Who is the real Joel?

A few weeks back, I realised while setting out part of a series on leadership that if I am to truly help others find their own voice, I would be a fraud if I didn’t follow my own advice and share a part of me that I have never shared on LinkedIn.

What follows on “Who is the real Joel?” is a bridge to another side of Joel, which I hope will encourage and inspire others to feel more comfortable sharing more of who they really are. All in the wisdom that:

“Sharing with a voice full of dignity and confidence that the best life is the one where we are more of ourselves more of the time.”

As all of you know, my day job continues to involve helping people and organisations to evolve so that they might survive and thrive in a world of change and disruption. 

However, what the majority of you don’t know is that increasingly photography, which started as a hobby, has over the last few years become a pillar in my life, and now reinforces and aligns more fully with the work I do.  Yes, I can finally say, “I’m a photographer, artist and a business man” which means that alongside my LinkedIn app, my Instagram app is  of equal use for @joelsegalphotography and I even have a website at www.joelsegalphotography.com!

The catalyst for reframing Joel NOW

A number of my critical friends and patrons have over the last few year pushed me harder than ever to launch my art formally through an exhibition, which I’m grateful for as it has taken some fundamental shifts in my belief systems to pursue art formally. However, while an exhibition is on hold for obvious CV-19 reasons, I was delighted to have my most recent work on “Disrupted London” profiled in an art magazine alongside fellow artists I have personally admired. This project, together with a milestone birthday and our new normal, provided the catalyst for me to be the “fuller” Joel. 

Alignment of my art with my business world…

My art mirrors the challenges I find in working with my clients on a daily basis through a visual art form. Starting with who we are, I start with the environment they face; the lives they lead and the change that never stops. 

“We can never step into the same river twice. Life is a river of continuous change; a song of ever-changing melodies and symphonies.”

Greek philosopher Heraclitus

At the heart of my photography sits the exploration of the melodies of life, with a focus on connections between the themes of our outer world (nature, society and wider civilisation) and our inner world (beliefs and values). In simple terms, I look to capture themes that allow the viewer to connect better with who they really are and how this determines their purpose and place in the life they want to have. This focus on guiding the viewer has been described as a visual journey of "curative light". For those interested the underlying artistic photographic technique I use is called Intentional Camera Movement (ICM) which involves allowing for a longer exposure which when combined with various movements creates the dynamism and painterly impressionist look that differs from a sharp traditional photo.

For instance, in business when we look to the future, it is not that there aren't points of clarity (maybe goals or states of evolution) but there is always a state of transition from one point on a journey to the next. In fact, impressionist art reminds us that change both in people and businesses is the majority of the time "ambiguous". In fact, leaders in general need to ensure that they can deal with ambiguity and this perspective has never been more pressing.

For this reason, I always want my work to be more than the simple aesthetic representation they see before them; just as impressionists desired from their work over the last few centuries, I want to create art that can help people explore how they or the world around them might be feeling, hopeful that through the visual storytelling of the image, they might find the calmness or clarity that guides them to move forward to live the life they really want to lead.

A lesson for others…

In the main, I have found myself facing up to the simple fact that like many of my friends and colleagues who have hobbies like photography, art or writing, I had never allowed the recognition I received for my art to change my own long held assumptions. In my own head I was never Joel the artist; I was always Joel the ‘business’ man – amazing how easy it is to allow the critical characters in our own minds to create a negative assumption that one was more valued than another.

But the regret sits with me for not owning my own choices and if I can pass on one simple message:

“It doesn’t need to be an either/or choice between business and your wider passions”.  

A Final thought…

Living and working in London, I’ve focused far more on expressing the shape and interplay between architecture and people. This is especially true in a world where we have all felt the isolation and loneliness that something like COVID has brought.

My hope remains that my art, as well as the work I do with clients every day, continues to support the society we all want.