Creativity And Ego Don't Mix

A couple of nights ago, I went out for drinks with a group of photographer friends to catch up and to share our projects. At some point in the conversation, we started talking about inflated egos and we all agreed that something that we value in other people is humbleness. So why is it then that if so many people appreciate a humble person you find so much arrogance in our industry today?

I went jogging with another friend this morning, and out of the blue, they told me how much they liked humble people. So many people talking about humbleness seems to me like a reaction to the times that we are living. A few weeks ago, I wrote a post about people wanting "Truth", and with this series of conversations that I have been having lately, I realise that we are all just getting a bit fed up with all the falseness and the arrogance that surrounds us.

There is a documentaries series that I watch on Netflix called the "Chef's Table", where different chefs from around the world talk about their craft and their path. One of the episodes was on Jeong Kwan, a monk and a cook from South Korea, and during the interview she said: "Creativity and ego cannot go together. If you free yourself from the comparing and jealous mind, your creativity opens up endlessly." I couldn't agree more. I too believe that people with inflated egos are usually trying to hide something: they either feel insecure about their work, or they feel like they don't have a clue about what they are doing or what is expected of them. So they react in this arrogant way to avoid other people from finding out. And the thing with creativity is that, when you have your mind full of insecurities about you or your work, full of jealousy for the success of others, or even full of paranoia that everyone else is trying to steal your clients or copy your work, your creativity doesn't have a space to flourish.

Besides, being in constant fear and self-doubt has to be exhausting and, no matter how much you try to pretend, everyone else around you can tell. Well, almost everyone. There is a part of the population that enjoys a diva. But, from these conversations, I can see that the majority of people feel rejection towards arrogance and you don't want to be the creative that no one wants to work with. Not your clients, not your peers, not even your own team.

Self-confidence and humbleness for me go together. When you know where you are standing, and what your value is, there is no need to pretend. Everyone around you will see it. And if they don't, maybe it's time to reconsider your target.

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The New Trend Is Truth

Last June, The Global Language Monitor announced that the Top Trending Global English Word for 2017 was 'Truth'. Not 'meme', not 'god', not an animal nor the name of a celebrity, but 'Truth'. People just want the truth. In a world with so much falseness, could it be that being real is all you need to stand out?

Truth. Such a strong word, for words themselves are very powerful; mightier than the sword, has been said. Used with good intentions they can move us, unite us, incite love, support and confidence; used with the wrong intentions, they can manipulate us, lead to hatred, destruction, and war. But, sometimes, we are not aware of the consequences of our words. We throw them unwittingly without stopping for a second to think if they are hurting others, or even ourselves. And nowhere is this more obvious than in social media these days. The internet age has made us feel as if everything was ephemeral, short living. We post something today and a few minutes later is not in our timelines anymore, it is gone, forever. Or so we think. But, it is not. It is just hidden, waiting patiently somewhere in the depths of an internet server to come bite us back. When I was growing up I was always told: "The spoken word can't be taken back." Replace "spoken" with "posted" and it is our reality today.

Therefore, we must be very careful with what we say online, specially in our businesses accounts. Our brands can be easily tainted by the wrong use of words, and the trust from our clients, present or future, might not be that easy to gain back. Before we post anything we must always ask ourselves: Is this true? Do I have proof? Does this represent me or my brand? Does this hurt anyone, including myself? Is this disrespectful to others, even the ones who are not like me? Think about the words that you like being told to you. Think about how it feels when someone tells you that they love you, that they support you, that you mean the world to them. Think about how you like it when people are honest with you, when they tell you the truth. Other people, including your clients, would appreciate that feeling as well.

Use your communication channels (voice, social media, email, online, print) being true to yourself and your branding but with respect, empathy, tolerance and transparency. Your clients, and your peers as well, might have different opinions or backgrounds than yours and just because they do business with you that does not mean that they see life the same way that you do. If you show them respect and truth they will more than likely show you their trust.

All the love or all the hatred in the world can fit in one word. Use words wisely.

Photo credit: Tana Benavides

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Changing The World One Photo At A Time

I am really happy to announce that I am now part of PhotoAid Global, an organisation that offers professional photographic services to NGOs, charities, and good causes in order to inspire understanding and action through visual documentary on human and animal rights, and raise environmental awareness. PhotoAid Global is the brainchild of Vanessa Champion, a brilliant photographer and an even more beautiful soul who has travelled the world living exceptional experiences with the most extraordinary people while telling their stories with her camera.

Vanessa set up PhotoAid Global to help fuse the two sides that she sees all the time: NGOs and good causes who desperately need money and are always looking for volunteers and supporters but who have amazing assets in the people and on-the-ground knowledge and can broker travel and relationships; and photographers and business people who want to put something back and are at that point in their careers where they want to make a difference.

Her efforts have also inspired the creation of new chapters like the recently founded PhotoAid Greece, pioneered by photographer Giorgos Xirogiannis whose goal is to help and promote 'people who help people' across Greece and to spread the message that in the difficult times that we live only through solidarity to our fellow human beings our society can maintain its cohesion.

Please show them some love and support by following their social media channels:

PhotoAid Global: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

PhotoAid Greece: Facebook

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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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