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Above: Image by Gina Milicia

“When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it.” – Henry Ford

Above: Image by Gina Milicia

As more and more of us around the world are being asked to self-isolate, it feels like the world has given us a bucket of lemons to suck on and told us to sit in the corner for a while.

There are many frontline workers, nurses, doctors, cleaners, drivers who must continue to work so that we are safe and healthy. Much respect and gratitude to these amazing people.

“You may not be able to control every situation and its outcome, but you can control your attitude and how you deal with it.”

Many of the rest of us now have some extra time on our hands. We may not be able to control the current situation but we can control our attitude about it.

When the world gives you a bucket of lemons, it’s time to make:

Lemon merangue pie Limoncello Lemon gelato And one of my faves, margaritas!

So if you find yourself in home isolation, use the time wisely to upgrade your skills. This situation will eventually be over, and when it is, you will come out with more . . .

Above: Image by Gina Milicia

“I began to realize how important it was to be an enthusiast in life. He taught me that if you are interested in something, no matter what it is, go at it at full speed ahead. Embrace it with both arms, hug it, love it and above all become passionate about it. Lukewarm is no good. Hot is no good either. White hot and passionate is the only thing to be.” – Roald Dahl

Above: Image by Gina Milicia

“The trouble with most of us is that we would rather be ruined by praise than saved by criticism.” – Norman Vincent Peale

Aside from “did you just finish the entire jar of Nutella?” the most common question I get asked is “do you like my photo?”

On the surface, it sounds like a perfectly reasonable question to ask, right? Most people ask this question as a way of measuring if it’s any good. Measuring progress is a great way to improve your photography but asking “do you like this photo?” is not the best way to go about it and here is why.

When you ask someone if they like something, what you are really asking is “what do you like?” and just because someone likes or doesn’t like something doesn’t make it good or bad. Taste is totally personal.

An example of this is my taste in music. If you played doof doof or techno dance music to me and asked me if I liked it, my polite response would be “it’s ok”. My inner monologue is more like “I’d rather . . .

Above: Image by Gina Milicia

“All of us are on borrowed time. There are no refunds and there are no guarantees. At some point, the only time yo

Above: Image by Gina Milicia

“What the superior man seeks is in himself; what the small man seeks is in others.” – Confucious

Seeking validation from others is an addiction that can never be satisfied. Roger J. Corless summed it up perfectly when he said: “It’s like trying to satisfy hunger by taping sandwiches all over my body.”

I can remember the first time I shared a photo on Instagram. I had zero expectations and shared an image that I loved. It was probably shite, but three people liked it. Three people who I wasn’t related to and who didn’t know me from a bar of soap loved my picture! I felt like I’d just won a million bucks!, but then I felt the pressure to post again, and doubt and fear of failure had me second-guessing my next post. I scrutinised every pixel as my life depended on it and at that moment it did.

What if I post and only get two likes or no likes? If nobody liked my work I believed it meant I was a failure. I needed a hit of validation.

It took me two days to become an Instagram validation junkie. I spent the . . .

Above: Image by Gina Milicia

“There is the mud, and there is the lotus that grows out of the mud. We need the mud in order to make the lotus.” –Thich Nhat Hanh

George A. Tice, Tenth Avenue Diner, December, 1970.

“The thing itself photographed becomes less interesting when you go back to it years later but I think the photograph becomes more important later when the reality has passed.” – George Tice

George A. Tice (1938-) is an American photographer, best known for his meticulously crafted black and white prints in silver gelatin and platinum, as well as his books, which depict a broad range of American life, landscape, and urban environment, mostly photographed in his native New Jersey, where he has lived all his life.

Above: Image by Gina Milicia

“It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.” –Confucious 

A few years ago, I photographed a woman named Karen Gatt, a busy mother of two toddlers. Karen had gained weight with each pregnancy and had grown depressed by the fact that the extra 150 pounds she was carrying made it difficult to walk. She could barely make it to her letterbox without needing to rest and catch her breath.

Karen knew she needed to exercise more, but how could she do this when she could barely walk?

One morning she made a decision that completely changed her life.

Karen decided to walk to her clothesline and back. Just once.

“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”

The next day Karen walked to the clothesline and back twice.

She continued doing this each day and bit by bit, step by step, Karen moved her body further and further.

Karen lost 150 pounds, gained a ton of energy, and changed her . . .