Don't Try This At Home. (Patreon)

This is still the most challenging shoot of my career. I had no idea how difficult underwater shoots were; to dive, pose, hold your breath, get your hair out of your face, create the right expression, get your hands, feet and props in order - and not die. That last part is key.

I urge no one to try it. LIKE...don't try this at home, for real. But if you do, let me know how it goes!

I love trying experimental shoots and getting out of my comfort zone, so these water shoots may be one of my all-time faves, plus they were hard earned.

It's a real thing that the harder we work or the more we pay, the more value we assign to something.

If you give a kid a car or a house, they trash it because they haven't earned it. But if they work hard, get a side job, do chores, save money and EARN it, they'll take care of it.

There's a term for this in Kabbalah. It's called "bread of shame." It comes from getting your bread for nothing and carrying shame with having not earned it, so we become self destructive. This can couple with "Imposter Syndrome", which we see all the time with young, famous celebrities. Those rock/rap stars, athletes, artists, and actors who have been given huge opportunities and fame, but subconciously FEEL as though they haven't earned it, and "what did I do to get so lucky?", so they self-detonate. That's Imposter Syndrome.

We see the downfall, the addiction, the abuse, the rehab, the loss of careers. Interestingly, cultures who believe in reincarnation and karma tend not to have this, as their beliefs are that someone has EARNED everything that happens in this life due to previous lifetimes of hardship & hard work or bad behavior (which is why bad things happen to good people-and vice versa-due to even karmic debt.) They say you can run from the world, but you cannot run from karma. If we're soul beings having a human experience (with the soul being the driver, and the human body simply the car), then the soul energy goes on and will ultimately pay the price for all we do in this lifetime, good or bad. Live a kind, good life and be incredibly rewarded in the next. No imposter syndrome, everything earned.

Same for us regarding having to earn something. Working on a home or yard gives us a different kind of value and dopamine kick. Growing our own fruit and veggies makes it so we don't let them spoil because we worked so hard for them. If you can get your mate too easily (or if no one else is interested in them) there's less "value". This is why if a woman is truly into you and sees you as real mate potential, she won't sleep with you right away. If she sees you as nothing more than sex, then she will. And sometimes more develops from that, but more often than not, the rule is "make them work for it so they value you when they earn it."If we have to work to earn something, we prioritize it. When others are trying to book a talent or act, they appear hot, so EVERYONE wants them. If an act is willing to do anything to be on that stage or work for free, they're shoved to the bottom of the billing or called in as a filler talent.There's merit to charging for your services or bartering, along with the saying "you get what you pay for" in life due to human psychology. "Ask for what you're worth, and then ask for a little bit more." - Katharine Hepburn

And if you can do an easy photoshoot over the course of decades, it's often forgotten about, but the extremely challenging ones stick with us. Or stick with ME, anyway.Photography: Steve Griffey. <----He had it much easier. Xoxo!!

-a

Many cultures believe in karma and reincarnation (Jainism, Buddhism, Metaphysical, etc.)

My sexy, eclectic birthday wishlist! Love me? Spoil me! I adore it!

https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/258GQWZANXBQ3?ref_=wl_share