J*: Educator, Motivator, Tear Jerker, Peek-A-Booer
I don’t think Jasmine Star is aware of the influence she had on my life well before we were brought together in Seattle. However, unlike many of her followers we don’t go way back. I have been a Chase Jarvis fan far longer than I knew about Jasmine Star (ok honestly fan may be an understatement, can anyone say man-crush?) The moment I heard about Chase I instantly connected and became an adamant follower. I absorbed his content and impatiently waited for his next blog entry. I don’t know how he did it, but it seemed like he was creating blogs designed specifically around the subjects I cared to learn about. Reading his posts and watching his videos was like going to a school and I got to pick the curriculum. Not only was he a great educator, but he was also just a chill guy. He gave back to the community in ways no other photographers I was aware of were doing. He is hard not to like and his word was like gold to me.
When I found out he was bringing in some pretty-faced wedding photographer named Jasmine Star for a CreativeLive workshop I started to explore this “phenomenon” of the wedding world. If he was endorsing her she must be doing something right? I checked out her site and began to understand her popularity. She was fresh and fun in a way I had rarely seen. Just like Chase, I had this sudden connection and felt like I somehow knew this woman. I was completely content in the work I was doing and while I had always been curious about wedding photography, I had no interest in shifting jobs. I enjoyed being a steadicam operator and was having a blast making music videos and short films.
I didn’t happen to be working when the first CreativeLive with Jasmine went live and figured I’d check it out. I assumed I’d be able to learn some tips for branding or marketing, and maybe worst case scenario, my man-crush would show up? I have to admit in the first 15 minutes of the workshop my early impressions of Jasmine were pretty limited. I just thought she was this beautiful woman from Southern California. She had the tan, she had the hair, she had the smile, she had this beautiful body. But as I sat watching the screen I quickly came to realize what an amazing person she really was. What appeared to be this gorgeous facade was peeling back to reveal even more complexity and beauty beneath. She was so passionate, so intelligent, so poignant, so profound. I kept expecting this fem-bot on my screen to bring out the concealed weapons and wipe us all away, she seemed to good to be true. I was totally enthralled, unable to leave my computer’s side. Day One…Day Two….Day three. Before I realized it, I hadn’t gotten out of my sweat pants or left my computer in five days.
I laughed with Jasmine, I cried, I felt the nerves and the sense of accomplishment on the wedding day and the relief when everything went so smoothly. She was a new role model and I found myself bordering on obsession. Suddenly Chase has some competition.
Two weeks later, while surfing, a friend of a friend asked if I’d help him out and be a videographer at an upcoming wedding. I excitedly agreed as it would give me an opportunity to see if this whole wedding thing was something I was really interested in. The wedding came and went in a flash and I instantly knew this was something I wanted to be doing. As selfish as it sounds, it just feels good to be a part of the happiest day of people’s lives and be able to capture the moments that are important to them and their families.
The video gigs I returned too seemed less and less important and while still very fun and rewarding, they lacked the depth and the pressure that the wedding provided. Unlike many of Jasmine’s followers I wasn’t shifting from a job I hated, but I was leaving a job that just felt a little less meaningful. By November I had decided I was going to really try to make the shift. My sister got married in December which gave me an opportunity to shoot around while balancing being a groomsman. When I heard Jasmine was doing another CreativeLive, I knew I was going to find a way to win. She had such a profound affect on my taking that first video gig, and in the ensuing months I had bordered on stalker territory, I just knew I had to be there. Unfortunately, as I wrote about yesterday, the closer the deadline came, the more fear I felt. Yet somehow I was able to get over it and joined the group in Seattle. (My review of the behind the live experience is coming later this week)
As I have gotten to know Jasmine more and more over the past few months, I have only fallen further in love with the woman she has become. While the entire two day course provided tons of valuable information, from my perspective there was one thing that completely represented everything Jasmine teaches, and I really believe it almost went unsaid. When Ashley Goodwin asked the question that so many of us wonder, it was almost a joke. I can’t remember the exact wording, nor can I pull off Ashley’s adorable southern accent, but in essence she asked how Jasmine had developed such a smoking hot body. Like so many of the questions and comments Jasmine continually answers, I think we were all hoping there would be some simple answer or advice…”Do this and you too can have this awesome body/client/wedding/life.”
The question was only half serious, but the answer brought us all to the most sincere, touching and revealing moment we experienced. Jasmine nearly dodged the question, but fortunately for all of us, she went against her judgment and opened up. I felt like I was part of the Truman show when the father meets Truman on the foggy bridge. As tears began forming in all our eyes and the cameras zoomed in to capture us fighting back our emotions, I kept expecting the CreativeLive team in the back to cue the orchestrated music.
Despite my stalking behavior I had not been aware of Jasmine’s struggles with her self-image or her body. What we see today has been a result of a very disciplined practice and lifestyle. There is no magic pill, there is no trendy diet, there is no simply 5-minute routine that has lead to her success. She committed to getting herself to a place she wanted to be, and has put in the sweat and tears and made sacrifices to get to the place she is today.
It suddenly became so obvious. I have always been frustrated by people trying to find the easy way out of exercise. Fitness has always been black and white to me. If I put in the time, eat healthy, and burn more calories than I consume I see results. So while I realized how to be successful in fitness, I was hoping there might be some easy trick or technique that would result in success in business. Jasmine’s commitment in her fitness routine is a mirror to her success in her career. There is no secret action (although she spent $500 looking for it) and there is no magic camera setting (other than wide open). Success has been a result of dedication to her craft, taking thousands of photos of her orange tree in her backyard, working for Chili’s gift cards as a second shooter, getting uncomfortable and challenging herself to meet other photographers and form support groups, working to find her true identity and branding herself, and challenging the “rules” all photographers were supposed to follow.
I understand what it takes to be successful in fitness and I now know it is the same as being successful in business. Although Jasmine shared so many amazing tips and insight over the weekend, the single most important take away for me was that success is a result of hard work, dedication and commitment….Everyday! We live in a society where we want things simple and fast. Infomercials fill the airwaves with promises of instant wealth, fame and fitness. What Jasmine lived and what she represents is almost a simpler concept and with no false promises; Success is as easy as getting uncomfortable, pushing yourself and working harder. “Out-shoot, out-run, and out-hustle,” the competition.
Jasmine, I know you really wanted to keep this part of your life a secret, and I imagine your life can seem a bit like a fish-bowl with no place to hide, but I hope you realize how important it was for me that you opened up. And while your “fitness routine” may have seemed so unrelated to photography, you couldn’t have hammered home your message more succinctly. But even more important is the way you inspired your viewers out there that may currently be unhappy with their bodies or their self-esteem. For the guys in the audience, it was a great reminder that even the most beautiful women have confidence issues. We all look at what you have become and it is hard to imagine you weren’t always the successful bombshell that we see today. Just like many of us, you started out afraid of taking the first step and uncertain of your skills and where it would take you. We can now look at the Jasmine Star we all see today and aspire to work towards the best versions of ourselves. I know you aren’t finished growing and you still have a lot to accomplish, but damn you are such an inspiration.
Jasmine I love you, I love JD, and I will never be able to thank you enough for all that you do for us all.
Ok, so at least I'm not the only one with a crush on Chase, look at Jasmine swooping her hair as he sits down. Even more priceless is Kenna in the background pretending to pick something up so she can check out his derriere
Dude, you have me crying one second…then HATING YOU IN ANOTHER SECOND FOR THAT PICTURE!!!!
I’m unfriending you. Be afraid. Verrrry afraid.
April 12, 2011 at 2:08 pm
haha thanks Jasmine, well that is perfect then, cause that is what you had all of us doing all weekend!!
April 12, 2011 at 2:49 pm
Queen! Is it ok to call you that?
This is a beautiful post! So awesome that you got to be a part of the experience.
I saw your link through Jasmine’s blog–and well…I’m in SF. Woop woop! We should meet up sometime. Grab coffee. Talk about how much we love Jasmine
April 12, 2011 at 2:45 pm
awesome, thanks for checking in. I am forming a group of jasminteers and would love to include you. hit me on twitter @anthonyq35 and we will add you to the group:) and like it or not queen just may be here to stay:( haha
April 12, 2011 at 2:48 pm
hi Anthony!
I just loved the post! keep them coming!
April 12, 2011 at 3:03 pm
Hey Lourdes,
Thanks for the love here and on Facebook. You put us all to shame though! I can barely speak and write english and you have like seven languages up your sleeve!! I hope you learned as much from the weekend as I did. All the best
April 12, 2011 at 7:12 pm
AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. The photo is the funniest thing I have seen all day. You guys keep a stitch in my side from laughing EVEN WHEN YOU ARE ACROSS THE U.S., and I love you for it.
And may I add, these lines
“Before I realized it, I hadn’t gotten out of my sweat pants or left my computer in five days. I laughed with Jasmine, I cried, I felt the nerves and the sense of accomplishment on the wedding day and the relief when everything went so smoothly. ”
had me flashing to scenes from “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” where Peter’s in his robe, the house is a wreck, he’s eating ice cream and crying and won’t leave his house for two weeks because Sarah dumped him and his brother has to pretend that the house is on fire to trick him out. That’s you.
I have some rather amazing shots of you trying to keep your cool around Chase. Nor will I forget overhearing you *calmly* ask one of the producers “Is Chase going to be here?” and could feel your heart break a little when he wasn’t expected.
So happy you got to meet your idol, Chase, and your other idol, Ashley Goodwin. Expect a bill from me later this week.
But in seriousness…if that is possible with you and I….you mean the WORLD to me! You are INSANELY talented (cue the behind the live video of you geeking out over video “rolling shutter” talk), quick-witted, handsome and charming and are clearly going in the right direction making a switch in jobs, not for one that pays more, but that is more rewarding. Glad you found Jasmine because otherwise we all wouldn’t have found each other!
Love you tons!
xoxoxo
April 12, 2011 at 3:16 pm
Wow Ash!
I am so glad that I found Jasmine too, you are such an amazing person it would be a shame not to have met you. Now that I know you I only wish I had met you earlier. Seriously you are the most fun girl ever. And you had it dead on with the Forgetting Sarah Marshall analogy. I might have even crushed a few jars of peanut butter that weekend? Now off to stalk you on all our other social media connections
April 12, 2011 at 7:11 pm
What an amazingly touching post Anthony! How fabulous is it that I can be inspired by the folks that were inspired by Jasmine after being inspired by Jasmine myself over and over and over again! does that make any sense? The goodness and inspirations don’t end with anyone – they keep flowing out and we pass them along. Jasmine brought so many of us to tears and I love the direct correlation you make between her discipline with fitness and discipline with business. We can do anything we put our minds, bodies & souls into if we DO THE WORK! that’s all there is to it! I had such a fabulous time getting to know you Queen – wish we could have talked even more about video, life, video, life! Thanks for keeping it real with the rest of the J* Jets! I will never howl at the moon without thinking of y’all. Cheers!
April 12, 2011 at 4:41 pm
Oh, and p.s. I totally forgot! Ha – you caught me – while I was reaching for my camera I guess I did get a good peek at Chase’s back side! ha! back it up!
April 12, 2011 at 4:43 pm
Haha just lucky timing! It was so great to get to know you and I am so glad you wanted to hang with us!! what a treat
April 12, 2011 at 7:07 pm
Ah, queenie! You put my feelings into words! I am not only inspired to better myself professionally but physically too. It’s interesting how closely knit those things are. I think Jasmine said a lot in that moment that I needed to hear.
Love you, bro! Thank you for being such an amazing person. I am truly in awe of you and cannot wait to watch you grow.
April 12, 2011 at 4:48 pm
Christy,
thank you so much, The weekend would certainly not have been the same without you. You are a really awesome person. I feel lucky to have met you and to watch you take over Vegas
April 12, 2011 at 7:06 pm
Hahahaha omg LOVE the photo description! And of course the post too. Very inspirational. Jasmine rocks and you’re the best! And like I told you, you’ve come a long way and this is only the beginning. GREAT things are coming your way (and you know it!)
I love you.
April 12, 2011 at 4:50 pm
Thanks baby,
and thanks to the little SM editor! I couldn’t do it without you.
I love you too
April 12, 2011 at 7:05 pm
Your secret is no longer safe with me! And yes everyone has a crush on Chase!
Kenna and I have a worse crush on his wife Kate I think? You are the man Anthony! You were such a pleasure to have at creativeLIVE. Please come back again anytime! I have a feeling our paths will cross again my friend!
April 12, 2011 at 5:17 pm
I think you summed her up perfectly. Even though I have never met her (or any of you guys, for that matter!) the part of the workshop where she started talking about her self-image and body had me in tears. She is such an amazing person!
I wish you the best of luck, Anthony!
April 12, 2011 at 5:53 pm
Thank you so much Alyssa, Jasmine is as great in person if not better. We are all so lucky that there are people like Jasmine and Chase proving there is only upside to sharing with the world
April 12, 2011 at 7:04 pm
Another fabulous post!!! I thought I’d only be following Jasmine after the creativelive wknd, but in fact, here I am following all of you that were present!!! What an inspiration you all are!!
And as far as Jasmine talking about the workout thing…. Wow!!!! I gained a whole new respect for her during that moment ~ a REALLY deep, whole-hearted, tearing up at the same time respect!!!
It’s all good!!!
April 12, 2011 at 5:53 pm
She is so amazing right. That was a very touching moment indeed. Thanks so much for stopping by
April 12, 2011 at 7:01 pm
I am loving following all of you! And really, how can anyone NOT have a crush on Chase.
April 12, 2011 at 7:34 pm
Dude, seriously. You nailed it. I think I learned as much about myself this weekend as I did about building a business. Jasmine has an amazing way of making sense of things that seem so abstract. Holding up the mirror when we thought we needed a window. I needed her tough love on many fronts and I have already rededicated myself to taking care of me and being true to me. And working really freaking hard to look as good on the outside as I feel on the inside! Anyway, this is a beautiful post and you are an amazing person! So happy to have found my brother from another mother XOXO Long live the Queen!!!
April 12, 2011 at 8:16 pm
Anthony! I am sitting here trying to eat my sandwich and now my bread is wet because this post made me cry…THANKS! Lol not but seriously. I really really love the correlation you draw between business and fitness. That portion of the day hit me really hard. I even texted Ashley something along the lines of “okay she got me with the body issues”… but I think you are exactly right. We either do it or we don’t. We commit or we don’t. It’s scary, it’s un-nerving, it feels like walking on one of those rickety old bridges in movies that are inevitably going to crash to the ground at any second. But we either get determined to make it to the other side or we stand there and just hope it doesn’t fall out from under us. I am so happy I got to meet you in Vegas and see even more of you during CreativeLive. Mark Zuckerberg you may not be, but I think you’ll be just fine anyway
April 13, 2011 at 9:12 am
Thanks Ashley! I always wanted to run across one of those bridges. Ok maybe that is just me, but for some reason going for it in business has been a little harder. Time to step up and make things happen. And don’t worry about the ashtray b.s. I am working hard on getting everyone to call Ashley “Ash”
April 14, 2011 at 2:00 pm
AHAHA. Ashtray just said you are NOT Zukerburg. The jig is up.
(btw Ashley, I have them all saying “your friend…Ashtray?”)
April 13, 2011 at 8:12 pm
Truly awesome post, Anthony! I didn’t expect to cry during last week’s creativeLIVE workshop, but there I was, crying in front of my computer along with everyone else. Jasmine is utterly inspiring in so many ways! Oh, and please add me to your jasminteer group
April 13, 2011 at 10:13 pm
Thanks Janel,
Looking forward to meeting in person. Im glad you were able to get so much out of the workshop!
April 14, 2011 at 1:57 pm
Such a great post. I watched as much of the CL as I could and missed this one moment, so I’m glad I caught it here. I got the email today with a list of the blogs and remembered that “this guy always made me laugh – let’s see what he has to say.” You’re an excellent writer and I’m excited to see where this goes for you. I guess you have a new cyber-fan
PS – Your photo and caption: priceless!
April 14, 2011 at 1:00 pm
Great post Anthony! I wasn’t able to see the first day, but thankfully I caught the 2nd and it was fantastic! It was so touching when Jasmine opened up and teared up about her weight struggles and it really touched my heart. It brought a similar perspective to me as well and now in response to that ever day I say to myself, “it takes discipline.” Love the last pic too!
April 15, 2011 at 5:01 pm
great great post. I may have even misted up a bit. i’m pretty sure kleenex sales sky-rocketed last weekend.
April 15, 2011 at 6:07 pm
aww I’m so happy for you guys that you learned a lot and also formed a good friendship. I hope your wolf pack remains tight & positive:)
goodluck!
April 20, 2011 at 10:50 pm
Anthony, I just loooove what you had to write about your experience and your summary of success. I’ve been such a slacker and have given myself too many days off, and after the workshop I felt so ashamed. I am sooo thankful for Jasmine and for people like you who love to keep it real, and even reveal their man-crushes! Lol. Thanks again!
April 21, 2011 at 4:17 pm