Follow me on Instagram! @lizdegen and @lizdegenphoto
Follow me on Instagram!
@lizdegen and @lizdegenphoto
![Hi Instagram 👋🏻 I’m back!
I proudly present you with this #tbt to help break up your Coronavirus news 😄👍🏻 I’ve been reflecting on the amazing day I had guest speaking at @ctkphotos ’s photography class at FIT last Wednesday. I had completely downplayed the whole experience until I walked into the classroom and realized it was actually a pretty big deal for a number of reasons.
1️⃣ While I’m a professional schmoozer, I’m also embarrassingly scared of and bad at speaking in front of groups of people. What’s better than a little exposure therapy right!? 🤷🏻♀️ .
2️⃣I’ve been doing “the work” for such a long time and for the most part have only applied the knowledge stored in a random brain folder to future projects I work on. It felt good to finally take my years of experience and [for lack of a less weird phrase] sprinkle it all over a class of college students ready to start filling their own folder of knowledge.
3️⃣I had forgotten how much I enjoyed being in the art director’s chair until I was given the task to critique each students logo design concept in a discussion. 13+ years ago I was in those student chairs, waiting anxiously to hear the professor’s feedback on my project which at the time I assumed would determine my success or failure for the rest of my life. It felt equally challenging and powerful to deliver positive, uplifting, honest, and constructive criticism for each design.
4️⃣At the end of the day I remembered to truly embrace the simple fact that I was able to take this opportunity freely because I work for myself. It was an investment in my own personal growth and I was lucky enough to take a day to do something different and new without feeling any guilt or FOMO.
Walking through those halls, sharing my experiences with students, smelling the faint aroma of charcoal and oil paint in the distance, and seeing former professors was truly a blast from the past and a magnifying glass on the present all at the same time. @fitnyc gave me my best friends, my work ethic, the ability to take artistic criticism like a champ, and the power to see the potential of beauty in a blank canvas. I’m grateful for all of that and more. 💕
#gotigers 🐾 Lol](https://www.lizdegenphoto.com/wp-content/plugins/instagram-feed/img/placeholder.png)
