Your Story

Dare to See and Show it

Your own story behind your sound

What do friends do when they meet?

They tell stories.

Stories carry impact.

When you are with people you regularly meet, you might notice that they talk about the same topic approximately 50-70% of the time (relatable/interesting or not to you). And their ”tone” might well be the same (positive or negative).

We might be unable to recognise our own sound.

The internal narrative influences how you express yourself even when you are not consciously telling your own stories. Your presence and perception reveal something about your story and the position you take in relation to it.

We can either be stuck within our narrative and genre or it gives us our true sound.

But how do you know which is true? Being stuck feels restrictive and stuffy. Whereas using your own style and sound feels expansive, creative and rewarding.

Think about your story, your life, your dreams. What does it sound like?

Does your STORY need
some compassion or change?

Do YOU need
some compassion?

Where are you telling your story? Who are you telling it to?

Though it can be difficult, sometimes we need to adapt or break from our old story.

This starts when we recognise the core story we are telling with our lives.

Spend some time reflecting on your response to the following questions...

The Genre Of Your Story

Is your story a documentary, fairy tale, horror, drama, comedy? Is it romantic, bright, mystical?
Does the current genre feel right, or is it time for a change? Does it need to become more visible at last?
How does the style of your own story show up in your photos or other creative outputs?
What if you change the genre of an image with light, angle (perspective), colours, composition or timing? How could this impact the genre of your story?

You As The Main Character

Do you feel comfortable? Are you in the right place? (i.e. environment, conditions, atmosphere). Is your role in line with who you are? Do things feel harmonious or are there antagonisms?
Is your story guided by a pre-written script? Is it directed by an outsider or by you?

Viewing Your Own Story

What is the source of the story? Is your core story built on your memories or photos? Is it really true? Are you interpreting it correctly, or are you stuck with something that isn't true or relevant anymore, a past highlight or low point?
Is there a common thread with repeating events, experiences, and feelings? What are the recurring through-lines? How is your story connected through time?

Think about what your story could be like if it wasn't already written. Write what would be true without shame, modesty or fear.

Is this different? Is it a simple shift from the old story line? Or do you feel like you want to start a new story? What is the genre of the new story? Would you need to let go of old members of cast, costly star actors, past heroes and villains. Is it time for fresh auditions?

What and who wants to become visible now?

How does courage, strength, gentleness and compassion appear in your new story, in the next chapter or season?

How do you feel about change as the main character? If you feel a bit pessimistic, experiment by changing your "I can't" reasons/excuses, to "I can" possibilities:

"I can't do/have this because of this or that in my current situation or my past experiences" ->
”I can do/have this and that when I have taken care of/learned/created a plan/allowed myself to do/have this or that".

A plan is emerging.

OR is your story and the role you have in it perfectly OK as they are now?

Stories in Photos

A photo is a still image taken from within a story. This story started earlier and it will continue onward afterwards. The picture shows one moment from a situation and event. As its bests it captures a glimpse of emotion.

The story arises from the emotion that awakens within the viewer on the basis of what both the photographer and the subject have given to the picture. Those photographers and their images in which something original and personal can be seen and felt will be noticed and remembered.

The viewer might identify things and notice connections to their own experiences, knowledge, desires. Their imagination starts to tell the story either backwards or forwards.

The story is not always obvious. For example there is seldom an apparent story in my photos, because I shoot mainly macro photos. But I hope I can provoke a feeling and tickle the imagination, transmit the mood, the ambiance, a part of me and what I see.

When the story or the feel doesn't come through

It may be that the photographer hides behind technical know-how so that nothing of their personality can be seen in their pictures.

Creativity and imagination can go unnoticed if they are shackled by beliefs, shame, or some other barrier which prevents them from becoming visible. In this case, the photographer may also fail to identify the subject's personality, or any truth and vulnerability behind the scenes.

A photo stops being interesting if post-processing focuses only on the technical perfection. During the process all the original feeling and atmosphere can be lost. Or the photographer selects an image based on how good it is technically, not based on how interesting it is.

Photos are interesting when they evoke emotion. This happens when they carry a sense of meaning felt through a momentary glance.

What kind of images tell the story you want to show?

Which is the goal? To make images primarily relevant to you or to touch the viewer?

Your answer may vary. It might be different depending on the image or project itself. You must also accept that not everything speaks to everyone in the same way. It is possible that the viewer does not experience the same emotion as the photographer, and likewise they might not see the same things in the image. That doesn’t mean that the image does not have impact - it is just different than expected.

Go To The Prompts

A photo is a still image taken from a situation, happening, emotion. The story started earlier and it lives on in viewer's mind.

"When we deny our stories, they define us.
When we own our stories, we get to write a brave new ending" - Brené Brown

Northwestern University psychologist Dan McAdams is an expert on a concept he calls “narrative identity.” McAdams describes narrative identity as an internalized story you create about yourself — your own personal myth.

Like myths, our narrative identity contains heroes and villains that help us or hold us back, major events that determine the plot, challenges overcome and suffering we have endured. When we want people to understand us, we share our story or parts of it with them; when we want to know who another person is, we ask them to share part of their story.

An individual’s life story is not an exhaustive history of everything that has happened. Rather, we make what McAdams calls “narrative choices.” Our stories tend to focus on the most extraordinary events, good and bad, because those are the experiences we need to make sense of and that shape us.

https://blog.ed.ted.com/2018/08/13/how-the-story-you-tell-about-yourself-affects-your-life/

"Storytelling is innate in all humans. Storytelling touches on all of the memory retention buttons within the human brain. It feeds the mind of both, the storyteller as well as the listener, reader, and when we talk about photography, the viewer.

When you make the effort to discover your passions and values, the process of creating storytelling photographs will actually provide a therapeutic benefit to your being.

Personalisation is the essence of storytelling. Without personalisation, it’s not a story. It is simply an anecdote.

Here are some ways to personalize a photograph:

Provide a humorous element
Shock the viewer
Include a mysterious element
Capture human drama
Show a specific point of view
Present a personal opinion

Develop your photographic style around the way you think and see the world."

- Kent DuFault

“This story you’re telling yourself, whatever it is? You don’t have to cling to it. There is so much MORE than you can see right now – more space for you to relax into, so many more chances to explore than you realise. Try and leave some space for more things to be true. You’ll be ok.”

"I love that lost girl who tried so hard and got so confused. I want to wrap my arms around her and say, gently, that one day, she will learn to let go of obsessing and agonising over the big things to notice and focus instead on the little things, and it’s only then that everything will start to click into place.

I’d also tell her growth is slow but the tiniest things you do every day, those smallest choices? They add up. I’d want to encourage myself to stick with the stuff that heals and nurtures and to turn away from the things that don’t. To commit. To hold my seat. To learn to sit with my pain and not run from it or try to smother it. To not always pick the easy path. It was fear and restlessness, ultimately, that pulled me off track so often and what ate up so much precious, finite time.”

- Josie George, in 'Serenity In The Trenches' series by Andy Mort

PROMPTS | Part 4

Compassionate Interaction With Yourself - A Photo Collage

In this exercise you will take two photos of yourself, which will go next to each other at the end. This will provide interaction between the characters (different "yous")*

Step 1:

Photograph yourself in a state of insecurity, confusion, overwhelm, sadness or shame: how does your body language look when you experience those emotions?*

Step 2:

In the same environment, take another picture of yourself in which your emotional state is compassion. Focus your compassionate gesture and being towards your vulnerable character. *

Step 3:

Combine images by putting them side by side or editing them into one single image
(Photoshop, Gimp (free), Snapseed (double exposure), side-by-side on your screen and take a screenshot etc.)

Notice the emotion in your mind and body, caused by the contact and interaction between the two images / characters.

What kind of story was born from your photo collage? What is happening? Can you define roles?

* Note:

You don't need to use this exact pair of emotions: choose two emotions based on what you currently feel is ok or appealing, e.g. me + my shadow character (can also be a humorous approach), fearful + a provider of security, happy + happy etc.
Do some planning around how to place yourself in the set, so it will be easier to combine two photos and create the integration.
Use shutter-release timer or remote control.
The aim is to make you emotional state as authentic as possible, but you need to feel comfortable to show it to the camera. With this in mind, you can also use a reliable assistant to take the picture.

Upload your photos to the Photoyoga WhatsApp Group

Mark your photos: SELF-COMPASSION

”Come as you are. Be as you wish. Feel love NOW.”

Matt Kahn

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