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Toronto Portrait Photographer || HEARTshots || Black + White Photography

Memoirs and musings of Darius Bashar. Toronto portrait photographer and writer, in pursuit of all things real, raw and intimate. 

Guided Meditation to BOOST CREATIVITY + Increase FOCUS

Hey Y'all! ⁣⁣⁣⁣

I wrote this mediation on Friday for the Artist Morning community. I really love this thing and wanted to share it with you awesome humans on Facebook too. ⁣⁣

It's great as a guide to help you calm any nervous energy down. It will also help you GET CLOSER TO YOU HEART and lastly, it's fun for any CREATORs out there who might be feeling unfocussed or stuck. ⁣⁣

From my heart to yours...

D ⁣⁣

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PS: If you dig the meditation and want to join us for a LIVE group meditation we meet Wednesdays and Fridays at 9am EST.

It's totally FREE to join. --> www.artistmorning.com

PPS: Subscribe to the Artist Morning YouTube page for weekly Guided Meditations and How-To Videos all made with the intention of HELPING HUMANS EXPRESS and CREATE. :) ⁣⁣

How To Look Better On Zoom (5 Simple Tricks)

Every day at least 2–3 people ask me about my Zoom setup.

As a professional cinematographer and photographer I definitely have an advantage when it comes to Zoom.

In this video I show you how the sausage gets made and share my entire Zoom setup—including my camera, lens, mic, monitor, mixer, and everything else I use for Zoom.

BUT more importantly I also share 5 tips to make YOUR Zoom calls look better. All of which will cost you nothing. None of the tips I use require you to buy any new tech and can be implemented immediately.

Hope you dig the video.

Much love,

D

PS: If you like this video and would like to see more like it, subscribe to my YouTube channel. I will be sharing all sorts of FREE videos like this that will help you continue up-leveling your skills as a Creator. ⁣

7 Things I Wish I Knew Before Launching My First Online Program

This past summer I FINALLY launched my first online program.

This cracks me up because I hesitated for so long, waiting for the “perfect” moment. What’s funny about that is my “perfect moment” ended up landing in the middle of a global pandemic that essentially shut down the world’s economy. Nothing perfect about that. 

One of my goals was to see if I could generate $10k with my first program. I ended up making $13,500 which was really cool. I also probably learned more in these past 12 weeks than ever before. 

In this video I share 7 things I wish someone would’ve told me before launching. 

Hope you enjoy the video. If so, please subscribe to my YouTube channel and share the love. Each week there will be new videos including more how-to videos, podcasts, tutorials and guided meditations to help Creators prosper. 

Much love beautiful humans. :)

God VS You

Jennifer Mansell asked me this question 3 days ago and it rocked my world. ⁣

I know the "G" word is somewhat triggering for some, so feel free to swap that out with Universe if it feels right. ⁣

Curious if any of you guys think about this question and if so, how do you make sure to keep the alignment on track day-to-day or even month-to-month.

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Anyone Else Feel That Emotional Drop?

The season changed so quickly. Summer bounced like a bad one night stand.

I immediately felt the drop in my energy. It felt scary.

But I have been here many times before. Thankfully I have many support systems put in place from previous years.

I know I need:

  • Extra sleep

  • Physical Warmth

  • Movement

  • Self-compassion

  • Gentleness

  • Fresh air

  • Connection to other kind and caring humans

I also remind myself that I don’t need to FIX anything. Nothing is broken. I just need time to adjust. No need to make any big decisions based on the seasonal shift in my mood.

Being extra hard on “My Human” during these shifts helps no one.

Also, an important reminder that external substances that quickly alter my mood always cause me more damage in the long-run. That includes booze, drugs, cannabis and even food when over done.

There is an urge to contract and close my heart when the season shifts.

There is a desire to shut-off and run away from the world.

After tracking this for the past 6 years I now understand that so much of this is a seasonal event AND also that there are so many other humans going through this with me. Many of whom are suffering alone — like I was for so many years.

I have so much love and compassion for all humans experiencing this shift in energy; sometimes referred to as Seasonal Affective Disorder.

As much as I want the summer to be endless, I know that’s not how life works.

Also, there is something precious and divine about the finite nature of all things on earth.

All things end…but also, often begin again.

Here’s to a new day, a new season and a new opportunity to deepen my connection to my many selves.

Anyone else feeling this drop in energy?

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Business Vs Art

Writing with my ideal audience in-mind has been a crazy effective approach to helping me get the attention of the right people and grow my business. Last year alone I probably generated $10K–$15K a month for my photography business, just from writing content on my personal Facebook and Instagram pages. 

AND…

Sometimes, I just want to write for me. 

I love all you humans, but it can be challenging always writing for someone else. When I try to get into the minds of other people I sometimes end up losing my own truth. 

As I write these words, I feel a tension between two versions of myself. There is a fascinating dynamic that exists between Business Darius and Artist Darius. 

In the past, I thought I had to kill one and hold the other sacred. That was definitely not the solution. I now believe this tension can actually be really healthy. Neither of them holds the full truth. I now know they both bring value and can co-exist. 

Letting them dance together and find their flow is key. Sometimes Business Darius needs to lead and other times Artist Darius is the one guiding the dance. 

"Business D" has been crushing all summer. I’m really proud of him, but I’m getting that familiar feeling once again, that it’s time to give the keys to "Artist D" for a bit and let him work his magic.

Anyone else feel a tension between two or more parts when it comes to Social Media?

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BIG FREAKING ANNOUNCEMENT

Next week I am announcing something really freaking exciting. It’s a project I have been working on for the past 132 days. Something that pulls together the last 17 years of my life as a Creative Entrepreneur and Artist. 

Can you guess what it could be? 

Best guess wins a personalize song made from me to you. 

PS: I’ve shared my last hit song below in case you needed to know how amazing I am as a songwriter. I am sure you will love and cherish your song forever.