Kim Grant (00:00)
Hello and welcome to Photographic Connections, the podcast where photography brings us together so we can explore so much more. My name is Kim Grant and it's a pleasure to begin season two.
Well, welcome back. It's the first episode of season two. And I've got to say, in that last few days, I've just been getting so excited about the prospect of recording more episodes for the podcast and beginning this venture once again. I've had about six weeks or so off of the podcast and a lot has happened in that time. It's been a very interesting, very, very interesting time. And I've just come back from Malta. So it was nice to get a break away, a very, very interesting trip.
I was away on a retreat and I've kind of come back with this renewed sense of direction and this renewed sense of being ready to share things with the world again and of course to begin this podcast. And with it being the beginning of season two, I thought it would be nice to begin with me simply speaking to you for a little while about some of the things I've been pondering in recent weeks and...
A couple of changes that I'm thinking of making this season for a number of reasons. Some reasons so we can delve further into things, other reasons to bring you more variety within this and a little bit more things that will hopefully inspire you and give you more time for self -inquiry. I think I've come to realise that everything I do moving forwards, I want to be able to offer you as the listener or anybody that interacts with any of my services.
the opportunity to open up to self -inquiry and being able to explore photography and the world around you and what it really means to you. So I think a great place to begin would be to talk about how I'm planning to do this podcast moving forwards. And last season, I of course released an episode every single Monday, which was fantastic. And I was able to plan ahead often and...
record episodes and, you know, edit them so that we had many scheduled. But I've come to realise in recent weeks that what I value more than anything in life is freedom. And I think particularly when it comes to creativity, allowing ourselves to be free in whatever we're creating and offering the world allows us to be much more in flow and being able to create things that really mean something to us and then that will mean more to those that interact.
with those creations. So with regards to this, for season two, I'm not going to have a schedule. There may be a number of weeks where I do manage to upload a podcast every week, but there may be times when there'll be a week or two without anything. And some weeks, if I'm feeling really inspired to, there may even be more than one episode. But what I would really like to do is when I feel called to speak about something,
or to speak to a specific person or to just create an episode. I just want to give myself that freedom to release an episode whenever I feel like releasing one. But there will be some consistency in that, of course, because it will mean that we can continue to connect and interact. And I've got many, many ideas and a number of chats with fellow photographers that I recorded at the beginning of the
that I'm very much looking forward to releasing for you all to listen to. So that's the first thing. Let's just see when these episodes come out and it will be a nice surprise for you all when an episode is released and hopefully you'll enjoy the spontaneity of it all and we'll see what it takes us. The second change I'm gonna make this season is for those of you on YouTube, you will maybe already have become aware of this, but...
For those of you listening on all the podcast streaming platforms, this won't seem any different. But one thing I have realized in my own life is that I want to spend much less time, particularly on social media, but also online in general. Now, this shift for me came probably about two years ago when I came off of Facebook. I just couldn't stand Facebook anymore. And I was on it briefly last year just for the photographic connection stuff, but we...
We quite quickly moved on to a private platform for the community. And since moving on to that private platform, I've not been on Facebook really at all. I just don't resonate with it anymore. And I've come to realize that the same is becoming true for other social media platforms. I still use Instagram on occasion. It's still got a place in my life, but I'm spending less and less time on it. And even things like YouTube. You know, I used to watch YouTube videos every day and now I'm...
kind of coming away from that much more. And I'm listening to more and more podcasts, more and more music that inspires me. And I'm also spending a lot more time doing things in the physical world, whether that's spending time with friends and family, gardening, going to physical events, or just simply creating, being out walking, reading books, and doing things, I guess, to nourish myself, whether that's exercise, whether that's cooking meals.
and just connecting with the people that I love really and the things I enjoy doing. And I've come to realize that I would like this to become more of a part of my offerings as well. And this is, I think, one of the incredible strengths of podcasting. For those of you who watch the podcasts on YouTube, I know many of you enjoy watching myself speaking with the guests and seeing us talking.
But what I've realized in my own journey is that I sometimes watch podcast episodes like this too. But then I will literally sit down for a whole hour just watching people talk, which can be really interesting, of course, and we're getting different ideas and things to ponder and interesting information. But I noticed that the times when podcasts really resonate with me and I really am able to connect with them.
is actually when I'm listening to them doing other things. So some of my favourite time to listen to podcasts is when I'm driving somewhere or when I'm doing the dishes or when I'm cooking or even in the morning when I'm sitting enjoying a cup of tea or eating my breakfast. I much prefer to listen to a podcast like I would have in the past to a radio station and rather than sitting watching it on my phone or a computer, I can look out my window and connect with nature.
while I'm listening to the podcast episode. So although I'm of course still connecting and listening to the things that people are talking about, I'm doing something else and living in the physical world at the same time. So I've made the decision that I'm most likely going to not upload the podcast episodes onto YouTube moving forwards because I would love you all to experience more of living.
and of listening to the podcast episodes when you're doing the things that you enjoy or the things that you have to do every day, like make food, make yourself breakfast, do the dishes, whatever it may be. And I know that many of you who already listen on podcast streaming platforms, you love listening to the podcasts on your commute to work or when you're out walking the dog and things like that. And again, you're out there living your life, but you're also...
consuming content that you're finding inspiring and thought provoking at the same time. So this episode is going out on YouTube as an audio track with no video. And of course, for those of you on podcast streaming platforms, you're already listening to this like you already used to. So apologies for those who like watching these on YouTube. I mean, who knows in a couple of months I may start uploading the videos again. I'm going to very much go with the flow.
But I feel like just now in my life, as I want to live more of my life out in the real world, I would love you to be able to take the podcast episodes with you as you go out there and live in the real world as well. And so that you can physically do things that enrich your life while you're listening to these podcast episodes. And if you're not already on these podcast streaming platforms such as Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music,
you know, most of these platforms, if not all of them, you can have free accounts and there will often be adverts connected to that, which is the same as YouTube, you know, if you don't pay for YouTube, you've got the adverts. The same thing is the case for these platforms. If you don't pay for a subscription, you get the adverts. So it really is no different. But the beauty is that you can have the app or the website on your computer.
or you can have the app on your phone and take it with you so that you can listen while you're living your life. So that's a big difference for those who watch this on YouTube, but I feel, you know, as you get used to it or as you decide to switch over, if you'd like to keep listening, I just really feel it will enrich your life more because you can physically interact with the world while you're listening to the things that we're sharing on this podcast. So that's what I am just now.
really with that side of things. And of course, I've spent so much of my life on YouTube for the past sort of six years or so creating videos. And at the moment, I'm stepping back from that very much as well, because I just feel like I want to really focus on the podcast, but also focus on connecting with people on a much personal, much more personal level. And again, you know, YouTube's not gone forever. I'm sure I'll still release the occasional video.
and maybe even go through a spell later in the year where I upload a number of videos. Who knows? But right now this is where I am. I want to live less of my life on social media, more of my life creating content and creating offerings that I really feel can inspire and benefit people in a way that also inspires and benefits me when I interact with things that others create in a similar way.
And it also means I can potentially create more of what I really enjoy creating. And by not doing the YouTube videos for the podcast as well, it gives me more time to work on some of the other things I'm working on right now, such as a book that I'm on track to release by the end of this year.
Some other things that I've been thinking about with regards to season two is, as I mentioned at the beginning, a little bit more variety. So season one was all about the stories of other photographers and that is still very much gonna play a part in season two. I know many of you love listening to other photographers' stories, you find them very inspiring and I love speaking with other people, especially when we can connect from all over the world.
all different cultures and backgrounds and photographic perspectives. You know, I learn as much from speaking to these photographers as you do listening to the episodes that come at the end of it all. So that's very much still going to be a part of season two. But a couple of other things that I'm going to mix things up a little bit to include in this season is also occasionally if I feel called to do so, I'm just going to sit down and release some episodes where I'm speaking to you.
the whole episode like I'm doing with this episode here. Any ideas or concepts or things that I'm thinking about in my own photographic journey or should I say life journey that links to photography, I might on occasion just create an episode of me talking about that. Another thing I want to to incorporate more of is exploring certain themes and certain wellness related photography themes.
on a much deeper level. So as well as including people's stories within the podcast episodes, I'm also going to explore more of what certain things mean. And for instance, the next episode is going to be a lovely chat with a fellow photographer who does specifically mindful photography. So as well as sharing her lovely story with you all, I would like to speak a bit more about mindfulness and
how photography can really help us to connect with mindfulness so that it gives us more of an enriched experience, there's maybe a bit more of learning involved in the podcast as well as the story elements. And there'll be certain themes I'll explore in a much deeper level as we progress forwards to. Just to include a little bit more learning in it all and so that we can delve into some themes on a much deeper level and see all of the ways that photography can be.
can be interacted with and connected with to bring us this sense of wellness and self -expression when we're connecting with photography, especially from more of a, I guess, a self -expiration and creative point of view. Something else I may bring in on occasion is the Photographic Connections community that I run alongside this podcast, getting them more involved with the podcast as well.
whether it's coming on and asking questions to the guests or maybe even coming on themselves and speaking a little bit more about their photographic journey or how they've benefited from being a part of the community and bringing that connection to them and that inspiration to them so that we can kind of just connect more from that respect. You know, I...
I am so incredibly grateful to all of you that have become a part of the community, you know, that have chosen to become a member of that community and who regularly interact and share your own journeys with me and the fellow members. And every single person on there has a deep connection with the podcast as well. So being able to offer them the chance to be a bigger part of it, whether it's physically or in the background, I think is going to be.
lovely thing as well. So that's something else that may pop up on occasion. And I think it will be just an interesting and enriching experience for all of us because that's what this podcast for me and creating it was all about. You know, while I'm the one who's made this podcast, I made it because I wanted this to be a collaborative thing, a thing where I can speak with fellow photographers and share their story and share their offerings and
share the inspiration that they bring with you all, you know, so that we're collaborating together, we're sharing our stories. And then to share this with all of you that have become a community on your own, tuning in and listening to these episodes when they're released. And then of course, the physical Photographic Connections community that we've created as well, you know, it all connects together. To me, it's all about bringing people together through storytelling and through self -expression and through self -exploration
And to see the podcast evolve in different ways as we progress forwards, I feel, is only going to be very fitting in relation to why I created this in the first place. So yeah, that's probably going to be quite exciting in many respects as well. And yeah, I think that's basically it. More stories, some weeks where I'll, or episodes should I say, where I'll be speaking about certain concepts, getting the community more involved and exploring things a little bit more on a...
on a deeper level. I think it'll just be an interesting way to do this. And of course, when I began season one, I spoke about how photographic connections was all about creating connection to self, nature, and others through the art of photography. And that's still very much what photographic connections is all about. But I also realized that, as I mentioned earlier, this self -inquiry is becoming so important to me.
I spend so much of my life going through the self -inquiry journey on my own journey. You know, whether it's with photography, you know, I spend a lot of time now when I'm doing photography, really connecting with things, really exploring things, exploring different subjects, contemplating different things, working out what photography is doing for me, and then to be able to listen to other stories and share this with others, and then being able to offer you more.
through the podcast or for those of you who are in the community or would like to join us, more of this self -inquiry because we are all different. Every single one of us is different, but yet being human, we all have so much in common as well. And when we can, or when I can offer things to you all that helps you to incorporate photography and this self -inquiry and self -development more into your personal life and your personal circumstances.
then I just feel like everybody's going to benefit on a much deeper level. Because I find in my own journey that I don't like to tell people, you know, how to do photography or what to do. I like to open up this idea that there's no right or wrong way to do photography. There's no right or wrong way to photograph. There's no right or wrong subject to photograph. It's all about working out what works for you. What photography gives you, why you like to engage with it.
and being able to connect with that more so that your personal journey is enriched and so that you can find a way of doing photography that that fits in with your life and your circumstances. You know, I know a lot of people that listen to this podcast have, you know, a number of of things in their life that may at times feel like it limits their ability to do photography, whether it's physical.
restrictions due to caring duties or physical mobility struggles and health problems, or whether it's mental health problems, you know, such as depression and anxiety and PTSD, where there can be a more challenging element to getting out there and the feelings and emotions that brings up for you, but also how photography can complement that and give you an outlet. But equally as well, you know, I know there's many people listening to this podcast who have
dyslexia and autism and learning the technicalities of photography can often be more challenging or people who have visual impairments or who may have other sensory impairments as well. You know, we all have something. So for some people it may be more visible and maybe more limiting in certain ways, but we all have our own stories, our own ways of living, our own limitations, our own challenges. And I just...
would love everybody no matter what your circumstances. If you have a calling to get involved with photography, my dream moving forwards with this podcast and with everything else I offer is to try and enable you to find a way to make it work for you and not to feel like there's any right or wrong way to do things. That's just some of the things that I'm pondering just now that I'm going to be bringing a lot more into the podcast moving forwards.
And I've of course mentioned the community a couple of times throughout this episode as well. And this self -inquiry is going to be very much linked more into the community moving forwards as well. And mentioning at the beginning that I want to spend less time online. Again, this was one of the reasons why I moved the community last year off of Facebook onto a platform called Mighty Networks, which is a private platform completely on its own.
because it means that we can go on there and connect with each other as much or as little as we want to without getting bombarded by all of the other things that social media throws our way. You know, whether it's advertisements or everybody else's posts and things that we maybe don't want to see and all these suggested posts that they throw in our face to keep us on their platform for longer. The beautiful thing about the online community that we've got here in Photographic Connections is...
You choose when you go on there and how much you go on there and how much you interact. And it means that you're not getting sucked into all of these other things that social media psychologically sucks us into so that we spend more time on their platforms. You know, it gives you much more autonomy. So you can pop on for 10 minutes and catch up on some of the photographs, some of the discussions, ask a question if you want to, and then get on with your day.
Or for many people, they don't always interact too much on the platform, but they'll come along and join the community catch -ups on Zoom that we have every week when they're able to do so. And again, they've got an hour connecting, sharing, speaking to people, in some cases making new friends around the world. And then once that hour's up, you get on with your life. It means we can use technology and the online world.
in a much more positive way that's not getting us sucked into a lot of the manipulation and the negativity that often social media platforms throw at our face all the time. And I'm just becoming very conscious about this in my own journey of not spending as much time on my phone specifically and in the content I'm creating, ensuring that I can be more and more authentic in creating content.
and creating offerings like the community where it's very much linked to my values and very much I can incorporate it much more into the life that I want to live, but also the life that many other people want to live as well. And I've realized in recent weeks that so many people are wanting to spend less time online, you know, and it's understandable. It's so understandable. And I guess if we have that choice of whether we spend less time on social media.
but more time on platforms that really enrich us, then it can just bring more positivity into both our lives and that online space. And of course, social media completely has its place, and I've used it for many years, and I will still continue to use it for certain things. But it is just becoming more consciously aware of what are we spending our time on, why are we spending our time there, and is there ways that we can have a much more healthy relationship with technology.
and spend more time being inspired, connecting with things that really mean something to us and actually living our life. Because that's the things that I want to do a lot more. So being able to offer that to you all as well, I think is such a beautiful thing. So if you like the idea of becoming more involved with photographic connections and maybe spending less time on social media, but finding a platform where you can connect with like -minded people.
You know, we always are very open and welcoming to new members joining the community. And as we progress forwards, like I say, there's going to be a lot more self -inquiry in the monthly themes I create and the webinars and moving forward some months, I'll be doing videos instead of webinars, these sort of teaching videos so that you're still getting the YouTube content like you used to in some respects, but it's very much directed and self -directed.
and part of the community. And it also offers you the chance to bring so many of the things that we've spoken about on season one into your photographic journey. You know, something I'm incorporating more and more into my own journey is writing, is journaling, is nature connection, is mindfulness, is music, is of course the video elements always been really big. All of these things, dance.
and energy work, all of this stuff is all things I very much enjoy and I'm bringing into my photography and things that I'm planting into the community as we're progressing forwards with the themes and things as well. So that you can find other outlets for your creativity that link very well with photography, but that may take you on interesting new journeys and ventures as well, which will keep your photographic journey forever.
enriched and give you more and more things to explore. But of course, the podcast in itself will offer much inspiration for that as well. And there'll be plenty coming up as time progresses, linked to all the other ways that we can use photography and explore photography to understand ourselves, to connect with the world and to find solace, I think, in challenging times, but to celebrate.
the good and the joy when we feel joyful as well. I think it's all about, I've realized in recent weeks for me that life is all about exploring the human experience, you know, and exploring human consciousness and what it means to be human. You know, I just love it. I love exploring everything that it means to be human, the connection, the relationships, the socializing, the creativity.
the self -exploration, all of this stuff. And photography gives us a fantastic tool to explore all of these things, which we've already heard so much about already on the podcast before. And we'll continue to hear about on a more deeper level and from many different angles from those who come on and share their stories as we progress forwards.
So I think that's everything I wanted to share with you on this beginning of season two. It's really exciting to be back. As I mentioned, the next episode is going to be all about mindfulness and we'll have a lovely guest on speaking about that in much more detail so that those of you who would like to learn more about mindfulness, but also how you can connect it to photography and other aspects of your life as well, you know, it's like everything we're talking about here.
links very much to photography of course, photographic connections, but they're also things that you can incorporate into every aspect of your life so that you can feel more wellness not just in your photographic process but in your day -to -day life as well. And I very much look forward to sharing that episode with you as well as a number of other interesting ones that are coming up after that as well. So I hope you're excited for season two as excited as I am and you can
Tune in for every episode if you want or just tune into those episodes that really speak to you. And like I say, for those on YouTube, if you'd like to continue listening, I'd recommend either getting onto Spotify, Apple Music or Amazon Music and allowing yourself to continue listening. And you can also, if you don't want to get involved with any of them, you can also go onto the website, the Buzzsprout website, which is like my hosting platform.
I'll put a link to that in the description box below. And if you just click on that and keep that website on your computer, you can listen to the podcast on that website for completely free. So you don't have to sign up to any of these platforms and even deal with the adverts. You can listen to the podcast on the Buzzsprout website completely for free and with no adverts either. I'd forgotten to mention that earlier at the beginning.
So there's no reason why you shouldn't be able to keep connecting with the podcast, those of you on YouTube, and for those of you not, I hope you'll continue to listen as you go about your life and your business in the way that you used to before. And I am very excited to share more stories with you and share more of this journey and more of other people's journeys so that your journey can be enriched too. Thank you so much for listening and I'll see you all again in the next episodes.