Community leadership is more important than ever. When hope is in short supply, and despair is being readily engineered and hoisted upon us, we depend on our leaders to shine a light on the path forward.
So I'm so glad that Zhou, Tong, Rose and Jessica, organizers of Leadership Lab at Portland State University's Center for Women's Leadership, reached out to me to create headshots for their most recent cohort.
It filled my heart to meet these young leaders in arts, sciences and research who are doing the hard work of putting one foot in front of the other, and setting an example for their peers.
This is the very heart of human centric media production — showcasing the light in others. It's spiritual work and community building, at the same time.
Here's what Rose shared about our collaboration:
"Recently had the pleasure to have Nick Mendez and their brilliant photo skills on a project highlighting and supporting emerging leaders in STEM. I need to share that the photo work Nick created for these fine humans continues to inspire everyone involved. Nick's work is a colorful example of the abundance of color and joy that makes up the human experience. The photos created reflect this perspective so perfectly. Having previously ran a global photo & video production company for many years, I can say with deep honesty and much respect that Nick's talent and care for the person in front of the lens is worth every dollar they charge, 10000%."
People think that good portraits and headshots are just about beauty, but that's not the case. They capture energy. Rapport. They reflect the relationships we build together, even briefly.
We all have a destiny to fulfill and when I'm very lucky, I get to glimpse it in others before they fully see it themselves. It's always easier to see someone else's path to success than your own. It's part of why community is so important in the first place.
