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© 2021 Ajani Photography. All rights reserved

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After approximately a year of conversations with t After approximately a year of conversations with the great people at Socality, I am grateful to be facilitating a workshop on mental health for creatives on Saturday, March 6, 2021 at 3:00 PM EST. The workshop is co-produced by Socality, Canon Canada, Canon Creator Lab, and I. Some of the many topics covered include the creative's role within the mental health epidemic, emotional intelligence, mindfulness, the barriers to mental health, and self-actualization. Register via the link in my bio, and I will see you at the workshop! #socality #canoncanada #shotoncanon #mentalhealth #education
Nothing was the same. #ovo #drake #champagnepapi # Nothing was the same. #ovo #drake #champagnepapi #toronto #octobersveryown
James Baldwin once stated that “the role of the James Baldwin once stated that “the role of the artist is exactly the same as the role of the lover. If I love you, I have to make you conscious of the things you don’t see.” As an artist, as an individual that communicates through visuals and words, I believe that I have a responsibility to document the world as I see it, not only to share what I have learned with a fraction of the human population in the present, but also to leave future generations with a variety of questions, and my personal account of seemingly mundane and paradigm-altering events that transpired during my lifetime. With that said, when I realized that the COVID-19 pandemic was a global event that would perpetuate itself for months or years, I began documenting Toronto as I saw it, and I wrote about the pandemic's short and long-term implications through an essay entitled "The Implications of The COVID-19 Pandemic" for my photography company's blog (https://ajani.ca/blog). Soon after, I shared the essay with Arianna Huffington by e-mail, and she requested that it be republished through Thrive Global. I have continued documenting the pandemic in Toronto, I have continued writing about its short and long-term implications, and I look forward to sharing my second essay on the pandemic's profound impact on my life, Toronto, and the collective consciousness of humanity soon. #covid19 #writing #pandemic #toronto #photojournalism
Faiza. #dusk #music #portrait #musician #shotoncan Faiza. #dusk #music #portrait #musician #shotoncanon
"And those who were seen dancing were thought to b "And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music." -Friedrich Nietzsche #shotoncanon #portrait #dancer #performer #performingarts
Dominican mami. #defjam #concert #losangeles #dani Dominican mami. #defjam #concert #losangeles #danileigh #dominicanrepublic
Operation Prefrontal Cortex has experienced many c Operation Prefrontal Cortex has experienced many changes since the beginning of the pandemic, including a variety of challenges and the expansion of our team. As I reflect on our experiences as an organization that is reducing gun violence, mass violence, and police violence in Toronto through mindfulness and meditation during the age of COVID-19, I am amazed by our accomplishments during this past spring and summer specifically. Among other milestones, our petition to bring Advance Peace to Toronto has nearly 100,000 signatures, and an article that I wrote on the last eight months of our operation is available at https://ajani.ca/blog. #oppfc #mindfulness #meditation #neuroscience #toronto
Desert concert. #doha #qatar #souqwaqif #middleeas Desert concert. #doha #qatar #souqwaqif #middleeast #arabic
I attended The University of Western Ontario, whic I attended The University of Western Ontario, which is now known as Western University, and today I have the honor of being featured through Western News and Western University's Alumni platform via the link in @westernuniversity's bio. The fact that the story of my career and personal development has been featured through one of the most prestigious educational institutions in Canada is amazing, considering the fact that my undergraduate years were the most chaotic and dangerous years of my life, I skipped my graduation to work on a photography project, and I picked up my diploma four years after I graduated, as I was in London, Ontario to help a client with a project at the time. With that said, I studied philosophy during my undergraduate studies, as I was unsure about my career path and many other aspects of life, and I believed that philosophy would provide me with the clarity that I was seeking, which it did. Making the decision to become a professional photographer during my last semester was the smartest decision I have ever made, I went from editing mediocre photographs in my apartment at Oxford and Richmond in London, Ontario, while listening to Drake, to being on a stage with Drake two years later. Since the earliest years of my career, I have diversified my skillsets to a degree that was inconceivable to me a decade ago, I have worked with some of the most prolific artists and entrepreneurs in the world, my artwork has reached millions of people, I have traveled the globe, I have been featured in some of my favorite publications, and recently, I told my friend Julien that we are beyond art now; we save lives now! The mental health advocacy component of my career has inspired many to cultivate introspection and mindfulness, to live far more sustainably, I am living proof that self-actualization is possible, and that the riskiest career paths are usually the wisest, most fulfilling, and ironically the safest bets in the end. I dedicate this post and the classes that I will be teaching at Western as a Guest Instructor in the near future to my friend Nathan James Carl Holder, who went by the name Nate Black, as he was the ultimate Western student. #uwo
A recent Globe and Mail article entitled "My PTSD A recent Globe and Mail article entitled "My PTSD and shame around money are intricately linked. It's time financial literacy programs recognize that" features Rhiannon Rosalind, who is the president, CEO, and owner of The Economic Club of Canada, and Founder of The Jr. Economic Club of Canada and the Global Institute For Conscious Economics. The article also features my portrait of Rhiannon, her description of childhood traumas and how they adversely affected her relationship with money, useful insights on the correlations between financial health and mental health, and how maladaptive financial habits are often learned in childhood. On November 16th, The Jr. Economic Club of Canada will unveil its newest financial wellness program, Mindfulness & Money, in partnership with The CEE Centre for Young Black Professionals -- an organization that is dedicated to creating a society and economy where Black youth can thrive and make meaningful contributions, and I am grateful to be one of the Instructors for Mindfulness & Money. Registration for the course is available via the link in @economicclubca's bio. #mindfulness #finance #money #mentalhealth #education
I am honored, grateful, and inspired to be Canon C I am honored, grateful, and inspired to be Canon Canada's newest ambassador. I have been exclusively shooting with Canon's products since the age of twelve, since I began learning how to shoot and develop film through The Toronto School of Art, The Claude Watson Arts Program, and many other institutions, and Canon's products have positively impacted my consciousness and skills as a visual artist since I was a child. Moreover, since 1937, Canon's iconic, innovative, and resilient products have positively shaped the collective consciousness of humanity through the art and documentation of countless photographers, filmmakers, and other artists that I respect, allowing us to understand ourselves, the human condition, and the complicated world that we live in from numerous perspectives. I am excited about my partnership with my favorite photography and filmmaking brand, I look forward to sharing more about my relationship with Canon, our projects, and my newest photography and filmmaking endeavors in the near future, and in the meantime, an article on the evolution of my career is available through Canon Canada via https://www.canon.ca, and the article also features the most detailed interview that I have engaged in thus far. Photographer: Aaron Costa. #canon #shotoncanon #sponsored #toronto #tech
REALthings is the company that created the customi REALthings is the company that created the customized meditation cushion and meditation mat that I use every day, and they recently interviewed me about my use of their products, meditation practices, the importance of introspection, the mental health advocacy component of my career, and more. Meditation has changed every aspect of my life for the better, and the interview is available via https://www.realthingscushions.com. #design #meditation #mindfulness #portrait #toronto
For motivational purposes. #jamelshabazz #brooklyn For motivational purposes. #jamelshabazz #brooklyn #newyork #photographer #portrait
"How are there people that never met me that hate "How are there people that never met me that hate me? I wonder if they understand that I meditate daily." -Big Sean #bigsean #detroit #motown #hiphop #photojournalism
The ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus once stat The ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus once stated that "the only constant in life is change", and it is amazing how much the world has changed in a year. A year ago, Operation Prefrontal Cortex was inspiring thousands upon thousands of people in-person (and online), but in-person interactions are now significantly limited due to a pandemic that most of us never foresaw. Also, based on the current data available to us, shootings in Toronto have increased significantly over the course of the last twelve months, Toronto is still in the midst of a gun violence crisis, and our city is also experiencing an opioid crisis and a homelessness crisis, all of which are by-products of the global mental health epidemic. Despite the many challenges facing Toronto and humanity at large, this past summer was arguably the most productive summer for Operation Prefrontal Cortex, we are unwavering in our mission to reduce gun violence, mass violence, and police violence in Toronto through mindfulness and meditation, our petition to bring Advance Peace to Toronto has passed the 86,000 signature mark, the City of Toronto is now considering our mindfulness-based policing program, and the Mindfulness Mentors program that has been designed by our partners Mindfulness Everyday is now active. I look forward to sharing more updates about our operations and programming in the coming weeks, and in the meantime, please follow Operation Prefrontal Cortex via social media, please continue sharing and signing our petition to bring Advance Peace to Toronto, donate to our GoFundMe if possible, purchase our exclusive Director X set design bag via xylk, and reach out to us if you are seeking guidance regarding mindfulness and meditation. Together, we can reduce violence in Toronto through mindfulness and meditation! #mindfulness #meditation #takeaction #oppfc #toronto
I was recently a podcast guest for the first time, I was recently a podcast guest for the first time, and I am grateful to have been interviewed by Rhiannon Rosalind for The Lunar Podcast through the Global Institute For Conscious Economics, in association with the Economic Club of Canada. Our conversation is available through The Lunar Club's Instagram account bio or by searching for The Lunar Club wherever you listen to your favourite podcasts. With that said, our conversation focuses on mindfulness and its role in shaping leadership, business, and all facets of humanity for the better, on a global scale.
"Step with care and great tact, and remember life' "Step with care and great tact, and remember life's a great balancing act." -Dr. Seuss #beijing #china #acrobats #performance #bicycle
My first article for The Toronto Star was publishe My first article for The Toronto Star was published this morning. I wrote it, I photographed myself at the meditation studio Hoame for the piece, and I was fortunate to have it edited by my longtime colleague Priya Ramanujam (and some of her gracious team members). The article focuses on meditation, and how meditation and other mindfulness practices have transformed my life for the better, ultimately saving it. Furthermore, the article discusses meditation's potential for dismantling systemic racism on a global scale, while reducing violence of all kinds. I began engaging in various meditation practices regularly in 2014, and such habits have been crucial to my mental health, and to my professional successes in the midst of a global pandemic, a global civil rights movement, and many other upheavals. Meditation is undoubtedly a game-changer, from my perspective, and based on many scientific studies facilitated by institutions such as The University of Toronto, Harvard University, and Stanford University, and the article is available via the Toronto Star website (https://www.thestar.com). #torontostar #journalism #toronto #mindfulness #meditation
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© 2021 Ajani Photography. All rights reserved