Light: When bloggers find the perfect selfie light and their own inner light

After every SC meet up I give that group of ladies a name either from the theme or something memorable at the meet up. This group I dubbed “Selfie Light Finders” as the lighting at Harlowe MXM was just blogger perrrrrrrfect! Go try it…and grab some brunch too!

Our meet up, hosted by Harlowe MXM, was amazing. The energy, the ambiance, the food, the conversation, the staff, the view. I can keep adding to that list too. We started off at their rooftop where the view of Dallas was incredible! There were pockets of spirited conversation everywhere from different patrons and I could seriously just sit, and people watch and soak up all the good energy. Though we eventually moved downstairs, the lively conversation continued.

Thinking of finding the perfect selfie light though and how obsessed we are with the right lighting and bright pictures, I think of finding and shining our own internal lights and finding light in others. Instagram friendships are great and all. What’s awesome however is how we build these friendships in real life – by sharing our light and finding the light in others.

This was so evident at our meet up. Typically, I have a packed agenda for the ladies, but this meet up we went agenda free and organic. As I looked at the ladies interacting with each other I smiled as despite our differences, some of us not having met each other before that day, I saw commonality. `It’s funny the things that stick with you. Reflecting on this meet up two things in particular stood out to me. They made me consider the traits we all need to find and reflect light. Not just the perfect selfie light, but our own lights.

Trust and Transparency:

While nibbling on Harlowe’s chipotle maple chicken sausage and house pickled eggs we laughed and chatted about everything from degrees to goals. By the way their bread is DEEEEELICIOUS and if you’re a chicken cordon blue fan get their chicken and waffles! But I digress…. back to trust…

There was a really stirring moment at the meet up when one of the ladies shared a story of online bullying. I could tell that it affected her as her eyes got teary. I marveled at the fact that she trusted us, strangers for the most part, to share her story with us. With social media it’s easy to put up these facades with perfect pictures and captions. We spend all day crafting the right captions and taking a million shots to only use that perfect shot on Instagram.  The truth is though behind that perfect still shot is an individual with imperfections, hang ups, feelings, goals and dreams beyond that still.  It’s easy to zip through our feeds with blinders on focused only on our own agendas. How beautiful would it be if we paused to reach out – with no ulterior motive than to share our light with someone.

Light– Give more than you take:

At the meet up, I shared that I was shopping for a car. I had barely finished sharing when one of the ladies rattled off 5 different vehicles and prices that she knew of that were on sale and offered up her husband as a source of information. The willingness to help warmed my heart.   In a world of me, me me, it’s refreshing to find different.  I’m always disturbed by individuals who are quick to take, to ask for help, ask for information and insight, yet they fail to reciprocate. Give more than you take!  As bloggers we all want to grow our audience, collaborate more with brands, and perhaps turn our blogging into a side business. If for one moment however, we forgot about our agenda and help someone else with their agenda we’d be amazed at the results. So, let’s not ignore that DM asking us for collaboration tips or best locations for a shoot. Added to that, this is not limited to relationships with our followers or other bloggers but can extend to our collaborations. The next time a brand requires an Instagram post, throw in an Instastory post, a tweet and even a blog too. Give more than you take.

Thank you Harlowe MXM for the great food and the perfect selfie light. Thank you too for being the breeding ground for this introspection.

All Photography By Monica Woods of @MonniLynnImages.