Experience

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  Curious Soul Photo School

  • Founder

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  Curious Soul Photo School

  • Founder

    • May 2015 - Present

  • Founder

    • May 2015 - Present

    The Curious Soul Photo School programs focus on mindful photography as a practical path to personal creative growth, well-being, and happiness. We specialize in photography programs for people incorporating mindfulness as a component of their wellness program. Much like exercise or meditation, mindful photography serves to increase feelings of well-being and reduce stress. The good news is, most people are already taking photos with their iPhones so all that is needed, is some coaching and direction to harness the interest in photography and translate it into a powerful mindful practice. This method improves attention, presence, and concentration. It has the added benefit of creating beautiful images that can be printed and displayed in the home to further enhance the beauty of your environment. Images of beauty in nature displayed a work place or home evoke positive feelings. We often work with people in transition who are curious about reconnecting to their creative side. Recently retired individuals or those taking a break, often pick up photography as a hobby. But it can be so much more. Photography can be a great way to enrich the next chapter of life. It introduces a way of being and seeing the world with fresh eyes. It is about taking the time to reconnect deeply to the beauty of life. Many of the skills developed in mindful photography can be applied to looking at your life with a fresh perspective. It is a tool for self exploration and discovery. Once you learn how to use that new camera, you are confronted with the questions of more significance. What matters to you? What do you find inspiring? How will you translate your experience of life into an image. Through a step by step process, individuals who take this program rediscover and reclaim parts of their true self that had to be set aside during the busy years of work and raising families.

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  Flow-tography

  • Founder

    • Nov 2012 - Present

    For many years I traveled globally leading training programs and making keynote speeches using my photography as a tool to inspire people to discover their sense of purpose and meaning.Now I am combining my years as a professional trainer in creativity, my Masters Degree in Aesthetic, and 30 years as a photographer, to guide Curious Souls on a fresh approach to taking better pictures. Currently I work out of a studio at the Boston Center for the Arts. I travel around the world leading retreats based on my most recent book, Flow-tography: The Curious Soul’s Guide to Intuitive Photography.I love to conduct Flow-tography workshops for busy people who want to reconnect to their creative self through beauty in nature and art. Flow-tography is the joyful experience of photographing the beauty of your life. It starts with a simple idea. Before you can photograph beauty you need to experience it. So the more deeply you experience a moment of beauty, the more likely you are to capture essence of that moment. Over the past 25 years I have figured out a few practices that can help you do this by choice rather than by chance.Individual, groups, and corporate programs are available.I am excited about the new collaborative work with Photo-Coco Amsterdam NL more about this new adventure coming soon.

  • Author and Artist

    • Mar 2012 - Present

    Award winning Author of Flow-tography:The Curious Souls Guide to Intuitive PhotographyI practice what I teach. I applied my creativity to publish the first photography ebook for the iPad. Flow-tography: Better Photos Now The Curious Soul's Guide to Intuitive Photography is available as an enhanced ePub for the iPad. This intuitive not technical approach to photography is a contemplative practice that brings mindfulness and meaning back into our busy lives.Flow-tography workshops are available for business and pleasure. This method builds creative seeing, observation, and visual thinking.

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  Ideas With Merritt

  • Boston MA

  • Owner

    • 1996 - Present
    • Boston MA

    Suzanne R. Merritt Founder, Ideas With MerrittEXECUTIVE SUMMARYAn accomplished professional trainer and leadership development facilitator with 20 years of global experience. Functional expertise in motivation, purpose, creativity, innovation, marketing, leadership, group dynamics and content creation.Ideas With Merritt Global leadership development and training company specializing in creativity, purpose driven innovation, and related skills. Over the past 16 years, consulted with dozens of Fortune 500 and mid-sized companies. Have equipped leadership teams with the skills necessary to drive improved business results including:◉ empowering employees to higher levels of engagement ◉ connecting individual purpose with shared organizational purpose◉ identifying new business opportunities and future industry trends◉ developing leadership skills to manage diverse teams◉ building cross-functional and cross-generational team collaboration ◉ building a culture of innovation and advancing skills necessary for creative thinking◉ building visual communication skills using photography◉ active listening skills and needs assessment for client facing teamsClients Include: de Baak Leadership Center NL, Center for Creative Leadership, Ketchum World Wide, Budco Distribution, McKeil Marine, Kraft Foods, Hallmark, PEM Museum, Bain Global Marketing Management Consulting, United Way Corporate, McGraw-Hill, California Library Association, Bose, Ocean Spray, Amoco Oil, Boston Center for the Arts, Cone Communications, Comcast,Veterans Hospital Association, Kaspersky Labs, Organon Pharmaceuticals,

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  Beauty Break

  • Places of Astonishing Beauty

  • Retreat Leader

    • Jul 2000 - Nov 2021
    • Places of Astonishing Beauty

    Personal retreats for busy professionals. Beauty matters. Make time to deepen your relationship with beauty in nature and art as a source of life renewing energy. Expand your capacity to experience your connection to what matters most to you at this stage of your life: living fully, deeply, openly, in a way that feels authentic, powerful and calm. Discover 8 universal archetypes of beauty such as vitality, luminosity, and simplicity. By the end of the retreat you will know your own true pattern of beauty and how to bring this to life for those you love or lead. Recent retreat locations: * Amsterdam◉ Malibu CA◉ Sonoma CA◉ Boston MA◉ Wellfleet Cape MAIf you can't escape for the full retreat right now, at least take one moment to slow down and refresh your mind. I send out a free moment of mindfulness each week. See the sample below and then visit my website www.ideaswithmerritt.com to subscribe to your own moment of mindfulness to reduce stress and increase creativity.

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  Polaroid Corporation

  • Cambridge MA

  • Sr. Creatologist

    • 1983 - 1996
    • Cambridge MA

    Polaroid Corporation 1983-1996 Founder of of the Polaroid Creativity Lab (1991-1996)Generated 60 million dollars of new business ideas during its 6 years of operation. Teams including manufacturing, sales and marketing, R&D, market research, distribution and packaging took advantage of training programs and brainstorm facilitation services requiring in-depth understanding of these functions. The Creativity Lab was cited in the Wall Street Journal and Fast Company Magazine.Curriculum Design team co-captain Center for Creative Leadership -- co-created innovative training program in collaboration with the Center for Creative Leadership Greensboro NC. Set learning objectives with understanding of adult developmental learning in new territory. Participants were confronted with complexity, ambiguity and connection making in their work through experiences in drawing, writing, and other art forms. This transformational work led to the Center for Creative Leadership publication of The Leader’s Edge, a management book outlining this breakthrough approach to contemporary leadership.Polaroid Invention and Innovation Research Team Member -- part of a cross-functional team which conducted a world-wide anthropological research project to identify best practices of innovative organizations and teams. Team conducted 140 in-depth interviews and analyzed the data identifying key factors enhancing and inhibiting innovation in companies such as Sony, Club Med, and Apple.World Wide Strategic Planning and New Business Development (1986-1991) Entertainment Imaging entrepreneurial start up business division within Polaroid Consumer Products. General Manager Polaroid Retail Locations (1983-1986)Flagship stores located at Quincy Market Boston MA and Pier 39 San Francisco CA.Responsible for all store operations including creating marketing programs to drive optimal customer satisfaction and build positive Polaroid brand experience.