Thought Spill: Every photo tells a story. But your story is what most people wonder about.

Every photo tells a story. But your story is what most people wonder about.

— Jackson Lo (@jackson_lo) March 31, 2012

I had this thought cross my mind and I think it speaks true to a lot of things. We often see inspiring visuals, often once, twice, or multiple times a day. I'm starting to see a bridge between tech and social, but also visuals and art. Some argue that art is social, other say that social is its own thing.

Pinterest is a great example where technology + social + art play well with one another. You see something cool, interesting, inspiring - you pin it. You create your own pin boards, and others can follow it. Everything is visual on Pinterest, and that's why draws the 80% of females to be so highly engaged on that platform.

I created a pin board for "Words" because I often get inspired with quotes. If I like it, I repin it to my board. I can go back and review and look at it whenever I want. It will always be on my pin board, yay!

But often you will come across photos with no words, and no description, no story. Not sure about you, but I like photos with captions for two reason: (1) it tells the story the photographer intended to portray and (2) doesn't require me to think about what is taken :) I say "Every photo tells a story. But your story is what most people wonder about." because I truly believe that a lot of people in this world are into story telling. Some examples are those photos you find on Facebook that raises the awareness of the relieve in Japan during that devastation earthquake, or the event that took place in Haiti. Those photos all have a story, and they are told. People like, reshare, and comment. This shows high engagement.

I think, if you can tell a great story, you can do well in life. So put a story to your imagery. Tell your story, and let your viewers decide whether they agree or disagree with you? They may leave a comment, then the dialogue starts. Always think on the positive side, even if the comment may end up to be disgruntling and rude (hopefully that won't happen).

This is just a thought spill... ok I'm done here...