Learn to cultivate happiness and hope with your photography.

Meditations on Gratitude

Next Session: April 22nd - May 31st

Meditations on Gratitude is a six-week e-course about using photography to cultivate a daily gratitude practice. The class is about slowing down, seeing more deeply, and honoring the experiences that make life beautiful. It's a lovely opportunity to reinvigorate your artistic vision while creating images that inspire happiness and hope.

Gratitude has been called an antidote to suffering. When we photograph with gratitude as a guide, our creative work becomes more fulfilling and meaningful. And when that happens, we’re more likely to make images we care about.

It’s easy to feel heartsick at the state of the world these days. And it’s especially easy to lose touch with your creativity when you’re stressed and blue. Meditations on Gratitude helps you come back to center.

For six nurturing weeks, we’ll turn our cameras towards gratitude. We’ll welcome more light into our lives. We’ll celebrate our joys. We’ll honor our loves. We’ll remember how lucky we are to be here. We’ll tune back in to the wonder of the present. And, we’ll make gorgeous images together.

If your creative spirit needs a little tending, join me for Meditations on Gratitude.

The Experience:

Meditations on Gratitude is a rich collection of photography and mindfulness lessons designed to help you live a more intentional, meaningful, joyful life. Your experience includes:

• 23 thought-provoking lessons (including 18 creative photo prompts)

• Inspirational readings

• Beautiful slideshows filled with examples and inspiration

• Audio essays

• A lively, supportive community of photographer friends

• Resources galore!

• 6 lovely weeks of conversation and image sharing

• Exclusive audio interviews with:
  
  Jerry Braza - an ordained dharma teacher in the lineage of Buddhist Master Thich Nhat Hanh

  Meadow Linn - a chef who teaches people how to combine spirituality and mindfulness with nourishment

  Sidney Rittenberg - a man who spent 16 years in solitary confinement in a Chinese prison - and yet he’s one of the most grateful people I’ve ever met

Meditations on Gratitude is designed to fit easily into your busy schedule. Unlike a traditional classroom experience, you can dive in whenever it’s convenient for you. Take the course at 3am in your pajamas, if you like! Or, brew a pot of tea and spend a lovely, calming afternoon exploring the course material. Your schedule, your pace. 

When class begins, you’ll be invited into a warm, welcoming online classroom. Expect to find lively discussions, honest (always kind) feedback, and lots of encouragement and creative inspiration.

Is Meditations on Gratitude right for you?

• You want your creative process to be more meaningful than just lining up objects in the frame and pressing a button

• You’re a sensitive spirit who’s saddened and fatigued by the challenges the world is facing - and you want to consciously invite joy and healing into your life

• You're ready to create gorgeous, light-filled, hopeful images…and transform your relationship with your art in the process

• You’re in the midst of personal struggle, and you’re craving catharsis and calm

• You sense that photography could be a rich personal practice that leads to insight and growth, but you’re not quite sure how to make that happen

• You want to live your life from a place of gratitude instead of taking it all for granted

• You’d love to slow down and be more present with your art (and your life)

• You'd LOVE to have rich, daily conversations with a supportive photography community

Then yes, Meditations on Gratitude is right for you!

There are two ways to experience this course:

The e-course only option is detailed above. The second option includes everything mentioned above and adds a mentoring component. You can sign up for one hour or four hours of mentoring to pepper throughout the course.

Here’s what that looks like:

• Step 1: I will review your past photographic work, website (if you have one), and any portfolios or other images you want to share. (I really will look at ALL of it.)

• Step 2: We will schedule our 60-minute mentoring call(s). Ask me anything - it’s your time to use however you like. I’ll offer feedback on your images and we’ll chat about your photography goals and any creative challenges you’re experiencing. We’ll also map out your next steps so you feel refreshed, focused, and confident moving forward.

The mentoring option is a wonderful fit if you’d love detailed feedback and personalized advice from a seasoned curator, juror, and professional portfolio reviewer. And, when you bundle mentoring with your course registration, the mentoring rate is specially discounted.

Sessions don’t expire and can be scheduled at any point (even after the class ends).

Frequently Asked Questions...

I’ve never meditated before. Will this class be a good fit?

Absolutely no meditation experience is necessary for this class. Mindfulness concepts will guide our photography, but you won’t be asked to sit in full lotus position on an uncomfortable cushion while breathing through one nostril, don’t worry.

I’m an experienced meditator. Will I benefit from this class?

If you’ve been practicing meditation for many years, you’ll get a lot out of applying mindfulness concepts to your photography. It’s a whole new practice!

Are you a Buddhist teacher?

I’m not. I’m an artist who’s been a practicing Buddhist for 25+ years. In that time, I’ve had a chance to study with some pretty amazing teachers. I’ve been on retreat with Thich Nhat Hanh, and received a Buddhist name in a special ceremony for dedicated lay practitioners (it’s Reflective Continuation of the Heart - kind of fun!). I grew up in Asia, so Buddhist practice has always felt like home to me. I also have a BA in Religion from Reed College (where I focused mostly on Asian religions and language). Everything I’ll share with you in this course is drawn from my own experience with meditation practice and philosophy. Translating the practices into the realm of visual art is my particular focus and passion. I hope it’s of benefit.

What kind of camera do I need?

All cameras are welcome! You don’t need anything fancy to take this course. In fact, the simpler, the better! DSLRs, point-and-shoots, smartphones, pinhole cameras made from oatmeal boxes – I have a strict equipment nondiscrimination policy. If it makes you happy to shoot with it, you've got the right gear for this class.

How much time do I need to put in?

We each learn and process information at our own pace, so I’m hesitant to put a number on it, but…my broad estimation is that you’ll make the most of this course if you spend a least two hours a week on the lessons.

What happens if I fall behind my classmates?

There’s no such thing as falling behind in this class. Art doesn’t unfold on a timetable, so there will be absolutely zero pressure to rush or force things. You'll have access to all the material for three full years after the course ends, so you can return to it as many times as you like.

Is this a good class for beginning photographers? 

Since Meditations on Gratitude is a conceptual photography course (not a technical class), photographers at every level are welcome. In fact, because of this course’s emphasis on gratitude and mindfulness, even true beginners will benefit. The only prerequisite is being comfortable with basic camera operations (your smartphone works too!) and knowing how to upload images to your computer.

If I'm an advanced photographer, will this course be a good fit?

Many experienced photographers take Meditations on Gratitude to reinvigorate their vision when they're feeling stagnant. Since our central focus is adding more heart and soul to our images, and photographing with mindful awareness, even advanced photographers will feel at home in this course. 

Do I need to be online at specific times?

Because photographers from all different time zones sign up for this course, there are no live, scheduled lessons that you need to be present for. You’ll get access to new lessons four days a week, but you can dive in at whatever time works best for you.

What's your refund policy?

Meditations on Gratitude is a highly-rated class that many students take more than once. Because you'll get access to the class and all the class resources (and because you'll get to keep your access for three years), your registration isn't refundable. But, you may opt to transfer your prorated registration to a different course or 1-on-1 mentoring.

I’ll be traveling during the class (and away from my computer), can I still participate?

Many students travel while taking the class. You’ll be able to access all the lessons, post images, and interact in our online classroom from a mobile device, so it’s easy to participate when you’re on the go.