the documented heart mentorship

Join me for 365 days of photo-taking, courage-making, life-creating exploration.

Noticing is an act of love.

Even when we don’t see it, our lives are rich with the great fullness of our humanity. The practice of noticing, of appreciating, of attuning ourselves to the great bounty of our experience teaches us just how much there is to see and feel in any moment. To document our lives daily is to tell the vast bountiful truth of who we are and who we are becoming by what we pay attention to, no matter how insignificant it might feel at the time. The heart of your story lies in how you see it and how you’re moved by it, one frame, one day at a time. That’s how a life is built, after all.

Welcome to the Documented Heart.

WHAT IS THE DOCUMENTED HEART MENTORSHIP?

The Documented Heart Mentorship is a year-long interactive coaching program, thoughtfully designed to support you in your daily journey through a 365 (photo-a-day) photography project. This is an adventure, a call to mindfulness through creativity, exploring what it means to be fully present in our lives and in turn, fully present in our work. When the year is over, you will have discovered the beauty in the work you make, and in the life you’re making.

Whether you’re a professional photographer looking for more depth and joy in your work, or a creative soul looking to document the beauty of your every day, together we’ll engage in a rich year-long conversation about truth-telling and the unfolding discovery of meaning through our photographs.

Join the project as a Study-Along for more of an independent study, or join the Guided Group for an immersive, fully supported experience. Enrollment in The Documented Heart is currently closed and will reopen for the 2022 program in December 2021.

HOW DOES THE MENTORSHIP WORK?

The Mentorship is designed to walk alongside you in your own daily 365 project, starting January 1 2021, and ending December 31.

Together, we’ll start with a deep dive into your why, helping you articulate and refine why this project matters to you. We’ll define what will ground and guide you throughout the year – all before you ever take a single photograph.

As the year kicks off, you’ll receive weekly commitment tips and mindfulness inspiration delivered right to your inbox. If you’ve joined us in the Guided Group, you’ll have the opportunity to participate in monthly one-on-one and group coaching calls with Kristyn for a chance to reflect and realign, you’ll have access to online resources and easy to use tools to support your craft and your heart, and you’ll be invited to join the monthly office hours via video call with Kristyn and the rest of the Group to talk through shared experiences.

Who is the mentorship for?

Professional Photographers

You run a full or part-time creative business, and most of your work is for other people. You have the technical skills with a camera and a whole lot of experience, but you're looking for an anchor of more in your work and your life - more depth, more joy, more meaning.

Hobbyist Photographers

You pick up a camera just for you and your loved ones - you're the archivist for your family and friends. You're looking to practice your craft and capture the beauty of the life you're witnessing every day.

Creative Humans

You take pictures on your phone, and you're always paying attention to what's unfolding around you. You're feeling the pull of documenting it all, but looking for more purpose and more meaning in the images you capture.

The beauty of a 365 is that it doesn't matter what kind of gear you have, or how much experience you have taking photos. What matters is your commitment to be present to the life that is unfolding around you with purpose and attentiveness. Are you - daily - building a life that reflects what you want to see in the frame?

Things we'll explore together

creating space for creativity through self-care
managing your mindset
living into your values
intentional truth-telling
self-compassion
mindfulness, especially with device use
making friends with challenging light
ideation + follow-through
composition + color
printing + production

What 2020 participants are saying

More than just a photography mentorship

The Documented Heart was the best decision that I made [in 2020]. Taking a photo a day not only helped me find my creative voice, but it also deepened my photography skills, while also giving me a portfolio that I’m proud of. Looking back through my years’ work, I see my growth as an artist and as a person. This project taught me to see – to see the beauty in the chaos, to see myself as an artist and to see and appreciate all of the ‘little’ moments that make life so big and grand. For me, this was more than just a photography mentorship. Kristyn’s thoughtful questions led me through a year-long exploration of getting to know myself, my family and the world around me. In short, this was a 365-day long therapy session from behind and beyond the lens and It. Was. Amazing!!!

- 2020 Guided Group Participant

Eye-opening and revealing

Kristyn’s 365 project was eye-opening. The act of taking a photo every day for a year was a challenge, but the end result was taking notice of the tiny moments around you and the myriad of feelings that surface throughout the day. I started the journey trying to perfect the craft of photography, but slowly learned that the journey was so much more important and revealing, and Kristyn’s guidance and mentorship was key as I unlocked the idea that photos don’t have to be perfect to have meaning.

- 2020 Guided Group Participant

An entire year, documented

Participating in The Documented Heart Study Along has had the most beautiful impact on the crazy year that has been 2020. When the stay-at-home orders began back in the Spring, I felt a twinge of regret for having committed to a 365 project. What would I photograph? What would even compel me to pick up my camera when life looked exactly the same day in and day out? No matter how I felt on any given day, I kept at it. While no particular image feels all that significant, watching them add up to an entire year documented has been the most wonderful insight into how life’s little moments, which often go unrecognized, are as worth remembering as the major milestones. I am so grateful to have created this record of my life. I am so grateful for Kristyn and the inspiration to take on this challenge. And whenever I needed words of encouragement, I could always count on The Documented Heart e-mails that often graced my inbox. They were always a balm for the soul, in and of themselves.

- 2020 Study Along participant

How to join me on this adventure

The Study Along

01.

Commit to capturing 1 photo a day for 365 days (shared via the accountability channel of your choice).
02.

Join a 60-minute Q+A video call in late December (2 dates will be offered) with other Study Along participants to learn how to identify your project “why”, set your creative boundaries, and ask questions about the project, its purpose, and the process.
03.

Receive a weekly email from me with inspiration and tips to help keep you going until the end of the year.
04.

Share your images on social media (if it feels right for you) with other Documented Heart participants using #thedocumentedheart365 or #thedocumentedheart.
05.

The investment for the Study Along is a $10 monthly donation for 12 months to a non-profit that aligns with your personal values (you’ll provide a receipt at the start or at year’s end).

The Guided Group Experience

01.

Commit to capturing 1 photo a day for 365 days (shared via the accountability channel of your choice).
02.

Join a 60-minute Q+A video call in late December (2 dates will be offered) with other Guided Group participants to learn how to identify your project “why”, set your creative boundaries, and ask questions about the project, its purpose, and the process.
03.

Share your images on social media (if it feels right for you) with other Documented Heart participants using #thedocumentedheart365 or #thedocumentedheart
04.

Access to the Documented Heart Member area – including the 365 Pre-Work Prep Sheet to define your personal goals, set your boundaries, clarify your priorities and values, and name your fears about embarking on your 365 photography project. New worksheets will be available each quarter to reflect and realign with your big-picture – along with lots of other goodies to cheer you on as you go.
05.

Monthly 20-minute 1-on-1 coaching calls with Kristyn to check-in about your project challenges, realign with your why, and acknowledge your evolution as the year progresses (by video, scheduled at the end of each month).
06.

Monthly group coaching calls with Kristyn for live coaching on managing your mindset, honoring your creative evolution, and growing through challenges (by video, scheduled in the middle of each month).
07.

Monthly office hours video chats (60 minutes) with Kristyn and your fellow Guided Group adventurers to share experiences, ask questions of one another, and celebrate your unfoldment together.
08.

The investment for The 2021 Guided Group Experience is $1500. A payment plan is available (12 monthly payments of $125). $50 of each Guided Group participant’s tuition will be donated to Color of Change, the nation’s largest online racial justice organization.

How it started

I’ve done this before - a photo a day for 365 days in a row. It's a commitment - for your creativity, for your schedule, and for your loved ones. I know how it feels in the moments that seem overwhelming - when it's 10 pm and you can't possibly imagine taking a photo of anything - or how it feels when our inside selves are so fearful of showing and sharing something that we know matters deeply to us. What if it’s a terrible photo? What if no one else likes it? What if I just don't take that photo at all? These are the questions I asked myself over and over during my year-long project.

But I started to think - what if I'm capturing exactly how it feels for me to be in this moment? What if my work and my art are made better because I am simply, thoroughly present to the truth of the right now, and I'm doing it for myself because I said I would? And that, my friends, is when it all changed.

My first 365 project shifted how I thought about creativity and meaning in our lives, and helped me better understand the power I have in my every day to purposefully create a life that reflects what matters to me. When I decided to commit to another 365 in 2020, I knew I had to open the way for others to experience the same thing, and the project was incredibly transformative for so many people. I’m your coach and fellow adventurer every step of the way, committed to walking alongside you while you show up for yourself, celebrating and delighting in what you uncover in every frame.

See My First 365

faqs

When does enrollment begin?

Enrollment for 2021 will open on December 17, 2020, and closes on December 31, 2020 - no exceptions. There will be a few events at the end of December for participants, so you'll want to enroll sooner rather than later! The program officially kicks off January 1.

What's the commitment?

You can choose to join me as part of the Study Along or the fully-immersed Guided Group – either way, you're committing to a finished photo every day, shared via the accountability channel of your choice. Study Alongs will have access to some of the prepared materials throughout the course of the year, but the Guided Group provides the tools, resources, structure, and support for you to dive in and make the most of your commitment to yourself.

What's the investment?

Study Alongs invest with a monthly donation of $10 to a non-profit of your choice (I'll ask to see a receipt at the end of the year so we can celebrate all the good we've done together!) Guided Group participants invest a total of $1500 for the year - which can be paid in full upfront or via 12 monthly payments of $125. $50 of each Guided Group participant's tuition will be donated to Color of Change, the nation's largest online racial justice organization.

What if I'm not a photographer?

Who decides if we're a photographer or not? That, my friend, is up to you! Whether you take photos for a living, for a side-hustle, or on your phone for fun, you are welcome here.

What if I sign up for the Guided Group and I don't like it?

If you've shown up on the prep calls, done the pre-project homework, and followed through with at least 20 out of 30 photos for the first 30 days, and had at least one coaching call...and you still don't like it, I'll refund any and all of your dinero for the remainder of the year, no questions asked.

Will there be a central place to share photos from the project with other participants?

Wait for it....nope, there won't. While there is a hashtag (2, actually - #thedocumentedheart365 and #thedocumentedheart), so much of the power in this project comes from releasing yourself from the trap of comparison that often comes with forums or social media scrolling. While it can be inspiring to look outwardly at the work of others, the real work of a daily creative project comes in relishing in what you've created and sitting with the range of feelings and thoughts that come along with it even on the days when you've "failed". I'll encourage you to share anywhere you feel comfortable sharing (with each other, on social media, with me), but there's no official communal/shared space for work created within the project.

Are you doing a 365 too?

I am indeed! I'm ready to go through this very same adventure all over again, and I'm so excited to do it alongside you. I'll be sharing my challenges, my fears, my aha moments, and occasionally some of my images with all of you as I go. It's going to get messy and real and all kinds of true, and I can't wait.

What if I'm not ready to start on January 1?

I hear you, it's just around the corner! But sometimes starting is as simple as deciding that you're going to start. You can start a 365 project any day - maybe even today! The project starts on January 1 and runs for the 365 days of 2021, and is structured to support you through the hills and valleys of the journey during that window of time. If it doesn't feel right in your bones to join me this go-round, I'll catch you next year!

What if I've tried a 365 before and failed?

Ah, the ultimate question. So many of my students come to me with this quandary, and we could talk about this one for days. The short answer? We get to decide what to make our past experiences mean and how much of that baggage and self-judgment we want to lug around with us into our lives in the present. When was the last time you showed up for yourself? What would happen if you did that every day, on repeat? Join the Guided Group and we'll dive into the topic of "failure" in a big way.