We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Daniel Epstein. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Daniel below.

Daniel, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

23 years ago I began interviewing people around the world about their faith and spiritual journeys (not religion). As a photographer, I sought to make a portrait of each person that evoked their true spirit, especially as shown through their eyes. To-date, I have interviewed and photographers 500 people in 29 countries (and counting). The name of the project is Portraits in Faith and we now have a traveling exhibition called “Seeing The Other.” Our mission is to show that all of creation is on a spiritual journey together and that there is no “other.”

Daniel, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I was traveling the world for my job with Procter & Gamble and would add on personal days to work on this project. I found that as I heard people’s stories a”bout their lives I was filled with hope and faith. A psychiatrist once described me in my early adult years as “a young man who wasn’t happy about much!” and I have to agree that was true. This project has been a big part of my healing and becoming whole. I thought Portraits in Faith was about each person in the world getting to tell their story but then a dear friend sent me the book by StoryCorp founder, David Isay, called “Listening is an Act of Love” and I realized this project was about LISTENING to someone’s sacred story not telling your own story. Today I call that “Sacred Listening” — receiving the story of someone else, especially someone you might consider to be “the other.” Of course, our goal is to show that there is no “other.”

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

The pivot I had to make was to see that this sacred journey I am on documenting people’s spiritual journeys was a part of my life mission but not the only part. I enjoyed 21 years at Procter & Gamble as a marketing director and internal marketing professor-type role. Now I have been consulting for 11 years on my own since leaving P&G in 2013. My speciality is applying cognitive and behavioral science to marketing and innovation. I do this mainly with large companies and I also get pulled into public health projects by my PhD partners. I love that part of my life two. So the pivot was not to think I could only be in one of these worlds not both.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

My creative journey is fueled by the desire to contribute. I believe that when the Universe wants an idea to be born it finds every way to see it birthed. I am just one of the many avenues that a more sacred approach to each other and to life is currently emerging in this messy world.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://portraitsinfaith.org/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/portraitsnfaith/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/daniel.epstein3
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielkepstein/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@portraitsinfaith

Image Credits

Credit for Portrait of Daniel Epstein: Nancy Wong
All other pictures credit: Daniel Epstein