Well-Being-Photography Workshop at Tampere Intercultural Art Organisation
There is something magical about putting people together and give them something to create together. In my work as a professional photographer, I have always ended up documenting events because I simply love to build, see and connect with small communities and give them something unique to remember.
This time, it was no different. I designed the 25th of November Emotional Well-being Photography Workshop at Tampere Intercultural Art Centre (TicAS). I did not want the regular photography workshop, where people take pictures and talk about the technicalities of photography.
I wanted to create a calming and safe space, where people can express their emotional struggles and receive guidance and support on how to use photography for improving their mental well-being.
During our guided meditation session
The workshop lasted 4 hours. I proudly managed to organise my time in order to get a little taste of everything that I can offer to my clients: creative support, creative well-being tips & tricks, personalised guided meditations, photography inspiration, basic understanding on holistic well-being (how our brain works, how emotions work, the health risks of unexpressed emotions).
And of course, my full presence. I was there to listen to my participants fully, understand a bit their background, hear their struggles and think how I can help each of them individually.
We shared our personal stories and emotional struggles, meditated, listened to music, ate healthy snacks, learnt about emotions through a psychology card game, took a photo-walk, printed photographs, exhibited them on the wall and received peer support. (Sounds like a lot for 4 hours. But thanks to my new time management skills, I was able to make it work!)
Activties Well-Being Photography Workshop
To be completely honest, I was extremely touched by the individuals who I had the chance to meet at this workshop. I finished the workshop with a bouquet of emotions that stayed with me for the next 3 days. It was a mix of feelings: I was proud that I made it possible. I was inspired to see individuals interested in photography and well-being and sad because the time was too short to properly connect with each of them.
The biggest emotion that stayed with me for more than a week after that was gratitude. I was grateful to meet people from all corners of the world: Japan, China, Bangladesh, Romania, Finland, Poland. Grateful to be able to hear their personal stories. Grateful to have such a cozy place to organise the workshop. Grateful to connect with new people so effortlessly. Grateful to share my passion.
+The peak of my gratitude? To feedback from the participants!
The way Luiza made a safe and warm space for the others - that amazed me a lot and it helped me open up more in the workshop.
The workshop was a wonderful experience. Luiza’s guidance is very careful, attentive and complete, making us get in touch with our emotions and connect to photography in a new way.
Luiza is a beautiful soul emanating a good energy that she wants to share with other people. That was very easy to feel throughout the whole workshop.
I truly felt that Luiza was able to form a safe space for all the participants. It was a beautiful experience where we all had the opportunity to reflect on our emotions and talk about the relationship with photography in order to understand ourselves better.
Thanks to my empathic superpower, I couldn't help but be deeply touched by everyone's stories. Their emotions, struggles, pain, and longings became tangible to me, as if I was experiencing them firsthand. Thanks to the discussions we had, I was able to remember my hard days when everything felt almost impossible to bear. And I also remembered why I am offering my creative well-being services, especially the new online interactive course that starts in mid-January.
I can feel that there are many individuals out there who need emotional support and I am grateful to be here and be able to teach how photography can improve our well-being.
In essence, the workshop unfolded as a delightful journey, imparting valuable lessons about life, photography, and well-being—lessons I believe resonated with my participants as profoundly as they did with me.
I would like to thank my life partner, Allan not only for supporting me in designing this workshop, but for being so courageous to document photographically the event. (There are pictures taken by a sound designer who was trained by me in less than an hour how to practice photography. Pretty impressive, right?
Thank you, Zeynep, Janna and Nikki from TicAS who made this event possible! Thank you for your openness, eagerness and availability.
Last but not least, I would like to thank each participant who believed in the value of this workshop and chose to spend their Saturday with me.
Thank you, all for making this unique photography workshop possible!
