Musings – Page 4 – Chantal Lavine Photography

finding your edge

In photography, as in many fields, there is always something more to learn — some new way to advance your art form. If you think you’ve got it all figured out, well, congratulations…but it’s more likely than not you’ve reached a point of complacency, not expertise.

In yoga, we’re encouraged daily to find our “edge”, to identify our mental and physical limits, and ride out the discomfort of real and perceived challenges. It’s a beautiful life practice, really: to stay sharp, cultivate ourselves, and finesse our skill sets continually.

confessions of a budding entrepreneur

After nine months of full time photography school, my class celebrated yesterday morning with a small graduation ceremony. It was a nice moment’s pause, an opportunity to reflect on the growth we’ve experienced in such a short amount of time – sometimes with rather noticeable growing pains, other times with a surprising amount of finesse. It also served as an important reminder to continue to cultivate the artistic side of ourselves, knowing that our businesses will grow most in times when our creative souls are nourished.

women helping women

I recently took on a multimedia project for The Pregnancy Aid Center: a non-profit, community-based women’s health organization that provides services for low-income and uninsured women in the DC-metro area. It was a fortuitous pairing, not only because I was able to donate my time and creativity toward a worthy mission, but also given my longstanding interest in exploring the commonalities and differences of the maternal/parental experience across cultures, social groups, and socioeconomic divides.*

the beautiful unknown

I woke up this morning to a startling realization: today is my final day to hide behind the title of ‘student.’ Tomorrow, I am a business owner. An entrepreneur. A creative. A photographer.

And despite the trepidation, there is something delicious about the way those words float across my tongue. No more qualifiers – just me. Taking a leap, and waiting for the net to materialize below. Daring to fail, and loving every second of that terrifying and beautiful process.