8. That word, fierce, feels like a strange adjective to describe a three year old. Yet that’s what I see in this image. There is a directness, a bravery about her looking straight through that huge black lens and directly into my eye. It is very rare that I work with kids, or adults for that matter, who can make this connection when being photographed. When it happens, it is usually just a single frame where the self-protective layer, the ego, is stripped away and they are fully committing to being seen.

In life, we are each graced with and challenged by glimpses of bravery, fearlessness, directness and purpose. When there is that magic working in our favor and shining a clear-as-day spotlight on what is actually possible, it’s usually there for just a split second. And that’s the true test: feel it, see it, act on it, and let your self-protective layer take a back seat. Get out of your own way and the whole world will open up.