And as you can see, I haven't posted anything … ANYTHING … here for some time as I chose to work on my business and my mental health. But I and Tiffinbox are both back. More on that very soon.

This is a guest post by Madhavan Palanisamy, a visual artist (photography is just one of the things he produces) based in Chennai, India. He shared his thoughts on steps to stay positive in a Facebook post some time ago (May 6, 2021, to be precise) and I asked him if I could reshare them here for you to read.

There are a lot of creative people in my feed and I thought it could be useful to them. Especially the ones who might be staying by themselves. Here are some thoughts on steps to stay positive during these stressful times.

This is a follow-up to the ‘languishing’ article I shared on Facebook before.

There are also some specialists on my timeline who work in the areas of coaching, therapy, spiritual healing, etc and they could perhaps add their steps to stay positive as well. Without doing too much scientific thought I have listed some things that have worked for me. It is a combination of mind and body stuff.

10 Steps To Stay Positive:

1
Deriving from our past challenges: Ask ourselves: what are the darkest times we have had in the past and how did we overcome it – and let’s be aware: we did overcome it – and see if there is some sense of comfort in that.

2
Physical exercise, yoga, walking: anything to motivate our happy enzymes and boost our well-being. This has always proven to be a partner. The energy that is built around and not spent will become our burden. Pls, do something for 30-45 mins every day.

When you feel down, get up and open your chest and breathe, and immediately you will feel a difference. Eating healthy and avoiding snacks, and cutting down on smoking and alcohol also helps

3
Try centering exercises. Short meditation exercises using your breath and consciousness to ground you to your body. To reassure you that you are alright. Check this 2 min video, for example, notice how immediately you feel relaxed.

You could https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/coaching88867″>check this podcast by Sheeja Shaju for a longer centering body scan (14mins) which I used a couple of years back a lot.

https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/coaching88867

You can also try meditating to healing frequencies of sound (search youtube, Spotify, etc) for example check this:

4
Form a support group among peers/friends. Have Conversations To ask once in a day how everyone is feeling. To ensure that we are all are in this together. See if we can pull ourselves up.

You could also nominate someone from this group to check on you every day, you could keep their name on your speed-dial – in case you need them in case of any emergency. and you be the same to someone else. This is for people staying by themselves.

5
Doing something you love: Listening to music, podcasts, watching biopics, reading books that you have kept aside, watching sunsets, talking to your plants, taking a quick ride/drive without putting yourself to risk, or watching analog-photography videos and talent shows on youtube. whatever floats your boat.

6
Morning Pages: it a great practice to get rid of anxiety, and to help in creativity. After you get up and finish your basic business, sit down and write 2 pages, use a pen and a notebook. Put down everything that comes to your mind. It does not have to make sense. Let it all go. Do it every day and I promise you will feel better. It is also a great place to recruit ourselves to have conversations with.

You could also practice journaling if that works better for you – which is also a similar thing but you can do it at your time where have conversations with yourself and put down some wishes and plans and watch it realize.

7
We come to the money part. Level up and make a plan: sit down and write where money is coming from and where it is going. How much do you need to sustain for 2-3 more months? How do we manage? Are there any savings? Are there friends who can offer help? Can your house-owner be ok with you not paying the rent for a month or two – and pay later? Can you delay paying your taxes? Will your bank offer moratoriums? Or, top-up your loan? Can you sell something that you are not using? Can you put some of your online memberships on hold? Research says that a lot of people fear this step and live in constant fear. This way you know what you are up against. Ask for help. More often there are chances that we might receive it.

8
Affirmations: Tell yourself that everything is ok and simple stuff like ‘My problem has a solution; I will work on a plan.’ or ‘I am a survivor’ ‘My spirit is beautiful.’ Read up on affirmations and write down the ones that make sense to you.

Look at yourself in the mirror and tell yourself some great things. Believe it can work. We don’t take ourselves seriously (as in, we don’t believe we deserve love and happiness and the best the world can offer) and that creates a divide between who we are and what we become. Speak to the image of you. Listen to the image of you. You can close your eyes and do it as well. Your body and your soul are a team.

9
Be aware of what’s happening but Try to stay off all the negative noise: Choose one source for news – for example, Faye D’Souza does a nice, neutral job when it comes to reporting the news.

10
Help others if you can, with your time, money, experience. Anything you could do to make things better. If you don’t have any idea – you can find a friend who is helping others always and help them or support them.

We will get through this. It might take a year or more for the virus threat to be fully gone. But this shit-storm that we are currently will pass soon. When it is over and we can finally breathe, we must remember, with humility, that nature is the boss.

Among those outlined above, what steps to stay positive are you following every day? Tell us in the comments below!

Christa Meola just wrapped up a three-day seminar on boudoir photography on CreativeLive. Did you catch any of it? I checked out her website and stumbled upon her manifesto. It's both for herself and other professional photographers. It is lucid and succinctly written. It's a quick read. I encourage you to download it.

“I wrote this Manifesto for pro’s and newbies alike. As professional photographers, we all need to be reminded of good habits from time to time. For those just starting out, it’s great to encourage wise habits from the beginning.”

The 10 Habits of Successful Professional Photographers:

1. I Know Myself, My Brand and My Client
2. I Value My Talent and Time
3. I Show Up With All That I Am
4. I Know My Gear Inside and Out
5. I Shoot With Intention
6. I Adapt
7. I Embrace Collaboration
8. I Exceed Expectations
9. I Sell Experience and Emotion
10. I Believe In The Power of Imagery To Change The World

Christa travels internationally for commissioned projects and conducts photography workshops and mentorship programs for fellow professional photographers. She’s written a book on how to photograph women, EXPOSED: Redefining Boudoir that includes a chapter for guys too. Follow Christa on Twitter or connect with her on Facebook.

If you missed any of Christa's presentation at CreativeLive, you can buy The Boudoir Workshop by 12 pm EST tonight for $99. (nope, not an affiliate link) If you miss that deadline the price reverts to $149. From my experience with CreativeLive seminars, though, that is still a very good deal.

Have you written a manifesto? Or, do you have a mission statement that guides you and your business? Share it below!

This post has little to do with photography – tips or tutorials. It has everything to do about stepping up and helping a complete stranger because their life depends on it. And, yes, you … YOU … can do something about it … NOW!

A couple of days back I received the following letter from Shilpa Nanduri:

I am writing to you because a friend of mine, Sonia Rai, who is just 24 years old, was just diagnosed with Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (AML) and is in urgent need of a bone marrow transplant.

I am requesting you to please help spread the word about Sonia and her family's effort to save her life.

They are currently organizing many bone marrow drives over the next few weeks in several cities. Visit www.curesonia.org for more information. Please keep checking back, because more cities will be added.

“Team Sonia – Sonia’s brother Sumit Rai, family and friends are organizing drives today and in the next few weeks. Please take the time to help spread the word about the drives and join the National Marrow Donor Program registry if you have not already done so.”

From Sepia Mutiny:

“As you may be aware from our previous posts on the topic, the National Bone Marrow Registry (NMDP) is in dire need of more ethnic donors. South Asians, as well as any minority, and especially people of mixed ethnicity are needed. Sonia is currently receiving excellent care at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, but in order to survive beyond the next few months, she requires a bone marrow transplant. Most matches occur within ethnicity and increasing the number of South Asians registered as potential bone marrow donors will help Sonia as well as many others who are searching.”

Please direct people to www.curesonia.org to find out how they can help. They can help by attending a drive and thus registering with the National Bone Marrow Donor program and / or by hosting their own drives (which is much easier than you would think, all the necessary support will be provided).

All new registrants added to the national registry might help not only Sonia, but also many others searching for a bone marrow match.

So, as we start the New Year today, allow me to ask you: Will you be the one to step up and register? Will you be the one to save Sonia's life or for that matter anyone else's life?

As you embrace the New Year, I also ask that you embrace this cause. This isn't the first time I am asking you to do so. Back in 2007, I appealed to you to help my cousin Vinay Chakravarthy. His friends and family rallied to have more than 50,000 people register. Yet, we are still short on finding matches for people like Sonia.

If you are the type to make every day count, shouldn't you jump in an register yourself with the National Bone Marrow Program registry today? Please remember that people's lives depend on it. Maybe even yours.

Welcome to a day filled with one's. It's 1/1/11. A very Happy New Year to you all.

This guest blog is a second for Jen May Pastores. Her first post was about her Cambodian photo project.

Beyond the online sphere of social media, smart phone efficiency, and the praise of technological advances that the world goes gaga for there is still an unfulfilled satisfaction that plagues many of us. It’s a real desire for a true connection without the abbreviations or vagueness that often travels through digital walls. Symptoms of this desire starts with often checking emails for replies, scanning Twitter for mentions, and counting likes and comments on Facebook. This is where Woot Camera intervenes to present a pleasant breakaway from the modern day overload.

Woot Camera is a personal project that sends a disposable camera to strangers across the world. It arrives in a purple box in the mail–sent from the previous photographer–and when opened a personal handwritten note sits on top to greet the new photographer. Included are instructions to take a single, creative image with the Woot Camera and then send it off to the next person. When completed the camera returns to me and the exposures will be developed and shared online. It’s a fun example of balancing the intimate joys of a tangible connection and sharing it with the multitude of users on the Internet.

All participants signed up last month when I first released the project and since then Woot Camera has traveled to five cities on the east coast. Other places like Canada, Dubai, Japan and more cities in the states are on the itinerary, as well. Participants have expressed excitement in sharing this experience and are eager to see the results. Who wouldn’t enjoy discovering a package in the mailbox in front of their home that encourages creativity and new friendship?

Woot Camera will continue to rescue the dissatisfied, gadget-addicted-junkies with a second round of participants starting before the holidays. The best part about this is that anyone can start their own traveling camera project. Tie a disposable camera around a tree or leave one on the subway. The possibilities start with you giving back in a unique way. Photojojo, an online source of the best photo tips and DIY projects around, is also another great place to discover fun ideas.

Follow Woot Camera’s journey on Twitter (@wootcamera) or sign-up to be a part of the project.