European Adventures: Castello Ceconi
I’ve put off writing this post mostly because the feelings surrounding the entire experience are SO big, SO vast, and yet…not at all complicated. Being asked to teach about body image as it pertains to photography at a castle in Italy is pure magic and even though I did this last year, this year was even grander. We were there for 10 days to serve 2 different glorious groups of humans and it gave me time to really appreciate the experiences that I was contributing to and taking part in.
Our first group of attendees saw over 50 students from all over the world come into our space and learn from myself, Sue Bryce, & Kara Marie. I think people maybe thought it was a “photography workshop” but if you know me, Kara Marie, and Sue - then you know we are going to talk about more than just the technical aspects of being a photographer - we are going to talk about what it means to HUMAN AND A PHOTOGRAPHER. On day 1 we poured our knowledge into them, each of us delivering a 60-90 minute keynote on our various topics. Myself on body image as it pertains to photography, Kara on burnout as it pertains to being a creative, and Sue on self value as it pertains to…well, being a human entrepreneur. It was a beautiful day full of tears, laughter, and connection (and of course, amazing food!). The second day I led a group of folks through a My Body Is Art Empowerment Experience on the lawn for those that wanted to partake and it was absolutely incredible. Then we had to rush them off to lunch so they could get on the bus and head to the Graphistudio factory to check out the glorious products and processes. Day 3 was all about shooting - well, my portion still delivered a 60 minute talk about HOW I get my clients to be vulnerable and alllll the work that takes place before I even take out my camera. The large group of students was split into 3 and we saw each of those smaller groups for about 2 hours where they had the opportunity to shoot, play, ask questions, and learn some more to help embolden their businesses. At the end of the last day, the group erupted into a huge dance party where I got my paparazzi on and took on the name POPPA…POPPARAZZI!
For the next 2 days we rested our vocal chords and the amazing staff at Graphistudio arranged for us to visit a gorgeous vineyard where we had the pleasure of tasting wine and enjoying each other’s company. On the 2nd day, we continued our rest and just used our time to create some images with each other. My friend Angie Whitten and I did some beautiful body imagery in the pool (which felt so nice after such a hot day!) and cleaned up our spaces, ready for the new group to arrive the following day!
Then it was time for our final group to arrive and this time we were joined by a glorious group of 26 students - a smaller group, but that allowed it to be a bit more intimate! We repeated the similar process as the first group, with keynotes + shootouts + empowerment projects. This group was absolutely incredible in their approach to the content I was teaching and though we had quite a few tears, there were some new soundtracks made to work on our self talk! We even had some loose cows come visit the castle and it was quite the beautiful site with the dolomites in the background.
Graphistudio sure knows how to put on an amazing event and their products blow me away every time I see my work in print. I am so thankful for the glorious opportunities to teach at such a special location with such amazing people and at the end of every group, I found myself crying in the shower, so thankful for my body bringing me to these incredible spaces and ability to tell incredible stories. I’m so thankful to have powerful colleagues like Sue Bryce and Kara Marie, leaders in the photography world showing folks that there is more to being a creative entrepreneur than just wielding a camera. If you are interested in joining me at a future workshop, make sure to hop onto the newsletter!
