Paul Jun — The Power of Community

My guest on this episode is is the author of MotivatedMastery.com, co-creator of The Observers and Head of Content at CreativeMornings, Paul Jun.

I first discovered Paul when I signed up for Seth Godin's altMBA program in January 2016. As its website says, the altMBA is an intensive, 4-week online workshop designed by Seth for high-performing individuals who want to level up and lead. When I applied I certainly didn't think I was performing as highly as I could, and I was excited about surrounding myself with people from around the world who were all seeking to lift their game. Those four weeks transformed the way I thought about myself, the way I understood the people around me, and it allowed me to reimagine my own place in the world.

Paul was one of the coaches in that program, and I noticed that he was wise and deeply philosophical for such a young guy. I began to read the articles he posted at motivatedmastery.com and his book Connect the Dots.

He later served as the Community Manager at altMBA, finding ways to continue developing connections throughout the program's community. As the lessons and projects came to a close and the students became alumni there was a strong desire to have a way to maintain the energy and camaraderie that had grown inside the course. Paul designed ways for alumni to stay in touch, support our colleagues' work and celebrate their successes.

In September 2016 Paul joined CreativeMornings — a breakfast lecture series in over 180 cities that connects and celebrates the global creative community as their Director of Content.

This year he co-created The Observers, a curious community dedicated to photography and books.

This was the first time we'd actually spoken, and I was thrilled that we got to spend time talking about one of our favourite subjects. Paul's passion and enthusiasm for community shines throughout.

In this episode we discuss:

• What it means to surround yourself with a community that inspires you
• Seth Godin’s altMBA and CreativeMornings
• Paul’s experience of the community in Brooklyn
• How he thinks about his process of “learning in public” as he develops as a photographer
• How the power of learning with other people accelerated his proficiency as a photographer
• “You gave me the opportunity to make this photograph of you, to take that chance, to connect with you and just capture this moment, right here.”
• Edvard Munch - The Scream, and his photography
• How the right photo can help you reimagine your identity and change your narrative
• Bill Wadman - portraits and editorials. [Check out his Dreamscape Series, my favourites are Moon, Tattoo and Tree.] The portraits here are stunning.
• The beginnings of The Observers, a project where acclaimed photographers talk about the photography books that have influenced them
• Wesley Verhoeve - photographer. Curator at the International Center of Photography in New York and co-founder of The Observers<