Many people I love and respect have strong reactions to the concept of privilege.

It makes some of my friends feel guilty, for the privileges they have.

It makes some of my friends feel angry, for the privileges they don’t have.

To the point that “privilege” itself is treated like a bad word.

But I don’t think it is.

At its core, privilege is a type of power. When we unconsciously or consciously begin to connect feelings of guilt and shame to notions of power, we do not create a healthy environment within ourselves to support and cultivate the power we have inside us.

“That is easy for you to say Darius, you have so much privilege!”

You are absolutely right.

As a man I have privilege.
As a person who lives in North America I have privilege.
As an able-bodied person I have privilege.
I have many other privileges.

I did nothing to earn this power. That’s how privilege works. This power is given to me and re-given to me every single day.

Yes, I could feel guilty and attempt to dim my power.

Yes, I could deny I am powerful.

Yes, I could subscribe to a scarcity mindset, fearful of anyone else in pursuit of power.

But I don’t like any of these options.

Instead, what would happen if I decided to:

Acknowledge that I have been given many head starts in life, that are not based on my own merit, which put me at an advantage over others.
Show and express deep gratitude for the power I have.
Look at my fellow humans and ask, “How could I use my privilege to create opportunities for others to grow and prosper as well?”

For me, I want to use all the power that has been given to me to create a world where people of all body types, ethnicities, genders, sexual orientations and ages can see how fucking beautiful they truly are.

My privilege gives me the tremendous opportunity to use my time on earth to distribute my power to others and hopefully leave this place a little better when I am gone.

So… what’s YOUR relationship with privilege?

How much do you have?

How do you feel about it?

What are you doing with yours?

Darius BasharFebruary 10, 2020Comment

Be A Man

Men are not suppose to wear makeup.

Men are not suppose to wear dresses.

And men are definitely not suppose to date other men.

Most men I know grew up accepting these statements to be true.

So a beautiful and powerful person like my dear friend Micha Edwards might be confusing to men who are still holding on to a boxed-in definition of manhood.

From films and pop culture, to athletes and business icons, as young men we were taught that we needed to toughen up and “grow a pair” to really make it.

We’re also taught that the opposite of being a man is being called a pussy. And that “real men” don’t hold feminine qualities and attributes. Where I grew up, if you called someone a pussy it was almost always followed by violence.

There is a rigid box that defines what makes a man, DO NOT GO OUTSIDE THAT BOX.

You know what else is a rigid box? A prison.

And that’s what it can feel like for anyone that wants to express, explore and expand, but is instead held down and told to stay small and stay quiet.

I’ve put in a lot of work to expanding and stepping outside of this box, because of what my heart could always feel to be true:

What we consider feminine qualities are not the enemy. Men who live outside the boxed-in definition of manhood are just as powerful and necessary.

And most importantly, love is love.

My heart has tremendous capacity and love for incredible humans like Micha.

I see God’s light in him when he expresses his fullness. I feel his power when he sings and dances and especially when he speaks from his heart.

His kindness and compassion for others gives me hope.

I love this man.

He is my brother. He is art.

He is God… and so are you.

Risky Fridays, softmenDarius BasharFebruary 7, 2020Risky Fridays, softmenComment

Your light is my light

Bohemian Pattern Border Motivational Quotes (1).jpg

Most of my photography clients are women between the ages of 35 and 55.

These are amazing, generous, intelligent women. There is a beautiful radiance within each of them.

There is also a frustration that is present in all of them.

The frustration comes from finally accepting that they are here to do something big and brave and important, but also feeling blocked from doing so.

A pain that comes from feeling the power that lives within them, but not being able to express its fullness.

One common blockage for these amazing women is a secret unconscious belief that they are not worthy of the FULL spotlight. Maybe a little attention is okay, but not too much.

They are afraid if they take-up too much space, they will look selfish and self-centred.

I can relate to this perspective. It’s one I have wrestled with for decades myself.

“It’s not about me, it’s about my audience. I will focus on them. I will take photos of them. I will tell their stories. I will celebrate them.”

There is nothing wrong with this.

But there is a difference between an artist and a leader.

It is only as I am able to understand how connected we all are, that my relationship with the spotlight started to change.

I was able to see that God’s light that lives inside me is exactly the same as the light inside you, and that when one of us shines bright we are all lifted.

To provide support to these clients I had to lead by example. I had to show by doing. I had to be vulnerable and real. I couldn’t hide behind my camera; I had to take up more space and step into the light.

This did not mean I stopped sharing photos and stories of others. It just meant I had to also celebrate and love myself too.

It takes courage to step into the spotlight. But each time we do, we are giving permission to others to do the same. When they see you, they are actually looking for themselves, inside you.

Your light is my light.

Keeping It Real ThursdaysDarius BasharFebruary 6, 2020Keeping It Real ThursdaysComment

You VS Trump

I have a very serious question and need your help.

I honestly don’t know what makes good content anymore.

I used to think it was content that:

a) Inspires conversation
b) Engages the audience
c) Creates an impact
d) Builds a community
e) Generates revenue

But by these metrics there is no one on the planet that makes better content than Donald Trump.

So let me ask you seriously…

Does Trump stand as the pinnacle for what we should all strive for when it comes to creating winning content?

And if not…

When YOU create content for social media, how do you know it’s working?

You might answer —> “My content helps and uplifts people.”

There are literally millions of people around the world that would say so does Trump.

You might answer —> “Not those people, different people.”

Which is totally fair, but is your goal to create content that makes everyone happy all the time? Trump knows that’s not possible so he focuses on his core audience and makes them fucking ecstatic.

Does your core audience (your people) feel as strongly about you?

So again, what is good content and how do you measure it?

Please help!

Darius BasharFebruary 5, 2020Comment

Let Me Show You What I See

Each of us has a light that ignites from deep inside our bellies.

If you are bold enough to remove the blinders placed upon you by society and and open your channels, this light will shoot up your spine, through your throat, and radiate out of your head and heart.

You will transcend your history. You will exist in a place behind time and space and your being will sing your heart song deep into the cosmos.

And when this happens, we witness the presence of an expressed human.

A being who is radiating the light of God into the world.

This light will be judged by those who live in the dark.

This light will be revered by those who long for purpose.

This light will activate and awaken all in it’s path.

This light is pure and limitless.

It has no regard for silly human concepts such as right or wrong, rich or poor, man or women, young or old.

My gift in this world is that I can see this light inside you — all of you.

I can see it even when you have dimmed it to nearly nothing.

I can see it even when you refuse to accept its existence.

I can see it even if you have buried it under decades of anger, trauma and hatred.

My wildest dream for Us is that one day you will allow me the great privilege to hold up a mirror and let you see this light inside you.

I am clear that this is why I am here: to help people remember how magical and beautiful they truly are.

If something inside you is moved by these words or these images and you are ready to share more of your light with the world, send me a message and let’s chat.

Darius BasharFebruary 4, 2020Comment

Happiness Is Just *One* By-Product

Last week I attended a 2-day mastermind in LA. There were about 150 people in attendance, many of whom are world-class thought leaders in their respective industries.

But unlike other events I have attended with industry leaders, what made this experience so amazing is that there was no hierarchy. It was completely flat. There was no VIP back room for the “top” speakers to sit.

We sat at round tables. We all ate meals together. We all hung out, conversed, and even saw comedy shows together.

It felt like a real community.

This was the second Archangel Mastermind event I’ve attended, and I am still blown away. I honestly learned so much in just 2 days that my system is still processing. Thank you to Giovanni Marsico for creating this event and curating and nurturing this amazing community.

My intention for this week is to pull a few of the most powerful lessons from the event and share them with you guys.

So for today, here is a simple lesson that knocked my socks off, courtesy of my friend Marla Mattenson.

For those of you that don’t know Marla, she is one of the world’s most respected and well-known relationship coaches. Marla and her partner Julian Colker specialize in helping entrepreneurial couples with love, intimacy and connection.

During her breakout session, Marla casually dropped this one line that literally took my breath away. It’s something I’ve heard before, something I’ve overlooked because it’s so easy to gloss over. But the exact language Marla used in that moment allowed this piece of wisdom to finally land.

She said:

Happiness is *one* by-product of living a creatively expressed life.

If we choose to venture down the path of living a creatively expressed life sometimes we encounter and experience happiness. This is wonderful, but also fleeting.

Soak it in. Appreciate it, but do not change your direction to chase or attach to this singular experience. Instead keep walking down the path towards full creative expression, knowing that happiness is only one by-product you will encounter on this journey.

Insecurity, doubt, anger, joy, calm, love and many others will also meet you at specific moments on this journey. Treat them all as equals. Find the gift they have for you, BUT always stay committed to the journey: to explore, express and release the fullest version of yourself into the world.

When Marla shared this concept, it instantly activated something deep inside me—a part of my being that knew this to be true and just needed a wake-up call. Marla’s wisdom gave me permission to continue pursuing my heart’s purpose, even when happiness is not currently present. What a freaking gift.

Thank you Marla!

Also, a huge thank you to everyone who participated and shared their fullest selves at Archangel Messenger. I love each one of you amazing humans.

Darius BasharFebruary 3, 2020Comment

Permission

I give you permission to play in the infinite.

I give you permission to dance with the Gods.

I give you permission to dissolve into divine nothingness.

I give you permission to take your place among the stars.

Darius BasharJanuary 29, 2020Comment

It's Hard To Be Consistent

When someone you love gets very sick, it is hard to carry on with your normal day-to-day.

Your heart literally aches. You can’t stop thinking about them. So you break your routines and spend as much time with them as you can.

It is way too easy to disregard our day-to-day structure when something new and emotionally intense enters our lives. It doesn’t even need to be illness; it can be a new birth, a new love, a new hobby or anything new and full of emotion.

When my aunt got really sick these past few weeks it was overwhelming. It was my first real experience with cancer and death. I went from being the most structured human I know—I literally had every moment from 5am to 11pm on my calendar planned out—to all of a sudden having nothing on my schedule but being with her and my family.

I used structure and consistency like a safety tether that kept me from floating away. The more structure I have, the stronger the tether, and the further I could explore into the cosmos.

When my aunt passed, my daily structure felt too rigid, so I detached from my tether and began floating into the abyss.

I stopped meditating. I stopped writing. I stopped exercising. I stopped eating healthy. I stopped doing photoshoots. I stopped it all.

I began to lose my grounding and connection to this world; I was floating away. It did not feel safe.

Thankfully it took less than a week for me to realize I was floating untethered and I reached out to a few close friends for help. They were able to find me in the cosmos and lovingly pull me back in.

Thank you Sal, thank you Lilian, and thank you Jenn.

It is fucking hard to stay consistent in an ever-changing world, but maybe we don’t need to. Maybe it’s okay to consciously slow down, and intentionally change our plan.

Maybe the only constant thing we can actually hold true is our commitment to staying close to our own hearts.

Darius BasharJanuary 28, 2020Comment

How Can I Be Of Service to the world?

How can I be of service to the world?

I can write and use my voice. I can share my vision.

I can tell honest stories, share sincere lessons, and make people laugh.

I can take risks and make mistakes.

I can fall apart… and rebuild stronger.

How can I be of service to the world?

I can share my love.

I can share my love story.

And I can love my story.