What's your inspiration?

Where do you find inspiration to evolve your expertise?

For me, it involves plopping myself on the couch and watching screens…

After spending the better part of the past 7 years avoiding watching much of anything on TV or online, I’ve found myself recently gravitating back towards watching other people’s content. 

Television series. Documentaries. Specials. 

It’s been an interesting experience, as there’s a lot of really great stuff to consume these days from a variety of content producing outlets. 

HBOMax. Netflix. Apple TV+. Amazon Prime. And even cable TV…sometimes, you know, cause that’s what I grew up with :) 

While the entertainment value alone has been worth the time invested in it, I’ve also discovered a couple other reasons why I’m drawn to this new batch of entertainment.

First, the visual presentation.

Graphics. Cinematography. Lighting. Compositions. 

I often find myself pausing the video and marinate on the decisions the creators made in choosing the specific visual style for this program.

The next thing I know, I’m inspired by what I’ve seen and immediately brainstorm ideas that I could use to enhance my own client work.

Long story short, don’t watch a show with me, because I think that would probably be very annoying for you :)  

In addition to the visuals, I also marvel at the amazing ways these creators leverage compelling storytelling methods, especially in many of the documentaries I’ve seen.

In many cases, the stories they present are multi-layered, non-linear and leave the viewer guessing wildly into the wind where the story is going. It’s pretty amazing and inspiring to me, as it provides a flood of ideas on how to incorporate these non-traditional storytelling arcs into my own work. 

It’s entertaining, informational and inspiring all at the same time.

During lifestyle portrait sessions with clients, I ask them to bring the materials that inspire their thought leadership. Usually, that involves books, music, magazines and other assorted physical and online materials. 

Apparently, the next time I have my lifestyle photos captured, I’ll be sure to include on the shot list some images capturing me sitting on the couch, watching TV or my laptop. 

I have to walk my talk, right? :)  

Over to you…

What motivates and inspires your thought leadership? Why? Share in the comment section below.