The magic of 600 seconds

We just need 10 minutes to have a mindblowing start for the day especially if you are working from home. 10mins is nothing very scientific but a personally tested regime that works wonders for many. The restriction lets you get over with something and keeping your attention span intact. We, humans, are evolving with a degrading quality of commitment and attention span. We flip from one job to the other and we similarly flip from one relationship to the other.

However, the options will expand and we will be mutated enough to not to stick to something sincerely, this 10min practice is a way to go if you don't know to understand the side effects of your monkey mind.

I am not giving away any magic tips and tricks, neither I am slipping anything extraordinary but basics stick longer than you think and basics are what makes you look cool and basics are what we crave for at the end of the day. I have the top 5 basic 600 seconds exercise good enough to change the way we live and to initiate our mornings.

IT STARTS FROM THE NIGHT BEFORE: A good morning is always been a pre-marinated dish, you need to put aside and get done with many things a night before you start your day after. Sorting what you want to wear and preparing your bag is one of them, have you thought of flushing and getting nice dental hygiene done, we all in-fact a majority of people suffer from dental hygiene. Your mouth is a factory of many bacteria pulping inside you as you sleep, killing them not only gives you a feel-good factor to go but no insecurity kissing your better half a goodnight and as well as a good morning.

There is this trick which does works for late awakers, brushing and flushing your mouth prior a goodnight let you be awake a little early. I don't know how it works but it works amazingly well, especially for someone like me who loves to sleep.

Sorting the list of things needs to be done is also much practiced, it is indeed optional as many feel good about planning the day about as the first thing in the morning and both works.

For those who live alone or have someone to take care of, pre-preparing a meal or at least keeping them arranged and set to go saves time. All this you can't do in 10 minutes but break it up.

MAKE YOUR BED FOR TONIGHT: We are up, we grab our phones and we get distracted. We bump on our own plans and we bang many to set the day. 10 minutes is a good analogy to do something and achieve one job at a time, the feeling of fulfillment from various jobs done make the day worth it, setting your bed for the day is one way to go and don't forget to change your sheet once a week.

The bed is a heaven where we dream, we share, we cry, we laugh, we stare and we ponder over things and things we want and we don't want. We love the fact of sleeping and it is always in our hands to set the tone of how we do it.

I have met many minimalistic who love a fresh set of white sheets and it is totally fine as nothing much to ponder about, I have even loved one who loves to use the bed as its canvas with as many pillows as possible and throwing some lovely set of textured sheets and comforters hurts no one. There are many ways to set the dream you like it, just make sure it is something you desire from within as it shapes the dreams you dream.

GET INTO YOUR OWN SKIN: Let's creep out, getting into your own skin is anytime better than someone getting into your skin. Ancient Vedas, I don't know if it says or not but stepping into the arena of meditation has helped me a lot and guided meditation is for anyone who has a monkey mind like myself, I admit it! My mind has always struggled to struggle with my ever nonstop thoughts, and it has given me anxiety like never before. Antidepressants do take care of the lack of many things in my brain and I am somewhere dependent on it, if you are looking for a place to begin from HEADSPACE is a good way to go from its 3 min session to 10, 15 and 20 is a place from my personal experience to start your journey into meditation. The best part you just need your phone and pair of headphones (I use a noise cancellation JBL headset) or speaker incase your phone has low-intensity in case of volume.

Try it! It has helped me to put myself to sleep better and have a better temperament towards life and others unless they talk crap.

BE MEAN TO CLEAN: 10 mins may not be sufficient to have a deep cleaning session and we are talking here about those small tasks which give you the feel-good factor, arranging your desk or your work station is a way to start doesn't matter if your work from home or an office, an altar next to my work table has helped to groom my mind, few things you can consider keeping next to you while working which can help to lift your mood.

1. A bowl of almonds: gives you no excuse to boost your mind and soul with some goodness.

2. Picture of your loved ones: Always makes you feel connected and belong to someone.

3. A nice candle: I personally love one from Song of India and oh man its heaven (be careful where you keep it)

4. A pen and a notepad: With everything to note down in your phone, little good old school tricks go a long way. Writing once is like reading something for 26 times.

DON'T MISS THAT CALL: I am living all alone past 15 years and eventually stopped having any homesickness but the attachment, I have with my parents is inseparable however and how many fights I have with them. We all love to go and fly in our own sky and leaving them behind to deal with their own anxiety and loneliness. Past many years I have realized the effort to be in touch with them and make them feel being with me has helped me count my blessings. 10min is all you need to give a call and be dedicated to it. Don't do anything while you call someone who means a lot to you. I can't put enough stress how much a call can build your relationship

the list may go on but I guess these things will not take much from you, teaching basics of life is a privilege and we are somewhere getting detached.

I hope this article may help you to connect yourself back to you and your roots.

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Hii, I am shovona, a freelance commercial photographer who resides in the economic hub of India, Mumbai. As an artist, I undergo the above almost every day and I am here to support others to let them feel cool about anything happening in life.

Feel free to contact me for any portrait, corporate, food, product photography related queries or just drop a hi! at

shovonakar@gmail.com

#commercialphotographer #femalephotographer #mumbaiphotographer #portraitphotography

Pandemic and freelancing

Anyone who will be reading this article, to let you know I am writing it during the phase of 21days of complete lockdown in India. Corona has crippled the world and forced us to think about what are we leaving behind us.

As a freelancer it scares the hell out of me about my coming days and my survival skills will be tested, being the best is not the question, it is all about how you perceive it. Yes, the days will be brought to normal but the real question is, will we see ourselves and our world around us in the same way? Awakening of the desires we have and our needs will be questioned and I am pretty sure everyone will not be affected and it will be easy for them to get back to the time they were there.

As a freelancer our survival is based on many factors and a good economy will push to keep us hanging on with our passion. Sadly it is no more about individual dreams, many who acquire jobs will be in a spot to lose, their livelihood will be affected and a chain reaction will be the next pandemic to take care of. Yes! I may be thinking the worst of worst but let us prepare ourselves for it.

Hang on! I am not writing this article to scare you, in fact, let us see how to go about it.

TO NOTE: I don't know how the coming days will be and how it is going to hit the economy and how much time it will take, for us all to raise the bar again, but let us be hopeful.

PRODUCE FRESH CONTENT: If you are a photographer, retoucher, CGI artist, illustrator, cinematographer and more, it is a good phase to produce fresh content to add it to your portfolio, keeping self productive is the best way to go about the times we are going. To add, with no pressure from any client and with no external expectation create the best you can. We all crib about the fact of not having enough time to create what we wished to and I don't think anyone has any excuse to give now with clients potentially understanding the situation, I am pretty sure they will not kill you to create for yourself. If they do, they are not worthy to be a potential client.

ORGANIZE, ORGANIZE and ORGANIZE: The biggest culprit for many who work from home is the messy situation we live in (I, myself included) and however you deny and you say it does add to your millennial saga, a messy place does no good. A clean desk and a clean space both physically and digitally uplift your productivity.

HAVE HOBBIES: Side hustles or interest will never be more important than the coming times, let's be honest, past recession and demonetization in India had hit the market bad for it to come back to a well to do state after 2 years and the current situation with thousands of people passing away in the most merciless manner and many, I mean MANY are off their jobs will disturb the economy for people to shed enough for marketing purposes keeping their employees as the prime importance and it is indeed fair enough. Incase global pandemic hits bad be ready to earn the same with many more hustles you need to take care of.

LEARN SELF MARKETING: It is one art which many fail to do and many find it way too less important to invest ourselves every day, marketing is how we find products for our needs, simultaneously marketing is the way potential client will get to know us. How you wish to market self is a discovery which you need to do and will get to know eventually as time passes and observe how our viewers react to it.

Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, Google business page are a few platforms that let us shine the way we wish to.

• You should understand the algorithm ethics each platform is made off and how to use it to your benefit

• Instagram and Facebook are very much to do with timing, tagging, hashtagging and quality of content.

• Keep the quality of content as organic, high quality and as handmade as possible, think about the user or audience you wish to cater to.

• Keep your content short and brief especially stories.

• Always have something to give away to your audience.

• Use sites like Creator Studio to schedule posts (stories cant be scheduled) in case you are busy enough to give needed time to it on a daily basis. Youtube videos can be scheduled too.

• Let people peep into your studio, people are more curious about behind the scenes than the final product, grab your phone shoot it here and there and edit it to make a 15 to a 30-second video. (I just sounded like a hypocrite, lol, I need to share my side too)

• Keep your agenda clear, don't post not so needed content which is not related to your persona or page. No one wants to know what you eat on everyday basis unless you are a health influencer.

SUPPORT LOCAL VENDORS AND INDUSTRY: We Indians are obsessed with anything fancy and foreign return. In the scene of global crisis, it should be our prime goal to support local industries and vendors to get them back on track, they have and will be a part of the national economic backbone, the vendors in return need to raise their output quality. International transaction does add value and gives direct competition to the indie which will put the national economy far more in debt in the future.

I strongly suggest, if your situation is somewhere accompanied with deep pockets don't break your savings, I am no master in economics and all the above is based on my personal experience, we all wish to recover from the present state ASAP but let's be hopeful and let us prepare ourself for the worst in-case!

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Hii, I am Shovona, a freelance commercial photographer who resides in the economic hub of India, Mumbai. As an artist, freelancer and a businesswoman, money, and creativity always intrigue me and I am passionate enough to share my knowledge with others too.

Feel free to contact me for any portrait, corporate, food, product photography related queries or just drop a hi! at

shovonakar@gmail.com

#coronaindia #mumbaiphotographer #femalephotographer #portraitphotographer #commercialphotographer #freelancecommercialphotographer

How to be better at instagram

We all love being loved and love being known and acknowledged, the human attitude of being in good books of others is a need, healthy though we mark it as insecurity. How true it is a matter of how you approach. The explosion of the internet and the beginning of a new era called social media may keep our parents a little way off and help them to stick to old traditional ways of being in a family and extend when needed. We the millennials sadly are losing the track of being behind the line. Yes, we are way more connected to people than ever before and it's way too easy for many companies to understand you as a person before you going to give an interview and getting recruited. I guess you don't believe me? It is indeed a fact of today's world that the company you wish to work for may have scanned your social presence and the way you interact with your audience at a personal and public level way before you even submitted an application to get accepted. Many of my clients may not judge my skill based on my social followers and presence but they do love to know more than the work factor.

Now coming back to the question of how well-skilled are we to have a well mannered social life on a social media platform? You may either just made a profile to be on the path of the upcoming influencer or someone who is just there to know the world more than the mere four walls of your usual office or studio. There are a few things which I have observed which many other blogs will guide you to do to brings one's attention (the one you admire) or connect someone for any collaboration related activity. They tend to miss the pointers one should follow to keep the sanity alive. Let me be very honest, texting is worst way to put your thoughts in place mainly in social media platforms, you miss your tone, you use too many words, you do sound pushy and needy though your agenda was to be humble enough unless you are some copywriter whose profession revolves around curated bunch of words provoking one to raise the tone in its mind. Huh..! we all can't be yet it is important to understand what to do and where to stop to lead to any misunderstanding.

Lately, Instagram, post been taken over by Facebook has made it algorithm quite challenging for many new users to gain traffic and paid promotion does involve money but it is not meant for everyone to put it from its one pocket. Well, organic marketing follows the old school method which many find taxing. My friends and else I have heard many tactics people tend to follow to gain attention or followers but they often forget what not to do. The worst thing you will like to do to yourself is getting yourself in the "avoid/block/report" book of others.

FOLLOW FOR FOLLOW

Many articles have suggested the act of following an account and in return, they may follow you back and when they don't, one ends up unfollowing. The scratch my back policy is annoying and random followers are not going to lead your agenda anywhere, people are smart and smart ones are patient and they are very particular about whom they follow and by whom they wish to get followed.

Design a well-thought profile providing something back to your viewers, that is good enough for the trespasser to "Follow" you!

DIRECT MESSAGE

Instagram is a great platform to connect to people and the option to connect someone on a personal level gives leverage to share your thoughts and opportunities. Sadly many tend to misuse it. The sheer interest to gain the "special" attention and making random conversation may sound a great move to have a conversation and I don't deny many do like it, but I am targeting people who are running a business/blog over the platform. Be respectful to people, be honest about your reasons to connect. A lure statement about one's personal life and the very act of getting too personal without even knowing the person is not cool.

GETTING INTRUSIVE

We need to understand every person has a right to privacy, and one has to respect it even if you do not like it. Instagram has evolved in the past many years sadly people have gone reverse. It is a platform where people love sharing life, emotion, ideas in a visual format and they may not be here to make friends. I have seen much where people love to get too intrusive to understand me more than what I have to offer. Sadly they go sexual, sexist, communist, yes people do so!

Understand your line which you are not supposed to cross.

There has been a drastic fall of ethics where people forget when to not to cross the very line. Social media might have brought us closer but we are losing the concept of mutual understanding and respect. Freedom of speech is now a social abuse and bullying. We are now more prone to venerability, my real concern is how we are shaping the coming generation, I find it really scary and I will be honest, social media is, in reality, might give you a company strong enough to make you feel self-satisfied and entertained, sadly it is making us more lonely than ever.

We, humans, are not meant to be alone, as a social and communal animal that we are and however we say we like our "Me time" we grow with others, we evolve with others.

Hii, I am shovona, a freelance commercial photographer who resides in the economic hub of India, Mumbai. As an artist, I undergo the above almost every day and I am here to support others to let them feel cool about anything happening in life.

Feel free to contact me for any portrait, corporate, food, product photography related queries or just drop a hi! at

shovonakar@gmail.com

#freelancephotographer #mumbaiphotographer #portrait #femalephotographer