on mission (and joining forces)
The last few weeks of 2019 are relatively quiet for me — no travel planned, or huge speaking gigs — a fact for which I’m really grateful. I’m using the time to inject calm and quiet into my days (incidentally, check out my Instagram feed for daily journal prompts and food for thought that I’m sharing this month, under the hashtag #decemberlight), and also plan for what I want my 2020 year to look like. As I do so, I’m actually trying to take a lesson from what it meant to rebuild after Hurricane Harvey: the gift of losing everything is that you’re forced to consider how you want to move in the world going forward.
So, how do I want my business to move in the world going forward?
To answer this question, I began by returning to the mission that I wrote for myself 8 years ago. Back then, I decided that the mission of Chookooloonks was the following:
“To engage in the relentless pursuit of real, uncontrived beauty, in every form.
To illustrate that beauty is everywhere, even (and sometimes especially)
in the most unlikely places.
In so doing, to work tirelessly to counter negativity, violence, discrimination and desperation,
and join forces with those who celebrate positivity, peace, kindness and joy.
To convince the skeptical of their uncommon beauty,
and to create tools for helping the weary see the beauty in their own lives.
To provide hard, irrefutable evidence that there is good in the world,
and to be fiercely dedicated to showing how beautiful our planet really is,
one image at a time.”
As I read the words, I realized that in fact, my mission going forward hasn’t changed, even if my work has. Back when I wrote this, I wasn’t coaching, or even speaking all that much. But I was still writing, and shooting, and they still play an integral part of my work. And my work has always been (and continues to be) about the pursuit of real beauty, and helping others find beauty in themselves and their work. That part has never changed.
One part of the mission, however, has been neglected for the past few years: the part about “joining forces with those who celebrate positivity, peace, kindness and joy.” For many years, I worked closely with the ONE Campaign, an organization whose mission to prevent poverty and disease is one that I’m truly passionate about. I had the distinct gift of traveling with them several times to various countries in Africa, to photograph and tell the stories of good work that is happening in places like Kenya, Ethiopia and Malawi to save lives. Unfortunately, folks who I worked with at ONE on these trips are no longer there, so the chances of traveling with them in the future are slim — but, also, if I’m honest, I haven’t made partnering with organizations who “counter negativity, violence, discrimination and desperation” a priority.
This ended today.
A few months ago, my friend Cheryl, the former deputy director of the ACLU of Texas, contacted me. “Are you familiar with the Houston Coalition Against Hate?” she asked. I’d never heard of them, but she made an introduction, and as a result, I’m proud to announce that Chookooloonks is now a member organization of this coalition. Their mission is “to collectively address and prevent incidents of hate, bias, discrimination and violence against Houstonians on the basis of their religion, race/ethnicity, gender, gender identity/expression, disability, age, sexual orientation, and immigration status,” and friends, if that’s not what Chookooloonks is about, I don’t know what is, am I right?
Anyway, my point is that I’m really proud of this partnership, and I’m really excited to being 2020 working with an organization that is so fully aligned with the principles of my business.
So as we wind down the end of this year (and this decade), I’ll challenge you to think about this: what do you want your work to stand for? And who can you partner with to help make this a reality?
Just some food for thought, friends.
Soundtrack: Freedom by Pharrell Williams
on finding a glimpse of it