Words and Photography by Nadine Wilmanns
Integrity
What kind of world are we choosing to build?
A post from a tobacco company I just saw on LinkedIn was talking about how they prevent young people from accessing cigarettes.
My first reaction was immediate — I almost commented something like: Why not just leave this industry entirely? That would actually remove harm at the source.
And I’m saying that as someone who enjoyed smoking for years and still occasionally smoke. But how much better would it be if there just wasn’t such a product as a cigarette around! Some people really end up in immense misery because of their addiction.
A business of responsibility
Anyway, I stopped myself from commenting – not because I agreed with the post, but because I know that any comment would only push the post further on LinkedIn. It would help it spread, not challenge it.
Yet my question remains: How do we deal with marketing that takes something harmful and makes it look okay — even responsible?
That’s what bothered me most. Not just the product itself, but how it gets reframed and how something that clearly can ruin people’s lives in a way that feels acceptable — even responsible.
That tension doesn’t sit comfortably with me.
Comfort vs integrity
I’ve been carrying these kinds of questions with me for quite a while, actually. A couple of months ago, I have written a blog post addressing this same issue but was hesitant to post it and left it in my draft folder.
Earlier this year, in church, we read a passage about a time when cruelty was the norm, where the strong or wealthy simply took what they wanted, and where even a priest who was supposed to stand up for what was right just didn’t, but prioritized comfort and the opinion of other people over his integrity. Reading it felt almost unbearable.
Comfort and approval mattered more than integrity. Those who were meant to speak up stayed quiet because it was easier.
The influence of storytelling
Only days later, I accidentally saw a few seconds of a video I wish I hadn’t seen: two people treating a dog with shocking cruelty, possibly in a lab. I put my phone down immediately, but those few seconds have stayed with me ever since.
Slowly, these and other observations started to connect.
I work in photography and videography. This means, I help businesses advertise their expertise and beauty using visual storytelling.
Storytelling is not neutral: It shapes perception. It builds trust. It influences how people see a brand, it influences what feels desirable. Marketing, and photography and videography in particular, are powerful instruments that contribute to the success of a brand.
That is real influence.
Look closer
So there really is a responsibility for us visual storytellers to tell the right stories of the right businesses.
Another incident during a conversation: Someone got asked: “Have you ever turned a job down because you didn`t want to work with the client?” The person being asked said something like — “Well, I can’t really afford to.” And while I don’t think that person would take any job that actively supports cruelty and harm, I understand that the temptation is there to turn a blind eye where bad morals aren’t obvious. Naturally, it got me thinking of my own answer.
I have turned down jobs before when something didn’t feel right. Not often, but it has happened.
But if I’m honest, there were also times where I didn’t ask enough questions. I didn’t look deeper into supply chains, impact, or what a company really contributes to once you move past the obvious.
I mean, it’s certainly easier not to look too closely when the harm isn’t directly in front of me.
Comfort excuses
And even when I did turn work down, I wasn’t always direct about it.
I usually said that I was unavailable at the moment. That was easier than saying: “This doesn’t align with what I want to support.”
And these were minor opportunities so there was no great pain in turning them down. But what if the temptation of a huge opportunity comes around the corner, that I would rather not support? Will I still have the integrity to say no? I do hope so and most of all I want myself to be the kind of person who does.
Choices when no one is watching
Steven Bartlett writes in The Diary of a CEO that the small choices we make when no one is watching shape how we see ourselves.
If I keep doing hard things, I start to see myself as capable. If I avoid them, I start to see myself as someone who avoids difficulty.
So in this context: if I often choose what’s easy instead of standing up for what doesn’t feel right, that shapes the kind of person I become over time.
Is it something that God smiles on?
Another idea that stayed with me comes from another author, John Mark Comer. In his book “Garden City”, he talks about work that either adds to life or takes from it.
He writes: “…Is it something that God smiles on? After all, his opinion of your work matters more than everybody else’s. (…) Some work brings life and healing and hope and beauty to the world, while other kinds of work bring violence and theft and poverty and chaos to it. The only work that can be a vocation or calling from God is work that harmonizes with Jesus’ vision of the kingdom of God. (…) Does it help humanity; will it make the world a better place…?”
After all, it’s not just what I buy or consume that has direct influence on our world, it’s also who I work for, and who I give my time, skill, knowledge, and creative energy to.
Focus shift
I’m not trying to tell anyone how they should act. We’re all learning, and I’m very aware that I’m far from perfect. This is more a reminder to myself and to hold myself accountable to not to let business pressure or what others might think override my own values.
Yet I don’t just want to think about what I should avoid, instead I want to focus on what I want to move towards.
I want to use my skills to support and serve businesses that bring something good into the world — businesses that create, heal, protect, inspire, or add beauty and life.
Because it’s not only about what we consume. It’s also about what we give our time, talent, creativity, and energy to.
Target with intention
Not every job has to change the world. But I want to be intentional about the things I help make visible.
I know that things are rarely black and white. Supply chains are complex. Information is imperfect. Some things you realize only later.
But I want to keep asking myself:
- Does this work contribute to something life-giving?
- Does it move the world a little closer to more beauty, hope, and goodness?
That is the direction I want to keep moving towards.
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