digdeep

If I am really willing to admit it, last night was a wake-up call.  Sobriety_full_pictureJimi Allen is simply an incredible photographer.  I have had the pleasure of getting to know Jimi this past year.  He is an awesome photographer (and as you get older, in the speaking business, you need an awesome photographer!!).  In sitting through a photo session with Jimi, you quickly realize that he is a master beyond photography.  He is a storyteller and he simply uses his photography to tell a person’s story.  The only thing better about Jimi, than his photography, is his heart and soul.  You combine his photography with his heart and soul and you get the Sobriety Project.  I went to check out this mobile photo gallery last night.  I went because Jimi was my friend.  I left thinking at a different level.  You see, Jimi Allen Photography has joined with others to create this incredible mobile exhibit.  ‘sobriety’ is a vision to take the sobering reality about homelessness into the community and a mission to work together affecting change. Homeless or previously homeless individuals share their stories through portraiture and documentary photography as well as audio interviews.  The stories are left raw … in their own words.  Their stories are heart-breaking … and the recovery of some fills you with hope.  I left rethinking the homeless, their stories and my perceptions … and thinking about what else I need to rethink.  Just when you think you are making some progress, you realize that life is full of "Silent Alarms" that are trying to wake you up … and challenging you not to hit the snooze button any more.  What is something you need to rethink?