Have you ever met a person who’s always happy, smiling, ready to laugh and get things going? They’re active in their lives and seem to always be doing amazing things?
I’ve met plenty of people like that and have always envied them. This is because I’ve always been emotional and sensitive, often feeling “the weight of the world” on my shoulders.
The interesting part about this is, I used to think that people like that were born that way – with a happy-go-lucky, laid-back attitude and nature (and maybe some are). But I never considered that maybe their upbringing, or they themselves, had developed positive habits in order to maximize their levels of happiness.
Maybe there’s no such thing as a happy person, per se. Maybe we are all products of our habits and actions. The people we choose to surround ourselves with, the ways in which we choose to spend our time, what we choose to listen to and watch. Not to mention the way we choose to do things, even little things like getting out of the bed in the morning.
Do we snooze and stall getting up? Do we spring up excited to start the day? Do we wallow in our potential morning-depression? Do we start to exercise? Do we read a book? Do we stay stuck in social media? Do we read emails? Do we read the news?
Can we change?
Maybe everything can be developed. Maybe everything can be fixed. Maybe every little thing can really be changed.
Although I’m a big believer in the impossible I now realize I’ve still had limiting beliefs around what’s inherent in me. That I’m just a sensitive person who feels a lot. That oh well, that’s my role in this world.
Maybe it’s just too damn easy to let ourselves believe there are certain things in our lives and within us that are simply out of our control.
But what if it weren’t so?
What if we could change everything?
What if everything we do, say, feel and think would be in our control?
What if all the tiniest habits we have could be changed?
What would you change?
How do you want to be?
How do you want to feel?
These are the questions we need to ask ourselves. And more importantly these are the questions we need to answer.
Because only when we have a destination, can we figure out a way to get there.
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This blog post was prompted by a moment in the Helsinki city bus as I sat down thinking about my week. I was flying high all week last week – I had amazing, deep connections with people every day of the week. And it continued to blow my mind how amazing people are.
At the core of human happiness, for me, are true, deep and real connections with people.
So, I was sitting there thinking about how much these connections had uplifted my mood and how incredibly blessed I was feeling. It’s not a feeling I usually feel every day, all the time. And it led me to think about other days in my life when I’m not flying so high, when my mood might actually be quite low.
And then the question became, how can I generate those emotions when it’s just me and I’m not feeling so good. When perhaps my habits weigh me down, when my choices allow only for momentary gain but end up in long-term ill-being.
Our habits begin to play a gigantic role in our lives on those days when we are feeling less than. Our brain attempts to preserve energy so it defaults to already-formed habits when we are feeling low. In order for us to have a better chance of feeling good on a day-to-day basis, we need to form healthy and positive habits that support us even when we are down.
What a simple and beautiful revelation I had sitting in the city bus!
What small change are you going to make?
Thank you for reading.
With so much love, respect and warm hugs,
Erika
Not to mention their unwavering forgiveness – you accidentally step on their tail, they meow in protest and you kneel down to apologize and there they are, already purring, as if the tail-stepping never happened. Seriously! How amazing is this species.
I love the idea of a home – creating a space that caters specifically to your personal lifestyle. I love walking into people’s homes and getting a glimpse into the person, their lifestyle and values. Because that’s what I feel homes are at their best – a reflection and an extension of the person living there. This is why it is so intimate to have someone allow me into their space to photograph it – something I don’t take lightly. After all, this is the space where we let our guard down, where we come to unwind, where we run to if we’ve had a bad day.
And I love portraits. For me, there are photographs of people and then there are portraits. Portraits take in everything; the location, the light, the shadows, the angle, the expression, the colors, the clothes, the environment – everything. All of those things come together to tell a story. Most of the time, the most unexpected, unplanned, unposed photographs are the ones that go the deepest. They are the ones that express something real, something raw, something worth telling. Those moments can’t be fabricated, they come from time spent with the person. They come as trust is built between the subject and the photographer.
Traveling is another life-long passion of mine. There is no better way to get a well-rounded education than traveling. Not only do you get a glimpse into the world other people live in but you also find connection points to your own existence and every time, in every country, with all cultures, you realize that when all of these external factors are stripped, we are all exactly the same. We fundamentally operate from the same needs and wants and desires. We all want to be loved and accepted, to have freedom, safety, food and a roof over our heads.
As you spend more time with me, you will come to notice that I am a woman of contrasts. As much as I love nature and all things natural, both in general and in photography, I also love the absolute and pure control I have over everything when working in a studio. The above studio photographs were for an auction house where I got to spend time with objects from the past. These objects have been touched by and traveled with many people throughout the years. I imagine all the things they have seen and heard, all the stories they would tell if they could speak. It’s precisely those stories that blow life into these still objects and precisely why I love photographing them.
