ANDANA: photography & personal development Review-Part 1
Have you seen this course online? Maybe through your Instagram or Facebook feed?
I had been looking for a course that would help me go deeper into myself as a person and as a photographer. Usually, you get the same courses that teach aperture, shutter speed, and ISO. You know, all the skills you need to understand the basics. But what about you as a photographer?
That was when I googled photography for personal growth. In my search, one of the websites that came up was this one.
Andana: photography and personal development.
In the workshop, you explore how to use your camera as a tool for self-discovery, personal expression, and growth. Naturally, I was like BINGO! I immediately clicked the link and explored the website. I was a little iffy because the course was originally in Spanish but was being offered in English. I automatically assumed it was dubbed over and I just closed the site.
THOSE DARN COOKIES
Those pesky cookies stepped in and I started seeing the site everywhere. What intrigued me was the reviews which I hadn’t noticed before. They were all positive! So I went back to the site and looked some more. I quickly learned that the sessions were not dubbed over. They were translated into English by a professional translator. That was all it took to sell me on it hahaha!
ABOUT THE COURSE
This course cost $50.00. With that, you get 24 sessions that contain audio recordings, music, and visual content. The sessions average about 7 minutes (give or take 5 minutes) and conclude with an exercise you complete. In total, it should take about 15 minutes to complete each lesson. The 24 sessions are divided into 3 sessions per week for about 6 weeks. Each session becomes available every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. You can complete each session at your own pace and take notes. The best part is, that you have lifetime access to the content.
Now the exercises were not mandatory. However, if you want to get the full experience of this course and your money's worth, I suggest doing all the exercises. They help you better understand the session and make you dive deeper into personal growth.
DISCLAIMER
Since the course has 24 sessions, I am breaking the review into 2 blog posts. Today I will be discussing a few sessions from the first half of the course and then a few sessions from the second half in the next blog post. Now, because it takes a lot of work to put together a comprehensive course like this one, I will not discuss every detail. What I will discuss is some content per session and my experience with the exercise.
I put the results of each session in my photography journal. The HP sprocket pocket printer was a wonderful machine for this course. I did not use my DSLR or SLR for the photos. I used my iPhone 14 Pro Max because it was easily accessible and I did most of these exercises on the go. My life is pretty chaotic hahaha! The ease of using my camera phone and printing on the go was just way too convenient.
My HP Sprocket Pocket Printer... You can read my full review HERE! <-
MY EXPERIENCE
Session 1
You begin with self-awareness. In this session, you are asking yourself difficult questions and focusing on self-reflection. Questions like Who am I? Do I wake up every morning choosing the best start to my day? You know, questions that make you go hmm… It was a short session and very straight to the point. The exercise was about your surroundings and how they represent you.
Instructions: Open your eyes to your surroundings and choose one thing to take a photo of that represents you and only you. Then ask yourself the tough questions, for example, what are my goals in life?
My results: I followed the instructions and ended up choosing a painting I did on the beach during a difficult period in my life. I was healing and the beach and hiking were my therapy. This painting is a constant reminder of my strength and perseverance during that time.
My questions: I will be honest, I had to google tough life questions to complete this exercise. They did provide a couple of example questions but I wanted to go a little deeper. We all know it is hard to come up with life questions to ask yourself. I was thorough in answering these questions, but I am going to give a very short version of my answers. So, the questions I chose were:
Am I living true to myself? This was a simple one to answer because I have been working hard to live for myself every day. This has made me a better mom and partner.
Do I give myself the best start to each day? What a way to realize that what you feel the moments you first open your eyes will define your entire day. My energy will not only define my day but also the people I love. This was such an eye-opener because I always want my boys to have the best day. I would hate to be the cause of them having a bad outlook on their day before their day even begins. Now, I make it a point to wake up 30 minutes before everyone else. I get up, make a cup of tea, and relax before the morning chaos begins. That always puts me in a cozy and happy mood.
How could I look at something I regret differently? This... Oh my..... there are only 2 things I regret in my life and I will not go into detail because this will then turn into a therapy session hahaha! I will say, that writing about one event and looking at it from a different perspective helped change my point of view. I am a better person for it.
Looking at my photo and reading the answers to my questions made this a powerful exercise for me. The photo ended up representing more than I thought it did.
Session 4: I Eat It All
Side note: Beginning session two, the sessions had titles.
Man, this was interesting. This session was about what you eat in a day. It explored how food is integrated into your life and according to Hippocrates, how important nutrition is in preventing and curing disease. They also discussed how we need to be engaging our senses while we eat and made it a point to state “You are what you eat”. For the exercise, I had to take pictures of everything I ate in one day.
Instructions: Grab your camera and document everything you eat in one day. From the moment you wake up to the time you go to bed. You are what you eat, and you need to see it all. Did you eat it all?
My results:
While printing the pictures I was like WTF! Did I eat all that? Writing about it was no walk in the park either. Especially when I realized I ate a lot of processed foods that day.
This exercise now has me watching my processed food intake. You are what you eat and that day I was a small bag of Doritos and a turkey sandwich that I had to pull the gross turkey out of because the meat was gross hahaha.
Session 7: Inventory
This session discussed important objects in our lives, their meaning, and why these objects mean that much to us. Objects can hold significant value to us but also hinder our creativity. This was a short session but held value.
Instructions: Select two objects that you have lived with for a couple of years. Identify those objects that, if lost, would deeply affect you. Rate from 0-10 how important each object is in your life and reflect on how you have enjoyed using them. Photograph and write about them.
My results:
I am not really attached to a lot of items. There are about 4 items I would be sad about if they were destroyed. That would be the remains of my pitbull Missy and the gun my step-grandfather built with his bare hands from scrap materials. Aside from those, the two items that have been a big part of my life are my 2 cameras. They have saved me more than once in a lot of ways. Looking at their pictures and writing about them made me realize how important photography is to me. How much it makes me happy and how much I enjoy telling my story through my photos. I didn't realize these cameras had such a big job. Now I am aware and I appreciate them so much more.
Session 8: The Conceptual Gaze
Beauty is one of those words that can have one definition but more than one meaning. The conceptual gaze spoke about how we define beauty in our own way. The lesson also discussed how different aspects of our lives influence our definition of beauty.
Instructions: Reflect on beauty. What does beauty mean to you? Answer the question with images. Think about it, a feeling a person, an object a scene. Decide how you want to express beauty visually. Planning is essential. Write down ideas, thoughts, and any discoveries you have made in the process.
My results:
It turns out I do not define beauty as objects or scenery. My definition of beauty is within people, their strengths, weaknesses, and how they overcame adversity. I thought I would put Big Sur because it is such a beautiful scenic place. But sitting down, thinking about it, and drawing out a web of what my definition of beauty was, that was not the case. So, how do you define beauty?
Session 10: Body Itinerary
For us to love others, we must first love ourselves. This session discussed self-love and reflection. To complete this exercise, you had to explore your body and reflect on its beauty. Our body is the only one we get. We must love it and take care of it. That includes finding the beauty in our bodies and ourselves.
Instructions: Describe your body using images. Put on music, close your eyes, and dedicate a few minutes to relax. Then, use your hands and explore your face. Feel its shapes and contours. Take the camera and explore your body. Feel and observe every line and texture of it all. Take photos that capture the strength and fluidity of your body. Reflect on how you feel when you look at each picture. Write about your experience.
My results: Well, I am not going to add pictures because I am not trying to scare anyone, hahaha! However, This exercise was a really good one. I loved how feeling all of my curves and lines made me appreciate my body so much more. Writing about it made me realize that this is the only body I have. I should treat it with respect and maybe not feed it junk food.
Session 12: Accompanied Mask
This session discussed masks and how people wear all kinds of masks to hide their true selves. Wearing makeup, doing different hairstyles, and dressing up are just some examples of the different types of masks people wear. The featured artist in this session created masks for his family and photographed them in ordinary scenarios.
Instructions: Create masks for you and your family that resemble the featured artist's masks. Photograph them doing ordinary things. At the end of the day, check your photos and see what you find.
I will have to update this post with the pictures, as this exercise will take some time. I am looking forward to the experience. It looks like a lot of fun and a great bonding activity.
SO FAR...
So far, this course has paid for itself. I have enjoyed every single exercise, and it has opened my eyes to things about myself I have never really thought of before. My attachment to certain objects and how, slowing down and just breathing, you can see things in a whole new way.
One thing I do like is that you get lifetime access to the content of this course. I am a huge note-taker, so the fact that I can go back, look at my notes, and listen to the content again is really nice. It is also nice to have if, in the future, I want to redo one of the exercises and compare my results, the content will always be there.
I am not a fan of how short the lessons are and how fast the reader speaks. I end up having to rewind a lot just to understand what the reader is saying. The length of the lessons could be a little longer. Maybe emphasize more on how we can conduct our exercises and connect them to the content.
I am looking forward to the second half of the course! If you like what you are reading and have some interest, I would sign up. HERE<- If the rest of this course is a lot like the first half. I may sign up for more courses they offer.
Have you taken this course? What was your experience? Comment below, and let’s compare our experiences! If you haven’t taken the course or are on the fence, leave a comment, and we can discuss more about the course.
