Editing editors

Some days ago a story was published on this blog about the efforts to try to have the pictures of the project "The most beautiful people in the world" published in a Dutch magazine.
And how the picture editor was totally for it but that after one week the editor in chief dumped the plan.
Because too many persons in the project "The most beautiful people in the world" referred to God or Allah in his opinion and he believed the project was not too journalistic enough.

Therefore, in order to try to have the people in the Netherlands see the project "The most beautiful people in the world", a major newspaper was considered to propose them a publication.

Through colleagues it was find out who was the picture editor.
A very young woman.
She was called: as a first step.
In the phone conversation it was explained what the project "The most beautiful people in the world" was about.
And she said that it was very interesting.
And asked to be send images and texts.
This was done and the mobile phone number was added for further easy contact.
After a couple of days, still nothing was heard of the young woman.
Hence, an e-mail was send to her asking if she had received the e-mail with the images and the texts.
Until now, more than a week has passed, nothing has been heard of the picture editor of this newspaper.
What is a next step?
A colleague recommended to call the young woman again.

But a long contemplation followed that suggestion.
There are two possibilities.
One is that the picture editor is not interested in the project "The most beautiful people in the world".
But then one may ask why is she not letting this know?
A phone call, an e-mail?

The second possibility is that it is a hectic situation where she works.
She might be drowning in work and not have the conditions to quietly look at the project and make a decision.

The contemplation was whether it was making sense to be involved in those processes.
Because fervent and loyal blog readers can be guaranteed, it is not exactly a pleasure to deal with editors in chiefs who have weird reasons to refuse publication and with picture editors who remain silent.
To the contrary: it is depressing, demotivating and a bad energy penetrates the happy existence.
Most of all, the project “The most beautiful people in the world” is about love and happiness and harmony and the negativity, pessimism and nihilism existing in certain places should be kept far away from it.
It simply doesn’t match.
When insisting to want to deal with editors in chiefs and picture editors by approaching them and getting into their reality, the whole project is robbed from its fabulous energy.

Therefore an important decision was made.
This crazy circus one gets involved in when trying to publish in a magazine or newspaper, how about simply not participating in that madness?
To leave it alone.

To apply another strategy.
To send the different newspapers and magazines a copy of the book once it is ready and then simply wait.
They may or may not respond.
And if both responses are beforehand accepted as fine and good, what is the problem?
Either they are fascinated by the project “The most beautiful people in the world” or they are not.
If they are not, too bad for their readers but as the photographer it should not be a reason to identify with the ones making this negative decision and be personally influenced by it.
However, if they are interested in the project “The most beautiful people in the world”, they will try to make contact and then it is a whole different ball game.
They will be the ones to ask something.

So, yesterday it was decided to give it all up.
All efforts to convince magazines and newspapers to publish were immediately halted.
Books will be send to editors eventually and for now the Dutch Summer will be enjoyed.
It felt like a heavy burden fell into a ravine: where it belongs.

And then something amazing happened.
A friend of a friend had heard about the project “The most beautiful people in the world”.
A woman in charge of a magazine in Mexico.
An e-mail was received from her:

Dear Michel,
what a fabulous project, do you have press release material to send me? It's wonderful to know that people feel beautiful because they feel LOVE!!!
Congratulations on a fabulous project & book.
I can find space in Atención for an article

saludos,
Suzanne

This is how it goes.
To let go of one thing, makes it possible for other things to come.
For the beauty to return.

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