This is the third and final installment of my Aspire > Perspire > Inspire creative journey blog series – Inspire!.
So you had your doable Dream (Aspire), you got out of bed and transformed your Dream into Your Reality (Perspire). You dispensed blood, sweat, toil and tears to reach your Summit of Creativity.
Now you’re hob-nobbing with the fellow Best of Class in your chosen field of expertise. You’re enjoying the view of the spectacular valley below, the air is fresh and unpolluted, the water from the upper spring is uncontaminated. The congregation at the Summit are fun, talented and intelligent.
My Heartiest Congratulations to you!
Now what’s next? Starting to feel bored?
I got News for you.
You cannot stay too long at the Summit, It’s time to go back down to the Valley Village where you came from. To impart whatever skills and insights that you have already acquired, to others.
Pay It Forward. Enrich Other Aspiring Artists. Build on your Legacy.
Which brings your Creative Journey now to the Inspire phase.
Your New Mantra – Help Others Reach THEIR Summits!
This is the fun and gratifying phase of your Life Journey.
Once I joked with an A-List Legend that he’s managed to stay alive long enough to enjoy his Ultimate Harvest – receiving Life-Time Achievement Awards that are bestowed on him from various corporate institutions from around the world.
You don’t need a life-time achievement award to be happy but witnessing other aspiring artists or photographers being enriched by your advice or mentorship is a soul-rewarding gesture.
It’s no longer about You, it’s about Them.
The following are a few examples in which I’m giving my time and expertise to Others and having FUN along the way.
Yes folks, it’s NO LONGER about ME at this stage in my Life Journey.
Me giving a Talk at a local Young Leaders Conference (above image). No podium to hide behind. Nice.
Me and the excited members of my alma mater’s Photography Club (above image). What a fun session with the talented kids.
Interviewed for my views on my rock photography journey thus far (above image).
Interviewed by Canon at their headquarters for my views on how Canon cameras and lenses played a crucial role on my rock photography journey (above image).
Me signing posters at a leadership talk for school student leaders (above image).
I photographed portraits and presented specially made “I’m Super Special / I’m A Superhero” flight tags to my Super Buddies at a Health Fitness event organised by Chung Tze Khit (above image).
Read my “Innocence” blog for more details on this fabulous event.
My “I’m Super Special / I’m A Superhero” flight tags were also presented to my Buddies from Association For Persons with Special Needs (ASPN) for their fun Canon’s annual ASPN Photography Event. The greeting cards were kindly thought of and assembled by Canon (above image).
I gave a rock photography dinner talk to six winners from a photo contest kindly organised by Canon at the Hard Rock Cafe (above image). Besides a fun hang-out dinner session, each winner was presented with my rock photography book and gifts sponsored by Canon.
I gave and hosted a rock photography talk to six winners to my reclusive invite-only studio via a photo contest kindly organised by Canon (above and below images). Besides a fun hang-out studio session, each winner was presented with my rock photography book and gifts sponsored by Canon.
My buddies from the Star Wars 501st Garrison from around the world posing in front of my picture wall (with plaque) at the Hard Rock Cafe (above image). They flew in for Dom and Kim’s (stooping happy couple in front) wedding celebrations.
I was one of the Official Photographers for the Music portion of 50th Anniversary of Singapore’s Independence Day celebrations (above image). I’m proud to have my image of our founding Father of modern metropolitan Singapore, Mr. Lee Kuan Yew, featured the next day in the leading local newspaper.
I was honoured to be asked by Canon to be a Judge for their 2017 spectacular annual Photo Marathon event (above image).
I was Vice President for 18 years for a local fun organisation that promotes the love, attention, care and having of children called I Love Children. I would often be asked to be a Judge for kids photography contests and giving out prizes to contest winners and their proud parents (above image).
Nothing like hanging out with legendary fellow rock photographers – 1) Chris Stein at my home (above image).
Chris Stein also graciously visited my solo rock photography exhibition in New York City (above image).
Nothing like hanging out with legendary fellow rock photographers – 2) Annie Leibovitz in Brooklyn, USA (above image).
Nothing like hanging out with legendary fellow rock photographers – 3) Bob Gruen who graciously visited my solo rock photography exhibition in New York City (above image).
Me explaining the merits of a Slipknot concert to a patient Buddhist Monk (above image).
Me discussing with Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam on the forty years spent in the making of my ACCESS rock photography book (which I presented him a copy) and on the global impact of David Bowie’s music in which we were both featured in a leading newspaper article on David Bowie’s sudden and sad passing (above image).
The Journey of Life is all the more fun and satisfying when you realise the act of selfless Giving benefits more the Giver than the Receiver in spiritual, emotional or materialistic terms.
When you enrich others, you will, in turn, be enriched many fold.
When you teach, you learn.
To Teachers out there, Happy Belated Teachers Day!
(Do read my next “Abraham Maslow’s Missing 6th Level of Needs” blog as it has relevance to this “Inspire” blog).
