The Grand Canyon. sunset.

I'm watching the light go red over the south rim with 3 college students I met about an hour ago.

we've been talking. about the road. about how the canyon doesn't look real until you're standing in front of it.

I pull out my 5 best photos I printed. show them. tell them the story of how I made them.

each one picks a different photo. a different line hit each of them differently.

“stay golden. make a wish. america the beautiful.”

I give them all 3. we take a photo together.

Here’s what happened and how it will make YOUR life better:

So this is week 16 of the 53skills project.

learning 1 new skill every week for a whole year to become better humans.

this week was photography.

the challenge: take 1,000 photos on a road trip from Austin to California, and on day 7, sell one print to a stranger for real money.

I took around 600 photos.

printed my 5 best. stamped them with short captions. america the beautiful. stay golden. keep going. make a wish. long live the west (link to get them at the end)

I walked up to strangers all day, asking them if they would BUY one. Very cringe, but wanted to get out of my comfort zone and make valuable pictures.

nobody paid me. I “failed”.

a guy passed me at breakfast that morning. music producer from LA.

I offered him a print.

he said no thanks but we kept talking.

His mom arrived. we ended up talking for 30 minutes. about Italy. about career and USA. about making things people actually want.

About his work with KANYE WEST and how he kicked him out of the studio lol

I got his contact. we're staying in touch.

the photo he didn't take became the reason we ever talked.

why this matters for you

I thought I was selling photographs this week. I found out I was actually offering excuses for conversations.

the producer refused the object. but the object was the reason we stopped long enough to become friends.

the students each picked a different photo because a different line hit each of them differently. the photo was never the point. the photo was the excuse to talk about their future.

that's the thing I want you to take from this email, because it applies to basically everything you make:

the thing you make is rarely the thing. it's the reason someone stops.

the PowerPoint deck isn't the pitch. it's the 5 minutes in the hallway after.

the song isn't the connection. it's the conversation after it plays.

the text isn't the message. it's the coffee meeting after she reads it.

make the thing. put it in someone's hand. watch what happens next.

the CONVERSATION is the actual thing.

I had to take 600 photos to figure this out.

Print your pictures! :)

two things I made this week for you

1. the 1-page photography guide. everything I wish someone had told me on day 1. the 7 rules that actually move the needle. the exact prompt I used with AI to improve every single day. you can read it in 3 minutes and shoot better photos this afternoon.

2. the 5 photo prints, as digital downloads: stay golden. long live the west. keep going. make a wish. america the beautiful. full resolution. 300 dpi. printable up to 16x20 and sharp enough to frame.

»»GET THEM HERE««

If you only take one thing from this email, take the guide.

Daily video update:

If you missed the previous weeks and unusual lessons, check them out HERE:

Reply to this email with all your questions, comments, or tips, I will answer.

Or share with friends who want to improve their life.

- Alex