Tag: women in business

5 Books That I Am Currently Reading – Part 2

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Two years ago, I shared a list of books that I was reading to keep me motivated. You can find the list here.

I have to admit, since then, my reading habits haven’t improved, but I do try and read when I can. Or shall I say, listen to books when I can?

Seeing that a lot of us around the world are going through some form of isolation and quarantine due to corona virus, I thought I could share with you a few books that I have found to be interesting.

And the best thing is you can either listen to them using Audible or read them via your devices using Amazon Kindle, Rakuten Kobo, Apple Books, Googles Books, etc. You don’t have to have physical books delivered to you especially now that alot of places are on lockdown.

So, here goes my 5 books that I am reading:

Book #1 – Taking Up Space: The Black Girl Manifesto for Change by Chelsea Kwakye and Ọrẹ Ogunbiyi

I am reading the physical version of this book as part of my evening routine before I sleep. It is a book of young black girls finding themselves in white dominant academic spaces and the challenges they faced. It is a book about their experiences and how they navigated through these spaces. It is about finding ones voice and giving hope to those that follow, that it is ok to question and challenge in order to make the changes that are needed within these spaces.

Book #2 – Sulwe by Lupita Nyong’o

I bought this book for my kids, my daughter especially. It is a well written book by Academy Award-winning actress, Lupita Nyong’o with illustrations by Vashti Harrison. This book is all about colourism and loving yourself despite what shade your skin is. A story about self-esteem and true love for oneself from within.

My daughter really loves this book, that she chose it as her book for this year’s World Book Day. She was so proud to take to school to show it to the rest of her class.

Book #3 – Little Black Book: A Toolkit for Working Women by Otegha Uwagba

I can’t remember how I came about this book, but I can tell you it has certainly helped me navigate the world of working in the creative industry. From building my brand, public speaking tips, money management skills, going back to school to refresh or learn new skills, etc. are some of the gems this little black book has. It is one of those books that I keep referring too for ideas and as I have the kindle version of it, I get updated versions for free. It is more for UK readers, but I have sure there are a few things you may find useful even if you don’t live in the UK.

Book #4 – The Photographers’ Playbook: 307 Assignments and Ideas Edited by Jason Fulford and Gregory Halpern (No Kindle Edition)

As a photographer, I can sometimes feel like my mojo to take pictures wane. This book has a few tips and ideas on how to get you motivated with ‘new’ ideas for photographic projects. This is one book that I have decided to make up with notes and circle the ideas that I know I would like to attempt. It is a book full of photographers and photography professionals giving their ideas on improving on your practice as a photographer.

For example: Tim Barder’s topic Findings suggests you “Find someone else to take your photographs for you. Tell them what you are looking for, and see if you can find it in the photos they take.”

Book #5 – Studio Anywhere: A Photographer’s Guide to Shooting in Unconventional Locations by Nick Fancher

I really welcome this book seeing that I will have to result to working from home for the next few weeks. It has good examples of photographing in tight and weird spaces especially around your home to get the photographs that you want without have to spend so much hiring a studio. You can do so much with very little is more or less the gist of this book.

And there you have it. I hope this list inspires you to read or try new ideas.

What books will you be reading in the coming weeks?

Which books have you read that you would recommend I check out?

#ReadMore

A Little Disclaimer
I am an affiliate and I only affiliate with products and services I have used and would recommend. As I have used some affiliate links in this blog post, if you click on any products and services I recommend to make a purchase, I get a small commission on sales by referring you to these links at no extra cost to you other than the cost of the products and services – in some cases you can even get a discount.
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Event: Start Up Step Up London Launch

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Earlier this week, I was invited to attend an early morning event to launch a new business program at City Hall called Start Up Step Up London. It is a program that is part of the London Growth Hub and is supported by the Mayor of London, hence it being launched at City Hall.

I bet you are wondering as a photographer, why am I attending such an event to do with business if I wasn’t there to take pictures? And the answer is pretty simple – networking.

In the summer, around July, I attend a workshop on ‘Start Your Own Business’ run by Visionnaires. It was a 4-day workshop held at The College of Haringey Enfield and North East London (CONEL) at their Tottenham campus. The best part of this workshop other than the information I gathered in those four days is that it was FREE. Who doesn’t like free stuff especially if they are there to help you grow? Not me!

By attending this workshop, I was introduced to Pablo Lloyd OBE, the CEO and co-founder of Visionnaires and the person who ran the workshop. Also on the first and last day, we were joined by Robert who runs a business consulting firm, DDR Learning. Also, during one of the workshop sessions, Pablo invited a guest speaker, David Barker, the UK’s first internet entrepreneur in 1994 to give us his life story in business.

I am telling you all this not only to let you know that I am really working on making my brand/business as a photographer work but also to give you an idea as to how I got invited to the launch event I mentioned above. It was through the connections I built by attending the workshop.

The premise of the programme is to help individuals who want to go into business in the hope of becoming self-employed and successful in business by giving training, workshops, a mentor or coach and space to get started or continue to grow. As a creative, I know only too well the challenges I have had just getting my photography business up and running and I believe initiatives like this are the way forward.

I tried to see if I could get a video that was shown at the launch for Start Up Step Up London, but I wasn’t successful. I might include it here at a later date once it is shared online. In the meantime, please check this one out where Paulo talks about how and why he started Visionnaires.

 

I wasn’t there to take pictures during the event as I just wanted to be in the moment. In the end, I only managed to capture one of myself on the balcony with Tower Bridge in the background and a video showing the beautiful skyline of London on a nice sunny autumn day and another video of the space where the event took place.

As I was leaving, I got to speak to one of the security guys whilst I was waiting for my lift. I told him how amazing I thought the building is and he went on to tell me its green credentials as part of the legacy of the Mayor of London with recycled water being used for flushing the toilets and solar panels, which are part of the design of the building, that generate electricity used in there. And then, my lift came and I bid him a good day.

If you want to find out more about Start Up Step Up London, please click here and all the best in starting your own business.

#StartUpStepUpLondon