Ronan (2:27)

What's crazy for you, Steve?

Steve (2:28)

Well, the world is. Is crazy right now at the moment. Even though we're not American, we still feel the effects of. We still feel the effects of the craziness. But it's. You're right, for whatever reason, human beings seem to be wired to remember all the negative things and to throw petrol on all of the negative things. Let's hope we still have petrol. Shouldn't be wasting it right now.

Janine (2:56)

Speaking of negative things.

Steve (2:58)

Ye. So it's really difficult not to get in that mindset. And I know we've been through global financial crisis, we've been through a whole lot of things and a lot of people gave up. But it's those times when there's a lot of people looking for something that is going to uplift them and they're looking for something that's going to make them feel better, to help them heal a little bit and separate themselves from what the external world is, seems to be impacting on them. And I think that's what places what we do as difference makers at an even, I suppose, greater need for everybody. Because when the world is crazy, people are looking for that escape, people are looking to find some joy. And as difference makers, that's what we do. We help people focus on what they have to celebrate and there always is something that we have that we can celebrate. We just need to focus on that. So I think it increases a demand and we're seeing it like we see it all the time, in that the members that really are positive and do believe in finding something amazing in somebody are doing better than ever. And the ones that are stuck in the doom and gloom seem to be the ones that are struggling. So we tend to manifest what we see and we filter out what we're not focused on. And so it's really important to control your mindset and to really know that right now people are looking for exactly what we're doing. They're looking for that escape, they're looking for some joy and that's what we do as difference makers.

Ronan (4:52)

So, Geno, that was a long crazy world from Steve. What's your interpretation of the crazy world right now?

Jonathan (5:00)

I don't pay attention to it because I can't control it. I firmly believe that any of your outputs are a result of your inputs and that you control what you can input to something and that's going to generate an Output and you are solely responsible for. Wow, that's a massive bumblebee that just flew in and is flying right next to me.

Ronan (5:22)

Hello, Mr. B.

Janine (5:23)

Be nice to the bumblebee. We need them in this world.

Jonathan (5:26)

He is huge. Literally ginormous. Hello.

Steve (5:28)

He's making honey for you. So bumblebee aside, we're not seeing bumblebee, we're seeing honey. That's what we're seeing. Sweet honey.

Jonathan (5:41)

Yeah, as long as he stays over there, he'll be okay. He's not on camera yet anyway, so the. Gosh, she or he is huge. Anyway, he might make an appearance in a minute on the camera, but this is not really good timing, is it?

Ronan (5:56)

All right, we let Jonathan deal with the bee and figure out the bee and just never kill a bee. Jono, it's not like a wasp. Okay? You can kill the wasp, but don't kill the bee.

Jonathan (6:04)

I know, I'm gonna help him back outside.

Ronan (6:06)

I'm gonna help him back outside. Probably a queen bee. If it's a big bee, she's looking

Steve (6:10)

for a new nest.

Ronan (6:11)

Like, I can understand how the craziness in life can get into your head. Like, we all go there on occasion, but as Janine and Jonathan, you said, Steve, like we can only control what we can control. And the important thing is that being aware of that and being aware of your purpose and your why helps you recenter. Right? And get away from that craziness and say, as you said, Steve, people, you know, people need us now more than ever. And this reminds me of probably a podcast we had during COVID where we were saying exactly the same thing, but no, they do. And people get distracted. And I know you said something many times, Steve, which was, you know, we're the most connected society through social media and all that, and yet we're the loneliest society, you know. So I think it's really, really important as difference maker photographers to understand who already understand that it's not about the photography, it's. It's about how we can help people feel a certain way and rediscover something that maybe they've lost about themselves or reconnect as a family and all that. So, you know, it's, it's difficult with all the media that's thrown at us, both on social media and the mainstream TV and the mainstream radio. But often what we forget is that they dramatize everything because that's how they earn their money. Because drama attracts the eyes of us mere humans. You know, that old, that old, old Do I, do I Do I flight or do I fight? You know, in our. In. In our brain sort of takes over when on occasion and the media just play into that time and time and time and time and time and time again. And I'm not saying there's not awful things happening in the world. I'm not saying that there's not risks, as you said, Steve, from financial Armageddon that some people dramatize to, to war, to fuel prices going up to, you name it, you know, but when you truly, truly, truly, truly have a purpose and you truly believe that your role on this planet is to help others, that. That helps you just reframe, you know,

Steve (8:33)

it's so easy to get drawn into the drama. You know, it's like bees to honey, isn't it? Pardon the pun, Jono, wherever you are. But it's those times when we crave for family and we crave for connection. And it's when we are challenged in life that we need to feel more connected. Not, I feel as though, and you said it before, and you know, we are the most socially connected generation of all time. We're the most photograph photographed generation of all time. And yet we are the most emotionally disconnected, I would say, generation of all time and the loneliest. And people are craving for what we do, which is create connection and help people rediscover that magic again. Because it's really hard when there's so much thrown at you, really.

Ronan (9:29)

Janine, Jonathan told us how he deals with all the negativity and that he doesn't listen to it because he believes your outputs are your inputs. Right. So how do you deal with it?

Janine (9:40)

I do listen to it because I am talking with clients and people all the time. And I don't want to sound uninformed because I'm in the world every day. Right. And so I also like to keep up with it because I like to have ways of reframing it because I have clients who come in and they, like Steve said, like to focus on the drama. And so I always had to be prepared on how to reframe it. Cause I always want to reframe what's happening. Um, and, you know, we photograph children. And so I want, like the, the parents need to focus on the fact that their child's turning one. It doesn't matter what's happening overseas or in politics and things like that. Like, our focus needs to be on this joyous celebration that we're doing for your baby right now. So I do pay attention to that. And I, I enjoy world news But I, I, I pay attention so I can have intelligent conversations with my clients and other people around me, but then also to be able to pair in my head how I'm going to reframe to the positive and still focus on the celebrations at hand that we're doing and the stories that we're telling for clients. I mean, a great example, like, even if you look back at this is, I don't know if I told this story in a podcast or not, but, like, we photograph a lot of first communion portraits, right? And so recently I've told online the story of my dad. I still have his first communion portrait, which was taken during the Depression, you know, so, I mean, we, things might be bad now, but they weren't as bad. I mean, I know every generation will say it's worse than it was before or whatever, but, I mean, it was the Great Depression. An Irish immigrant family, seven children in Brooklyn, no money, nothing. They thought the world was ending. And they still took the time to celebrate a religious milestone for their child, all seven of them, as a matter of fact, throughout the different times. But my dad. And they had the portraits made, and we have that today. You know, my dad has since passed, but I still have his first communion portrait. And it's one of two photos of him as a child. And so even when things were dull and grim back then, thank God my grandparents celebrated his First Communion and gave us that gift, all these generations later of that portrait. And why wouldn't we do that for our children, too? Like, the world can be going crazy around us, but what was happening with us individually, our lives still need to be recognized and remembered for the future,

Ronan (12:05)

and it allowed them to connect as a family. Right. I'm sure there was a celebration in that First Communion, and they, they celebrated in their way, and they all connected and they all celebrated together. And, you know, it's, it's down to what Steve talks about, too, in the, in the legacy thing, you know, that the parents, especially Catholic parents, I'm sure it happens with every parents, but, you know, the First Communion is a big thing for Catholics. You know, it's a way for family to come together and celebrate this sort of passing in time for the child when they're at that stage and then they have their confirmation and, you know, so it's, it is, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's a big milestone in. And every family or person or culture, they have their own milestones, right? So, so, and, and those milestones are always centered around celebration of those that we love and celebrating with those we love, you know, and they're really important

Janine (13:01)

things, and they don't stop just because the world is crazy and bad things are happening.

Ronan (13:05)

Nor should they. Nor should they.

Steve (13:08)

But I think it comes down to, you know, what you're talking about before your home is your sanctuary. It's that place where. That safe place where the rest of the world doesn't matter. And I think when we bring some joy in and we find that joy, and even though there is a great depression, you choose to celebrate that milestone with your family, it builds that protection, I suppose, or sanctuary. Because what's happening inside the home, what's happening in that immediate. What's happening to the immediate family can be separate, separated. And if we can inject more joy, more connection within the sanctuary of the home, that's why people want to display their artwork. That's why that is so important to you, Janine, because it's an anchor. It brings you back to your dad. It brings you back to those times of celebration. It gives. Brings you back to the strength that that family had and showed to come to a new country and against everything, still pay to keep those memories alive for people like you, the future generation. And so I think, you know, as the world gets crazier, we need to protect what's happening within our immediate family and that bubble that we're creating, because otherwise we just get swallowed up by whatever's happening in the world, really. And I think that that's part of what we do is to reinforce all those things that people have to celebrate and help them look for those things that they want to celebrate, and then that's preserved, not just for them, but for future generations. It's inspiring.

Ronan (14:58)

So what I'm hearing is this craziness is actually an opportunity. So can we talk about how do I position my difference maker photography business for the opportunity?

Steve (15:12)

Well, you really understand what you want to do for other people. And I think any business needs to find a solution to a problem, right? We need to always have a solution for a problem because without that solution, then we can't help other people, we can't lift other people. And when we do that, that's when we get rewarded. So it's all about understanding the problem and finding a solution for that. And we know that the world is always going to be crazy. It just has different levels of craziness and whether that impacts certain people more than. There's always going to be a certain number of people where, yes, they're Aware of the crazy world, but their small world of their family is protected and we don't need a lot of clients to have a successful business. If you think about how many people there are in the world, we need a very few. But there are many photographers in the world and we can, one at a time, each of us, if we all did our little bit to find some joy, find a solution for somebody, know our purpose, know our why, understand that what we're really doing is bringing people together and helping people reconnect with themselves and with those emotions that they desperately want to feel again, because most people, a lot of people are lost. And so we just need to guide them to help them find that special thing about who they are, find their magic again. And so I think that's the solution from where I stand. You have to know what's going on in the world. You can't just ignore it because you have to be aware of the challenges people are having to be able to relate to them and to be able to find the solution for them. And often they're the objections they're going to throw at you at some point during the journey. And so if you're unaware of them, you can't pre plan, you can't pre empt how you're going to help them through those objections. And it's not about countering them or dealing with them. It's about how can we help them through those objections that we know they're going to have. How can we build that into

Janine (17:44)

how

Steve (17:44)

we care about someone? So then that way it's already addressed even before they bring it up. So I think it's important to pay attention to what's happening in the external world and to know about it. Because our job is to find solutions. How do we find solutions for, you know, that family that wants to build a legacy? How do we find solutions for that woman that wants to celebrate herself? How do we find solutions for a family who has been given the gift of a child and wants to celebrate that in this crazy world? Again, a long winded answer.

Janine (18:21)

Those are the best, Steve.

Ronan (18:22)

So Jono, did that bee just buzz off then?

Jonathan (18:26)

No, but we rescued the bee. He or she got out into the wild again. So I'm very happy about that.

Ronan (18:32)

I love my honey. So I'm glad that you rescued the bee. Thank you for rescuing the bee.

Jonathan (18:36)

Well, bees are very important so, you know, we gotta save the bees.

Janine (18:40)

Without the bees, we don't exist.

Ronan (18:42)

That is true, very true. So Janine, I'm really curious, so you Have a team, right at Cloud 9 Studios. So how do you protect the wrong word, but how do you encourage your team to be aware of the drama but ignore it and deliver for the client?

Janine (18:57)

That's a really good question, Ronan. And for. For us, it's. Every team member is a little bit different. So one of my team members, she is. I know you guys think I'm positive, but she is, like, the most positive person you will ever meet in your life. Like, she is, like, full, like, the energy that comes out of her, she's like a walking bottle of caffeine. And. And she's very positive all the time. And so she's very easy to keep positive. She's like our little engine that could at the studio. And she walks around and she helps keep everybody positive. I think it's important to have people like that in your team. And so that's fantastic. She actually takes feedback really well and. And she. She uses her emotions in a good way. Um, I have another team member, and she is also very positive, too, but she always needs a little bit of reframing sometimes, right? And then I have, I don't know, different people doing different things. So we. Every morning we have a team meeting when we're all here together. We're not all here together. I still meet with whoever is here after we finish our morning meeting, of course. Uh, so they do have to work for a little bit on their own until I end our morning meeting and get on with them. But we sit together, we talk about the day, and we put it in the context of our clients that are coming in. And so what can we do to make a difference in their life today and really take the focus off of ourselves? Because we all have stuff going on in our lives, right? We all do. I mean, it's just. And it's so easy to sit around the water cooler, as they say. I don't know if they say that over there, but, like, the water cooler talk and get on about our family and all the stuff happening. And my gosh, did you hear so and so said this on the news? And, you know, and while. And actually sometimes we do do it a few minutes, right? Get it out of our system. Like, all right, now let's get on. What are we going to talk about today? Whose life are we going to change and make a difference today? And it's funny, once you start taking the focus off of yourself and off of the things you can control and onto the things that you can control, it makes a huge difference. Do we have all the candy ready? Do we have the cookies ready? Do we have the notes for the two sessions coming in to know what mom said about her child and how can we make that child feel even more special? And so we are very lucky. We're very blessed in the jobs that we have, you know, because we are working and we are making a difference for our clients every single day. I mean, what a blessing. There are so many jobs in this world I would not want to have. This is the one I want to have. Because every day is a happy day and we are working in happy times with our clients in the studio. And so that's what we focus on every day together as a team. And the joy of the people that are walking in and how we can make a difference for them. It's a true joy, what we have. I think we are the luckiest people on the planet with the profession that we have chosen to be able to do this for people. It's such a gift. And I think more photographers need to realize that and think about that. It is a privilege. And not because I think so many photographers feel it's a privilege because they get to do their art right. And you hear a lot of people talk about that. And while that is nice and you get to make a living doing what you love, I think you need to take the focus from being off of you and onto the difference that you're making with your client. And that is when you do for others, that's where the real joy comes. It's my opinion anyways.

Ronan (22:17)

And that's where the true value also results from. Right?

Steve (22:21)

So the client's booking their experience, they're booking a time for them. And you know when you are having that team meeting and you are asking everybody, how do we go the extra mile? It's about that client's experience. And so we have to put our mind on what can we do for them, how can we make them the hero, how do we make them feel great about this experience? Because they've booked and paid for their experience. Not our need to take an award winning voter or our need to whatever that is for you. It's their experience and it's showtime. It's almost like, you know, no matter what's happening in the background, the show that's on the. It's like what you talked about in another podcast. There's on stage and backstage and we're on stage when we're with clients and it's showtime and it's up to us to guide them and entertain them. And make them the center of the world.

Ronan (23:15)

So Jonathan, for those listeners who are not yet in difference maker revolution, right, but want to sign up to the principle that in these crazy times we don't want to survive, let's join the difference makers and thrive. What do I need to do?

Jonathan (23:32)

Step one, get off your arse from social media, blaming everyone else for all of your woes in life. And step two, realize that you are in control of your destiny. And step three, click the Apply now button below and apply to join the inner circle. And step four, finally take control of your inputs and as a result control those outputs. Because you are in control. You can do it. But you need to realize that you are responsible for your results. You are ultimately responsible for your results. We will help you to get those results. But you gotta take action. You gotta do it. And sitting there listening to this podcast, if you, you have two choices. You can continue to just sit there and listen and do nothing and be in no control of your results, or you can take action and finally be in control of your results. So get inside the inner circle. Apply now.

Steve (24:33)

Bye bye bye everyone.