oh friends, my brilliant friend Whitney Johnson has a new book out titled Dare, Dream, Do: Remarkable Things Happen When You Dare to Dream, which is available at bookstores nationwide, as well as on all major online retailers, including Amazon, B&N, and others. I don’t know much about book publishing but I believe a lot weighs in on purchases made *this* week if you want to make it on “the List”…if you know of someone who could use this message, please consider picking it up! I love supporting dreams and I’d love to see this book on the NY Times Bestseller list so more people can find out about it.
As I started reading, I sort of guessed that the introductory section might not be as helpful because I’d realized quite a few personal dreams but I looooved it! I’m so excited to hear what you think!!
As women we have dreams of happy homes, marriages full of love and perhaps work that serves as an expression of what we value and will have a good effect on our community. Often in conversations with friends, we talk about those things.
“Inspiring and honest, Dare, Dream, Do really touched me. For someone who grew up with a single mother in a small town in Finland and got through the ranks of the highly competitive American fashion industry, hanging on to one’s inner dreams is a must. Whitney writes in a straightforward engaging way and analyzes the wonderful magic of believing in your dreams. Dare, Dream, Do is a book that I would highly recommend for anyone in the beginning of their careers, or in the middle wondering if they are realizing their full potential in life.”
—Johanna Uurasjarvi, creative director, Leifsdottir, former creative director, Anthropologie
The encouragement this book provides – as well as the tactical path to making our deepest hopes and dreams come to life and stop laying dormant is incalculable and I am grateful that someone I adore has made it happen.
“I read Dare, Dream, Do with a highlighter clenched between my teeth and a pad of sticky notes in my hand. Whitney Johnson has written a book that is hopeful, honest, and beautifully written. Her wisdom combined with the amazing stories make dreaming accessible and practical without diminishing its power or magic.”
—Brené Brown, Ph.D., LMSW and author of The Gifts of Imperfection
Big hearty thank you’s to a mother who encouraged dreaming – she never said “You can do anything you put your mind to, Melanie” but there was an unspoken confidence. And she always encouraged me to be me. I love seeing beautiful dreams begin to develop in my daughter. I encourage you to dream within your relationships. If you’re married, journal about everything you remember about the feelings you had on your first date, and how that love has matured as experiences have passed.
I am SO grateful for the view I have of life – one that is offered by spending time beside you. Full of hope and love – and I’m thankful that each time I photograph a wedding or a family, I see the commitment that is present, and it allows a space to think about the moment I made that same commitment.
What I do is the truest expression of who I am. I believe families are the most beautiful thing on earth. I want to hand you images that show you what your love feels like…and that’s why I’m pretty apt to pull a parent in to a shoot even when the focus is on their child. Because *their* favorite image 20 years from now will be the one where they were held.
I’m grateful for an internal compass that guided me towards creating work and the effect that has on my life. I see this exquisite book whispering the same message to those who read it.
I’m grateful for cheerleaders – and if you need one for your dream, I submit that Whitney Johnson is on the job.
“Rethink the fundamentals of your life. Figure out what you were meant to do. Disrupt your status quo. That’s Whitney Johnson’s invitation (and challenge) to each of us in Dare, Dream, Do. I urge you to accept her invitation.”
—Clayton M. Christensen, professor, Harvard Business School and best-selling author
Image note: From The Lexington School Preschool Art Show (because children are such natural dreamers)
