Several months ago I was in Ottawa to relaunch our Action Learning program in which I facilitate two groups to help solve problems or resolve issues. In this process participants are not allowed to give advice only to ask questions. A majority participants would say this is most challenging aspect but the second most difficult element is coming up with really good questions to ask. First we ask clarifying questions to make sure we all understand what the issue is. Next we ask discovery questions that are designed to help the person explore the issue. Sometimes we move back and forth between clarifying and discovery questions if a discovery question uncovers something new. The final set of questions we ask are powerful questions. These are designed to provoke reflection and support new ways of thinking so that the person is moved to action.
This is the third year of the program and participants have reported successfully using this technique outside of their formal groups, at work and in their personal lives. One of the most effective powerful questions I’ve found is: What if “now what?” became “what’s next?”. Having suffered from my post-safari blues for far too long, I decided to Action Learn myself using this question. The result was a two-day trip to the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival with my Vancouver photog friends–David, Dave, and Mary–and meeting up with two other photog friends from Washington State, Ray and Mark. I’ll be doing at least one posting on our trip there so stay tuned this week.
I’ve also decided on a new project for this year. It’s a bit late, I know but I wanted to make sure it was something that I would do and something that would stretch me creatively. Based on Freeman Patterson’s revelation that a majority of his images were taken within one kilometre of his home, I’m going to do a One Mile Project. The goal is to create images within one mile of where I live. Last year I posted one photograph per month and I’m going to strive to keep that same schedule but I’m not going to limit myself to just one image.
So that’s it for me. How about you? What’s next for you?
Motivation is next for me. How do you do it? How do you work a full week at a non-photography job, come home, do your chores, spend time with your wife/husband, and still have something left to go out and take pictures? That’s where I’m at right now. It’s a bit of a challenge for me. And I already know the answer. But I”m interested in what you may have to say on the subject. Thanks for all the great posts. It’s all very much appreciated.
Andres from Tennessee.
Thank you, Andres and welcome!
Truth be told I often feel like I don’t time to fit everything in and I have to balance all the competing demands not only on my time but also my emotional bank. I go days, sometimes a week or more without photographing something.
You mentioned motivation and that’s key for me too. During the tulip trip in conversations with my friends, I realized that I am motivated by the sense that I feel I don’t have a lot of time left to make images especially since I came so late to figuring out my passion. There’s a whole lot more images inside of me that I just need to create
One thing I would like to say is that for each of us, our photographic journey will be different. At times we will sprint, sometimes we’ll just stroll and then even stop a while. Your journey–with all its struggles and triumphs–will be what makes your images unique.
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Mark Olwick. Mark Olwick said: @sabrinahenry is launching a cool new project. Check it out http://bit.ly/a6jsvs [...]
In January my brothers and a cousin started a Project 52, we each have to post our best shot taken in the past week by Sunday at midnight. So far no one has missed a week. Besides keeping us all motivated to out do the other (we’re brothers after all and winning is everything) there have been two unexpected benefits. (1) social bonding, three of us meet just about every weekend to go to the same location and have a great time trying to come up with something different. (2) motivating kids, my brothers have young kids. Two of them have taken a new interest in photography and have begun contributing to the Project. Some of their pictures have been really quite good and we’re all enjoying seeing this young generation starting out. So what’s next? I think regular outings with the kids (but not all the time) and a formal course to hone my skills and meet other photographers.
You have a wonderful recipe to keep photographing, Ken. I think a Project 52 is more reasonable than a 365 day project for people like myself who work full-time. That’s one of the considerations I had when I decided on the One Mile Project; it had to be something I would do.
I hope you check in with us and keep us updated on your project and the classes you take.
That’s a great project to undertake. And it’s not to late – a year starts whenever you want it to!
Cheers Mark!
LOL…I still think a bit too linearly sometimes.
What if? is my favorite question. It combines all the elements of learning and play into one. Great idea for a project and one I should give serious consideration to as well.
I LOVE “what if?”.
I have a feeling your One Mile Project would yield amazing images. You probably have a more image-rich one mile radius than I do. Around here it looks like the set of the Truman Show and that will make for some creative stretching on my part
Funny you should come up w a one mile project – I was just thinking about something similar. Start out w my office, then the house, then the back yard and then one mile! And that is as far as I got or wanted to go (other than back to Africa that is)
LOL…we are cut from the same cloth, Maureen. As Alumni of the Freeman Patterson Workshops, it’s no wonder we both have these great ideas.
Thanks for the post Sabrina, and I hope you don’t mind, but I’m hopping aboard your bandwagon! I need to jump-start my creativity. I find that when I shoot for work, I spend so much time shooting and editing those photos that I neglect the other part of my photography. This gives me a very manageable project to start out with – I walk around my neighbourhood enough, I just need to start carrying my camera. Thanks again, and show us some more of those tulip photographs!
I’d love the company, Krista. When I post my images, feel free to send me one of yours and I’ll include it in the post. Maybe Maureen will join us too.
Heck, I must just open up the doors to the whole house!