Taylor Harrison-A Humble Interaction

They say to find a mentor when learning in a new industry. Mastering your craft from the few leaders who resonate with you most. When Bravado was still just an small idea in my mind, I randomly came across my future mentor, Jasmine Star. She is a world renowned photographer and business strategist. And yes, that's her real name. That's how cool she is.

What first caught my attention was how each of her posts put you directly in the conversation, like a story with an old friend. Plus her high quality photos didn't compare to anything else I'd seen on the platform. She was real. She'd lovingly called you out on your crap, and you could tell she put her heart into everything she put out, never holding any information back.

By now you're probably asking what's the point of me gushing about my digital mentor I study on social media? Well, for 2 hours, I got to watch and help her create her business as a... wait for it... hand model! Now, let me be clear, I have no desire to hand model but, if the person you admire asks you to hand model, you hand model.

5 So Cal based hand models were selected from the her Facebook community to help her create stock photos for her subscription, Social Curator, and I was chosen.

It was my first time watching someone with such a high status do their work. She welcomed us with hugs, told us the game plan, and we got right to work. I watched the way she interacted with her team, her husband, her sister, and strangers (us hand models) and I can say she who she was in person was exactly who she said she was on social media. She allowed us all to ask her any question we'd like for 10 minutes and that interaction alone could have costed hundreds of dollars.

Unfortunately, I wasted my question. I already knew what she’d say because she had said it so many times before. I asked how to overcome being a perfectionist and to stop letting it hinder me from showing up for myself. She told me sternly, that my perfectionism was just a disguise to make excuses, that I was afraid people wouldn’t like my work, and that my idea of perfection could be the worst idea to someone else so don’t worry about them and put it out anyways. She was right and it was the truth I needed, but fear still ruled and I didn’t take action until… now. (sorry J*)

But although I was still scared, I gained hope that day. Through her work, I saw my future. One day having an amazing supportive team, being passionately on fire sharing my work, and giving back ten fold as appreciation for everything I've been given.

So although you may not be able to meet your favorite author, blogger, artist, or entrepreneur at this moment, be motivated by the fact you will one day impact lives they way they impacted yours and, if you can, get in the room with them. Even if its just as a hand model.