From What to Who - It's in me

I've been chewing on a fascinating mental model (yet to be named).
Let's call it the Who-What maturity model for now.

This concept was jolted into my front of mind recently by a dear mentor who asked me,

"How would others describe your authenticity?"

What a great question! In other words, "How well do people around you know you?"
So here is the first of a few observations as I reflect on this idea.

Observation 1 - Photography

When you start out with photography, you can get caught up in a whole number of WHATs

• What camera should I buy
• What lenses do I "need" to shoot portraits
• What software do I "need" to speed up my workflow

After that you work through a number of HOWs as you sharpen your craft

• How to take that dusk shot?
• How to halve my post processing time?
• How to get the next gig?

After a while some might be comfortable enough with the WHATs and HOWs and think about 

• Why am I taking photos on a Saturday?
• Why am I staying up late the process photos in Lightroom?

But rarely do you meet people who think beyond the Why to

• Who is the person on the other side of the lens?
• Who is the person on this side of the lens?

So tell me:

• What is your hobby/passion project?
• Where are you on this journey?

WHAT

HOW

WHY

WHO