Motivation Strategies will be all about Photos

A path is a path, but can be a lot more. 

I learned it with my Leadership Development Path, dedicated to personal storytelling. It was a joy to travel through the path! As I decided to take it "slow" and use as many Projects as I can from my latest path, Motivational Strategies, MS, suddenly I knew what it all will be about: photography. 

Before deciding, I already begun, with a hasty Icebreaker delivered remote access, when a speaker did not come. It was not yet about my passion of photography. So, to talk the talk and walk the walk, as I tell "repeat till it shines", I decided to repeat my Icebreaker, and I did yesterday at my "brick and mortar" club, near me. The club where I joined 9 years ago, the club which was formed 9 years ago: Lewisham Speakers.

I took with me a small book with pictures I have taken through the years, and from the middle of my speech used it. But first, I told the story how I discovered photography, around the time I was 70 years old, when in fact, I hoped to learn more of writing stories. Destiny was against my want, but knew better. That is the other theme it will be going all through MS: 'from bad things new arrises" as great grand-ma told me often.

Did not find my front teeth denture...

I never stopped taking photos from then on. I needed to interact with people, and I got it. People of all ages! Here very young a Halloween day, or older then me, met in Dauphinée. I needed a new passion: from my first digital camera I knew "that is it!" 

This four are just some of many I prepared to speak about, each have a long story behind it. "Breakfast in bed begins when I was 8  and finishes at 80", it will be a sour-sweet story of desires and at the end, independence. 

I showed a version of the vase and shadow, taken a day I felt desperate. It told me "you make a lot bigger thing of what happened then it really is. Each time I look again at this photography, here the "cleaned" version, I ask : Julie, do not project your problems and see them a lot bigger. How bad it is right now? As the vase or as its shadow?

I begun to publish on Flickr, photo website in beta yet in 2005, learned to use them to blog and created groups in it. There was no Facebook at the time, and I learned how to attract others interested at the same subject as me "how to take better photos". In 6 years, as group Administrator, I found every month a new specialist to explain us something new, and offer us workshop: the group grew to 2500 and offered lot to improve. In some ways it was what I do now with this blog. 

The advantage of photography? I do not have to speak, to write correct French or English! The photos speak for themselves. And of course in the group, we all showed our last creations. Even after the class: its name was not Masterclass but Afterclass.

"I was the best story I heard" Lewisham President told me. "I can not give you feedback, I was all inside it." I got a feedback on my evaluation form: explain what IS "Flickr". 

Beside, uploading (and showing in different sizes) and adding them to a Group, or not, we gather the photos in Albums. Here are some Albums (I do have a lot!)

Explored are the ones the Flickr system selects as bests. Home, is my latest taken around me. Paris Selection, All Palermo, All Morocco, Athens, Granada, titles speak. Then, I can gather the Albums in Collections.

Like "most appreciated"; London diversity; Paris walks; Met in is all about people met in different places I have been; A week in about my travels; and so on. I try to put them together so they make sense and could find them faster. Many pictures added in those years and many stories behind them. More then one path projects can hold!

From time to time, I will stop my Pathways discovery to show how diverse a Pathways Path and Project can be when given a theme and a subject. 

This photo remembered when I tell a truth that makes laugh, with me and not at me. 

"How cute is when front teeth are missing! When you are 7 years old, not when 77.