“Vulnerability is refusing to allow the fear of shame to bully us into how we show up for ourselves, those we love and most importantly those we do not understand.”

~Kirsten Lewis

PART CONFERENCE. PART WORKSHOP. PART COLLEGE CLASS ON STEROIDS.

This is it! 2024 is the year I honor this incredibly fortunate life I have lived for the last 10+ years. This is the year I choose me, my family and my camera with absolutely no regrets, no guarantees and a whole lot of fear. Immeasurable fear. This is the year I’m giving the public all I’ve got before I take a hard left in a completely different direction and leave it all behind.

My very first Creative Live class premiered August 7th 2014. I was SURE there would only be about 11 people watching. My mouth dropped when my producer informed me over 10k people were preregistered to watch live. As we approach almost a decade since my life changed forever, I realized that I have never hosted an experience like CL structured with keynotes but gives participants the opportunity to ask any and all questions as well as engage with one another in some small group activities. Well, I’m finally doing it. Better late than never!

Three cities, three continents, three chances.

This is THE LAST CALL.

All The Details

THE LAST CALL is a large group format interactive educational experience. Each section will be presented with structured keynotes as well as room scheduled in for Q&A with various small group discussion break-outs throughout the day. Kirsten will be inviting guests throughout the program to give additional feedback and perspectives on stage and during the breaks as well. There is an additional day built in for 4 hour small group hands-on learning. Kirsten will be offering 2 sections as well as others. That programming will be announced in the next few weeks.

REGISTRATION INCLUDES:

Full 2 Days Of Learning
3 free entries to the photo competition
unlimited coffee, tea & other non alcoholic beverages
all day snacks including diary and gluten free options
a recorded copy of the entire event
an option to add on an additional 1/2 day of hands on learning with Kirsten or others/TBD

“Wow, this woman is so deep and so real. I love her truth and the truth she teaches. I knew but didn't quite realize or understand I guess, just HOW IMPORTANT our craft is to others 'til now.”

~ Abbigirl

Kirsten is an extremely talented photographer. She is not only authentic and honest in the way she captures and edits pictures but she is also in her way of teaching.”

~Patrizia

SCHEDULE

DAY 1:

9-12pm  //  THE DIVINE TRILOGY

                   An homage to the Photo Gods in 3 Parts

Light, Composition & Moment

While we strive to perfect all 3 in one picture, the truth is we are lucky if we can deliver 2 components well in a single frame. That being said, it is imperative that you not only practice to achieve competency and consistency in each important area of photography but that you understand HOW you are using each dependent on WHAT you are trying to communicate.

In this 3 hour presentation Kirsten will deconstruct light, composition and moment through both practical and emotional lenses. She will compare and contrast the duality that must coexist between the individual photographer and the craft of photography when striving to be a strong visual storyteller.

Through case studies, in-the-field videos, keynote take aways and a Q&A, you will have a much different set of tools to take home with you to apply in the field moving forward.

12-1:15pm <lunch break>

1:30-3:30 pm // IMA STREAKER WITH A CAMERA

                         It’s Not About How, It’s About Why

DAY IN THE LIFE SESSIONS

Kirsten has now photographed over 200 FULL Day In The Life sessions around the world since embarking on this alternative to the family portrait and teaching her approach on Creative Live. She will review tips and suggestions she made early on in her teaching career and challenge each of those by simply asking the question “BUT WHY?” She will reference full day sessions she’s delivered in the past to illustrate why the WHY is so important and help guide attendees to create their own road maps to more personal, emotional, powerful storytelling.

3:30-4:00 pm // BREAK

4:00 pm - 5:30 pm // IT’S QUITE DARK IN A WINDOWLESS BOX

                                     Expanding your mindset on what a visual storytelling business is.

LIFE EVENT PHOTOGRAPHY

Kirsten’s classes on Creative Live have been collectively viewed over a million times. She has worked with thousands of photographers through conferences and workshops and upwards of 300 students through long term mentoring programs. She has witnessed incredible overlap in photographer’s stories of success and perceived failure in securing a steady revenue stream.  In this 90 minute program Kirsten will open your eyes to what is possible when it comes to making a living as a documentary photographer. She will provide practical, applicable systems to weave into your business to increase income sources and keep you inspired by providing more variety to your business.

5:30-6:00 pm // BREAK

6:00 pm - 7:30 pm // THEY SAY NO ONE IS HARDER ON YOU, THAN YOU. WELLLLLLLL….

  Confronting some of the harshest critiques I’ve received over the years.

THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE REALLY FUCKING UGLY

“Vulnerability is the act of stepping towards fear, rather than fleeing it. Vulnerability is wrapping your arms around the container of rejection, welcoming failure and forgiving pain and hurt fully. Vulnerability refusing to allow shame to deter how we show up for ourselves, those we love and those we do not understand.” ~kirsten

In a first, and maybe last, public appearance Kirsten will share the hardest reviews, feedback and unsolicited social media posts she’s been on the the receiving end of for the last decade.  She will reflect on how she has navigated super hard-to-hear commentary and chosen grace, empathy and forgiveness while ever evolving and growing even when things have been incredibly uncomfortable. She will unpack how to see truths of other perspectives while embracing the word AND.

This 90 minutes will address the internal battles all creatives and artists face: feeling of inferiority and insignificance, imposter syndrome, the crippling act of comparison, the impact of rejection and fear of “selling out.” Kirsten will share how 24 months of intense, deep personal work has improved her overall physical and emotional health opening the doors to much more financial wealth and possibility.

This program will include a panel of creatives who will also share in the conversation and will be open to questions in the later 30 minutes of discussion.

DAY 2:

9-10am  //  2-4-6-8 LIKE SWIFTIES, BUT WAAAAAAY BETTER!

                   It’s the cheerleaders who will continue to impact your success.

Networking For Longevity

“According to Dane Sanders, 60 percent of photographers give up their business in the first year. Of the remaining 40 percent, another 25 percent will fail by the second year. The remaining 15 percent are the ones who endure through the third year. That's an 85 percent turnover rate!”

Kirsten opened her photography business in 2002. It’s never been a Google search, a 1/2 page magazine ad or booth at the local wedding expo that has secured Kirsten’s success in business. Every decision she’s made has been intentional and with integrity, even if the result was not ideal. They have not always been successful. They have sometimes been impulsive and occasionally absolute dumpster fires. However, she has always focused on the long game, being innovative and memorable. Most importantly he has prioritized honest, symbiotic relationships above anything else when it comes to business and believes that has what has continued to allow her to make pictures for a living. She believes that creative, genuine, direct marketing is the key to longevity.

This hour will include a lot of take-away information, so be sure to take a lot of notes.

10-10:15pm <break>

10:30-12pm  //  IS THIS THING ON?

                   It’s called social media for a reason, photography is not part of the algorithm.

Get Onboard or Get Off The Boat. A Crash Course on How To Affectively Use Social Media

“It should come as no surprise that we are currently living in a digital era. Those who are not embracing being online—whether as a consumer, socially, as a business or as an employer—are rapidly becoming forgotten. The most-used aspect of this digital life has become social media. If you have a business and are not building your brand and marketing on social media, you are choosing to get left behind.” ~Forbes, 2022

Instagram. Facebook. Tiktok. Linked In. Pinterest.

Let’s do it.

This is another very heady, possibly boring, tips & tricks rooted 90 minutes built to have you better prepared to start leveraging what will prove to be your most affective indirect marketing.

12-1:15pm <lunch break>

1:30-2:30 pm // I’M NOT THAT WOO. . .

                       I mean I am, but not like WOOOOOO. More like wOo, with a dash of whoa, wow and whoopsie poo!

BUCKING WESTERN CULTURE IN BUSINESS AND LIFE

Elizabeth Gilbert’s BIG MAGIC was a life changing book for Kirsten. It’s opened up the possibility that creative ideas are not simply formulated thoughts that reside permanently in the brain. On the contrary, we are the vessels from which art is “birthed”. Our ideas wonder around, above us, just waiting to come to life. If we wait too long, they will seek other artists to breathe life into them. They WANT to exist. They NEED to exist. They DESERVE to exist.

The Enneagram. Human design. Manifestation. Big Magic. We will chat about how the power of the mind and mindset impact how we can create our own destiny!

2:30-2:45pm <break>

2:45pm-4:00pm // LIVE PHOTO COMP

                                   Let’s celebrate your work!

A MULTI CATEGORY LIVE PHOTO COMPETITION WITH PRIZES

A panel of photographers will narrow down a collection of photographs in 3 categories to 1st, 2nd and 3rd.

4:00pm-4:15pm <break>

4:15pm - 6:15pm // YOU SAY IT BETTER THAN I EVER COULD

                                   Just take all my money. And leave the Kleenex.

MULTIMEDIA

HOW NARRATION, MUSIC and EVEN VIDEO CAN ELEVATE YOUR STORYTELLING

For the last 5 years Kirsten has been integrating multidimensional elements into her storytelling to create a more impactful experience for the viewer. From family sessions to non profits to now large commercial clients, it is clear that adding this skillset to your toolbox can help to increase your sales but also land more commissions within the commercial space.

6:15-6:30pm <break>

6:30pm - 7:30pm // ME, MYSELF & I

                                   How to rely on yourself to keep yourself inspired.

PERSONAL PROJECTS

What kind of relationship do you have with your camera? Is it exclusive? Is it safe? Is it potentially toxic and hurtful? Do you feel joy and excitement when thinking about it in your hands or do you experience a wave of resentment boil up right underneath your skin? For Kirsten, the camera is simply a tool she uses to express how she feels about life. The camera is what she uses to communicate with those she may never have the privilege of engaging in dialogue with. The camera has been a bridge between her past challenges and her future resolutions. It’s been a passport to travel to new cultures and connect with new people every single day. Most importantly her camera has been her compass, a consistent path forward that she trusts unconditionally.

In the last 60 minutes of a full 2 days of content, education, entertainment and inspiration, Kirsten will close the event with a discussion around personal projects and the importance of returning back to yourself for inspiration. She will share not only some of her work but that of her past students as well. She will share how she has used photography to heal trauma and support others through theirs. Finally, she will provide some exercises and advice on how to find projects and execute them from ideation to conception, creation to exhibition.