This is the first post of a series called What Did You Learn And How?1 (WDYLAH)
This series is inspired by Oprah Winfrey’s frequent call out to a question that first caught her off guard: what do you know for sure? 2
Each installment is a small thing I learned by experience or experiment, and how. Some will be helpful marketing tips, some will be life skills. All are at least a teeny bit helpful for a happier life and better connections with people.
Making silly faces for official photos brings cheer
My friend and astonishing photographer Seth Jacobson told me he makes silly faces every time he has a photo taken at the Division of Motor Vehicles. To be clear, his photography career is dreamy, and the way he illuminates his portrait subjects is some kind of magical hybrid of Rembrandt-lit dignity and clear-eyed cosplay nakedness.
I also found his compassion for anyone doing photography at the DMV admirable.
So, I tried it, and in the last several months, I’ve had my photo taken more or less like this for hotels, in hospitals, and other random verification situations.
And, he’s right
I’ve had loads of laughs and lovely interactions with people who would ordinary probably just hand me my name badge and say “the elevator is over there.” Today, I made an old guy laugh at a hospital.
Yeah, that’s a win.
FOOTNOTES & SUB-SUBTEXT ;)
- There is wisdom in this order of question, because the answers must be LIVED, or at a minimum, tested LIVE. This kind of information comes not from scholarly tomes, familial examples, or even scientific observation. It comes only from direct experience. Some of what we know comes easy, and some comes very hard. ↩︎
- Read more directly from her site, including the first time she was asked the question. ↩︎