Everything is a canvas.

Your morning coffee.

Your yoga mat.

Your text message.

Your prayer.

Your outfit.

Your stride.

Your email.

Your breath.

The neck of your lover.

The inside of your lover.

Everything a canvas.

This past week I have had several conversations with deeply intelligent, kind and spiritual friends who have decided to tune out what’s going on in Iran. I believe this is coming from a place of not knowing what to do, so I’m here to help.

Here are 3 things you can do to tune in to your own humanity and the humanity of others in the face of bad news and global events:

1. Reach out to a friend who is impacted by the situation and ask how they are doing and if they need any support. Don’t be pushy; they might not be ready to talk about it. But knowing that you care might have a positive impact on their lives.

2. Consciously make a boundary around the content you will consume on the topic. If your boundary is 0% tolerance (as in, “I want nothing to do with this topic”) then consciously state that. Maybe your boundary is “I am willing to have 1 conversation on this topic a week” or “I will read and share 1 post a week”. There is no right way of doing this. Each person is different. But I do believe there is power in intentionally deciding your own boundaries. PS: You are allowed to move your boundary at any time.

3. Journal about the topic. Here’s a question to explore in your journalling practice this week. What has your grief or sadness about the situation taught you about life? These emotions can be very intense, but they are also full of gifts. What could happen to your life if you were able to change your relationship to these so-called darker emotions?

Life can be intense. We all need to step back and tune out the noise at times. I get it—I do it too.

But stepping back is only one tool available to us—it shouldn’t be the end destination. It should be a resting point, to help us build capacity so that we can step forward and reconnect with our fellow humans.

Big love,

D

Did you know that when I was 29 I dropped everything and went to film school?

I completely upended my life because some part of me wanted to be creative and do something different. But because of my secret weapon, I continued.

I didn’t start photography until I was 32. At the time I didn’t know how to use a DSLR—I had to ask my 12 year old cousin to show me.

The photos were too bright, or too dark, or in the rare moments I got it right… I couldn’t engage with the person in the shot. But because of my secret weapon, I continued.

And in the 7 years since then, I have taken almost 800,000 photos.

In 2020 when the pandemic hit, all of my photoshoots were rescheduled, and I started making guided meditations. Believe me when I tell you that the first few were really rough. But because of my secret weapon, I continued.

And now I have made over 100 meditations for Artist Morning. According to YouTube and Insight Timer, people have spent over 1,000,000 minutes meditating with me worldwide.

Bonkers, right?

In all of these stories, I wanted to quit at least a thousand times. But I didn’t.

Because my secret weapon was to remember that no matter how old I am, the part of me who is excited to express himself and try something new is just an 8-year-old kid.

And that young, precious inner-child DOES NOT need pressure and stress when he is just getting started. Not from me, not from anyone else.

Your job as an adult is to protect, nurture and support your beautiful inner child as they are trying new things for the first time.

I love keeping a photo of 8-year old Darius around my house to remind me to be kind and sweet to myself.

Is there something you and your own inner child are ready to explore together?

Big love,

D

PS: If you want to see the short video I made on this topic check out my Instagram or my TikTok.

This is Daniel. I had seconds to photograph him. Daniel was waiting for the bus and the bus was just down the street.

It felt like an impossible task, but I decided to try anyways.

There is something about this concept of the “impossible task” that can be very freeing to me. The activity in question is meant to fail, so I get to play and take risks that I normally would not.

It seems counter intuitive, but limitations and restrictions can be the most productive thing to an artist. They can help us focus and ensure we stay on course and actually finish the creation.

Thank you Daniel for taking a risk and getting messy with me.

I hope your friend that was waiting for you at the gym wasn’t too mad that you showed up late.

Hopefully the photos and the experience of making art with a stranger was worth it.

Big love,

D

PS: If you want to see the behind the scenes video of me approaching Daniel and taking these photos, check out my Instagram or my TikTok.

I am looking for 5 heart-centred people in the Vancouver area who are open to significantly upgrading their online presence, so that they can connect with more of their dream clients.

My area of specialty is supporting speakers, authors, coaches, therapists and artists.

I have worked with hundreds and have taken over 700,000 photos of people all over the world.

The people I want to support the most are individuals who are committed to using their passion, wisdom and energy to positively impact the world.

I know how to help these people take photos that ACTUALLY FEEL and LOOK like their best selves.

I will be in Vancouver Oct 24 to Oct 28. If you are interested follow the link in my bio that will have all the details including pricing, examples and a ton of testimonials.

Big love,

D

This is Costa. He was immediately down to be a part of this art project and allowed me to take his photos.

What you don’t see in this video are the 3 previous people I approached right before I ran into Costa. All 3 declined my offer for photos, which has never happened to me before. For context, I typically get 1 rejection in a few hours of shooting—which I think is kind of a miracle.

So before I met Costa, I was feeling extra nervous and shy. A voice in my head was telling me to call it a day and go home. I’m glad I didn’t listen to that voice.

Because moments later, I saw Costa walking down the street looking super fresh. He was about to give me some of his confidence. And also his answer at the end of the video was exactly what I needed to hear to keep me from going home for the day.

Honestly, I was so close to bailing and crawling into bed. But I didn’t. I kept going. And I kept my heart open. And I ended up meeting and photographing 5 more wonderful people that same day.

This project constantly reminds me that the moment when I most want to quit is usually a few seconds before something really interesting is about to happen.

Thank you Costa for saying yes to making art with a stranger and for sharing your confidence and wisdom with me. I needed both.

Big love,

D

PS: If you want to see the behind the scenes video of me approaching Costa and taking these photos, check out my Instagram or my TikTok.

This is Chloe. Her answer at the end of the video instantly gave me goosebumps.

It still gives me goosebumps—even now as I am writing these words.

It’s as if my body is telling me to pay attention and that there is something important for me to receive in Chloe’s answer.

I have a feeling I am not the only one.

It blows my mind that there are so many strangers all around me—many of whom I will never speak to—who hold such deep wisdom.

What would happen to my life if I connected with more strangers? Not just for photos and social media, but as a way of living my life.

What if that employee at the grocery store, or that parking attendant, or that old man waiting for the bus has a key piece of my life’s puzzle?

What if I have a key piece of someone else’s life’s puzzle?

What if everyone I met is God in disguise?

Okay okay, I’m getting existential and deep. But that’s sort of my jam. :)

Thanks for coming on this journey with me.

And thank you Chloe. Your wisdom, grace and beautiful smile made an impact on me.

Sincerely,

D

PS: If you want to see the behind the scenes video of me approaching Chloe and taking these photos, check out my Instagram or my TikTok.

This is Golden. What a perfect name for this human. She radiated warmth from the moment I said hi.

This trait is special in a big city like Toronto where many of us go into zombie survival mode and disconnect from the people around us.

Maybe it was my silly moonwalking that got Golden to smile and agree to a 30-second photoshoot with a stranger.

Or maybe that’s just who Golden is; warm and kind from the jump. Who knows…

What I do know is that I am grateful for the time I spent with Golden. I am secretly hoping to run into her again on the streets of Toronto so I can share these photos with her.

I have a feeling her answer at the end of the video will resonate with a lot of people.

And you never know… maybe we’ll get to make more art together one day.

Big love,

D

PS: If you want to see the behind the scenes video of me approaching Golden and taking these photos, check out my Instagram or my TikTok.

Everyone wants to be an influencer, but the real question is what are you influencing people to do? This question makes me tense because I’ve never felt comfortable telling anyone else what’s right for their lives. Everyone is unique and on their own journey and I have respect for all.

That said, there is one topic that I have no issue attempting to influence everyone to do, and that is to let women decide what they want to do with their bodies and their lives.

It’s ridiculous to me that I even need to say this, but there are many parts of our world that still need to hear it.

For the record I am not anti-hijab. If someone wants to wear a hijab they should have that right and we as a society should be equally protective of their right to choose.

This of course applies to anyone who does not want to wear a hijab too.

Because ultimately it’s not anyone else’s business.

The men who are at the core of this problem need to grow up and stop being so damn insecure. This of course applies to so much more than hijabs.

Any instance where a man is imposing their concepts of right and wrong (their “morality”) onto a woman feels terribly unnecessary and oppressive to me.

To the incredibly courageous women in Iran who are risking their lives to stand up for freedom:

I honour you and will forever be inspired by your bravery.

Praying for peace, praying for freedom.

Sincerely,

D

This is James. What you don’t see in these photos is that James and I spent 15 minutes chatting before he agreed to let me take his picture.

I told him about this project and what it means to me. I shared stories with him about a few of the other amazing humans I’ve photographed on the streets. I listened to him as he courageously shared some challenges he recently went through.

I’m not sure what changed James’ mind, but he switched from a hard no to a yes.

I’m so grateful I got to connect with him and that he agreed to be part of this art project. I hope James gets to see these photos one day and that it leads to another wonderful conversation.

Big love,

D

PS: If you want to see the behind the scenes video of me approaching James and taking these photos, check out my Instagram or my TikTok.