On Creative Redirections
So I put the grocery store into the GPS and promptly stayed on the couch.
I was so confused why it didn’t give me directions!!! It just kept saying head towards the street…
Just like GPS, life only gives you directions (and corrections) if you’re in motion.
When I make a decision, I get feedback on whether that decision is aligned with my path or not.
If it’s not, sometimes I’ve made a complete wrong turn and have to make a u-turn and retrace my route.
Sometimes I made only a small mistake, and I can get back on the path with just a simple adjustment.
I made one of these latter mistakes recently.
I posted about how I’m no longer the Dating Profile Photographer.
This was not the mistake.
I also posted how dating apps are broken, and that it’s not worth it at all to try.
This was the slight mistake, where I get to make a small correction.
See, life gave me a slight redirection. I was going in the right direction, but on a road close and parallel to the road I needed to be on.
Dating apps ARE much less valuable than they used to be.
I was at Burning Man all of last week (more posts about Burning Man to come) when I connected to someone’s Starlink wifi.
I got a text from a recent client… a guy who booked me for dating apps before I made the shift.
A guy who’s life isn’t quite where it “should” be to get matches… he has a near-minimum-wage job, in a smaller city, without good social skills, and without good looks.
On paper, he shouldn’t have a chance.
But he texted me that he’s getting matches and he’s really grateful about our shoot!
He actually wanted to pay me more money for another service I’m in the process of building (more on that later.)
This caused me to reflect… was I wrong in that dating apps are broken? I was sure of my decision, but did I make some kind of mistake?!
Mostly, no. I was correct.
Dating apps at this point ARE unpredictable.
BUT there’s important shifts that change the message that is true for me.
Dating apps ARE worth trying. If they work, they’re a good source of dates… linking up with girls you wouldn’t otherwise have access to - WHEN used on top of an in-person dating strategy (either meeting girls in public, or through social circles.)
The trick is expecting nothing, and putting in consistent effort, which just looks like optimizing your photos and your bio and swiping everyday.
And the worst case scenario, it’s not worth it, and then you delete the apps. No harm, no foul.
Upgrading your photos are still the best way to make sure you put your best foot forward.
But I’m still sticking with my decision - I am no longer the Dating Profile Photographer guy.
So what am I?
I’m a soul capturer. This I will explain in depth in my next post. When I share what it means to people and why I chose this moniker, I generally get excited reactions!
There’s a deeper redirection I got, though.
Aside from exploring the nuance of whether or not dating apps are worth it, I revisited the purpose behind the decision.
Why change my focus?
This was a thread of friction in my life which existed underneath it all.
Almost 10 years ago, I decided to live life on my own terms, building a $10,000/month business while doing art and travelling.
That, I succeeded in - with my dating profile photography business.
Before that though, I tried many businesses.
From scratch handbound journals.
Handbinding classes.
Graphic design freelancing.
Handknit hats.
Knitting classes.
Laser etched keychains.
And many more.
All with the goal of making $10,000/month making art.
Each time I failed, I learned, and I failed less and less.
And finally, I picked up a camera, and the rest is history.
In the process, though, I became less and less of an artist, and more and more of a businessman.
I even prided myself on this, saying more artists need to learn business, and how to advertise and market themselves (which I still agree with and stand by.)
But I let my role as a businessman take first priority.
I became a businessman first, and an artist second.
And it sucked my soul from me.
I plateaued in my business.
I took my foot off the gas, because I’m an artist at my core, and I need my business to give me that creative energy.
And I’d built a spacious prison… focusing all on the results, all on the EFFECTS of the photoshoot, rather than the experience itself.
The real, deeper reason for this shift isn’t that the apps are less valuable.
It’s because the whole point is my work.
My creative insight.
My gift of capturing souls.
YES - I still talk about how upgrading your online image opens doors in your business life, social life, and dating life. I still talk about results.
But I’m now an ARTIST first, businessman SECOND.
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I’m excited to share more. My purpose in life is to build a kickass 10/10 aligned and fulfilling life for myself, and to share my experience and my journey to empower others to do the same.
Project Unchained, I call my parent company.
I hope this post has helped you find your own parallel journeys, and to see your next steps more clearly.
More posts to come, about Burning Man, and about Soul Capturing.
Pic of my majestic artist self at Burning Man on the Playa in front of an art car, taken by my best friend Rex Loyer
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P.S. This post was written in one draft without the aid of AI. I still use AI to help sometimes, but I'm finding myself wanting to rawdog it more and more. I commit to being up front when and how I use AI in my posts... I feel it's important for my own artistic integrity to be transparent about it.