeing profit.
• Do I understand the Industry? If you want to become a Makeup Artist, for instance, do you know what kind of makeup will you do? Retail? Bridal? Indian Bridal? Fashion? Special Effects? Will you work from home or go to your client or liaise with a brand, a salon, a studio or a production company? Do you need an agent? Have you considered assisting?
• Do I know my client? Who is that person? Where do they work? What do they like? How do they like to be approached? Do they use similar services? What is their budget? When do they hire?
• Do I understand the business? So you have got the clients and you have got the jobs... what's next? Do you understand invoicing and accounts receivables? How about cash flow? Have you ever filed taxes? Do you even need to at this stage? VAT? Self-promotion, prospecting, sales funnel, 80:20? Do these concepts make sense to you?

These are just a few questions that will help you realize if you are ready to be a freelancer. They are not meant to scare you off, on the contrary. They are meant to make you understand that there is so much more to freelancing that meets the eye.

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7 Ways To Survive Creative Freelancing

Being a freelancer in the creative industries requires a lot of commitment and self-confidence. No matter how advanced in your career you are, when there is work and income you feel fulfilled and grateful, but when there is none it makes you question your decisions. Bellow you will find a few tips on how to stay focused on your creative journey:

• Believe in yourself: I know that I repeat myself a lot, but this is probably one of the best advises that I have ever been given and I try to always pay it forward. You are good, your work is good. Keep on pushing and don't give up. Rome wasn't built in a day and neither will your brand. Success, like good wine, requires time.

• Keep improving your skills: low work periods are the perfect time to learn a new skill or to develop further the ones that you have. Take that course that you have been putting on hold because you never seem to find the time. Continuous education broadens our horizons.

• Embrace your accomplishments: you haven't gotten to where you are by chance. You have worked really hard to get here and that is in itself an accomplishment. So pause, take a deep breath and give yourself credit for what you have already done. And now, get ready to keep on going. Even if things are not working out the way that you planned, it would be a little unfair with your past self to quit now.

• Ask for help: if you feel stuck you should talk to someone and ask for help. You are not alone, the creative industries are full of people just like you who know what you are going through. We have all been there at some point so why not reach out to someone who can give you advice on how to move forward?

• Limit your expenses: they say that you always have to spend some to make some, but cutting down on unnecessary expenses will help you spend your money where it is actually helpful. Keep on spending on self-promotion, as this will give you income in the future, but take less taxis and walk more.

• Focus on yourself, not others: we all go through different paths in our journey, some get there faster than others, while some start with a destination in mind and end up somewhere completely different in the end. Focus on your own journey and stop wasting time and energy feeling bad for yourself when others seem to be doing better. Grass is always greener...

• Stay open to opportunities: the roman philosopher Seneca allegedly said “Luck Is What Happens When Preparation Meets Opportunity", meaning that we must always be prepared and open for when the opportunities arise. And they often present themselves when we least expect them so always be ready and receptive: carry business cards with you in your wallet, in your bag and in the pockets of all your coats and jackets; don't underestimate small jobs as sometimes they open the doors to bigger ones; approach even the shiest person at the following networking event, they might become your next client.

Photo credit: Behind the scenes photography by Stef Mic

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Are We The Biggest Hypocrites?

After the tragic killings of so many unarmed black people by the police forces in the US sparked the "Black Lives Matter" movement, a lot of members of the Fashion Industry have come together to support the cause. It makes you feel like people in our community genuinely believe in equality and diversity when you see all those posts with the cause's slogan on social media or all those people attending the protests held in different cities throughout the world. So why is it that when you take a look at the campaigns of brands and magazines or browse through the portfolios or published editorials of most people in the industry, you struggle to find non-white models. Could it be that the Fashion Industry is the biggest hypocrite in the world?

Discrimination and hatred are not stopped in social media. Discrimination and hatred are stopped at home, when you teach your children that we are all equal no matter our skin tone, our believes or who we love; discrimination and hatred are stopped at work, when you cast your models because of their talent and not their race; discrimination and hatred are stopped when your client tells you that they want to use only white models because they sell more and you remind them that if only white people bought their products they would go broke.

We have the power to do some great change but nothing will happen if we continue to rely on hashtags and memes to solve this issue. Real change happens in every day actions. Cast more non-white models in your shoots, support inclusive brands and publications, embrace diversity and spread the message of equality in your work. This is a beautiful industry but there is still a lot of work to be done to make it more diverse and more inclusive.

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The Marketing Power Of A Blog

If I ever had a doubt of what writing a blog could do for my self-promotion, Google Analytics just proved me wrong. 47% of my website's traffic comes through my blog. Isn't that something? That makes it my most powerful marketing tool at the moment! My posts are attracting more visitors than my mailings, my social media daily posts and my facebook ads combined!

But writing the post is only part of the trick. Every Wednesday after putting my thoughts on the blank page and after hitting publish I proceed to announce to the world that I just said something:

- I send an email to all my subscribed followers with a link to the new post and a link to related old posts that might also interest them.

- Then I create a post on my Facebook page, my personal Facebook and Linkedin with a link to the blog entry.

- After that I go to Hootsuite and create a scheduled post on Twitter and Google+ linking to the blog entry as well.

- And finally I create a post on Instagram uploading the blog post's photo and part of the text that I just wrote.

Writing a blog is hard work, it requires consistency and determination, but it pays off. So if you are hesitating about writing your own, but you are working hard on your marketing strategy, I think you are missing out on a very important marketing tool if you don't start one.

Photo credit: Behind the scenes photography by Stef Mic

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I've Never Doubted Myself And I Will Never Do It Again...

I've never doubted myself and I will never do it again... this oxymoron reflects the true struggle of the creative: our lack of self-confidence. One day we love what we do and the next day it's all rubbish. Paraphrasing Yeats in The Second Coming, why is it that the best lack all conviction, while the worst are full of passionate intensity?

We creatives have an amazing power in our hands: we decide and create the life that we want to live. We don't just accept reality and follow the pack. We build our world from scratch with our own hands and imagination. We translate what we see in our minds into images, tangible things or experiences for the rest of the world to enjoy. From the void, from the nothingness, we fill this planet with beauty, with questions, with answers... So why is it that the thing that makes us so powerful also makes us so weak? Why is it so hard to value and respect ourselves and our work? Why is it that we are always considering other people's grass better even when they are spraypainted green while ours is taking the right amount of time to grow and get to its appropiate shade?

You are great, your work is great, and you want to know why?  Because in creativity there are no right or wrongs, there is only taste. And like Jonathan Gillete said: “when you don't create things, you become defined by your tastes rather than ability. Your tastes only narrow & exclude people. So create.”

Never doubt yourself again.

Photo credit: Behind the scenes photography by Stef Mic

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Sometimes I Smile For No Reason

With the tragic events all over the planet of the last few weeks one cannot help but feel thankful for being alive. No matter how hard the challenges that life presents us with are at least we are lucky to be able to work them through. Times like these make me feel really grateful for the love of my family and friends and for the opportunity that I have to be good to others and try to make this world a better place. You only live once, and when my time comes I want people to remember me as someone who cared for others and never gave up on his dreams. I guess that, after all, I have a lot of reasons to smile.

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How Silver Are Your Linings?

"Every cloud has a silver lining", attributed to John Milton, and "What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Stronger", now popularized by Kelly Clarkson, are phrases commonly said to encourage you to see a positive side to every not so positive situation in your life. But when half of your crew cancels on you a few hours before the shoot, the first person who says either of them or any similar one makes you wish you had laser eyes. These are the times when Plan B is so much more than just a morning pill.

Whenever we are planning for anything in our lives we usually put all of our efforts in the best case scenario, but we tend to forget that things can go wrong. And if you ask Edward A. Murphy, they will always go wrong. So to avoid getting an ulcer, I always try to aim for a perfect fail-proof plan but then I make my just-in-case-contingency plan. It sounds like twice the effort, but it saves you a lot of headaches when things don't go as you expected.

And even with all the planning in the world, sometimes life puts your patience to the test. That's when you must understand that there is only so much that you can control. You must be flexible enough to come up with creative alternatives that save the day and you must always try to remain calm and don't let anything affect your mood. You owe it to the people who showed up.

Photo credit: Behind the scenes photography by Stef Mic

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