And GOODBYE 2020!
I can’t help it…with the end of the year, I find myself reflecting on what has happened and planning ahead for what’s next. This year I find myself stuck on the fact that I didn’t take nearly enough pictures of my boys on my “big camera”. I think part of it was because it was the first year I didn’t do a project 52 as I have in past years. But I also think I chose to use my phone more.
The other thing I noticed this year as I put together photography talks, classes and my book, Tell Your Story Through Photography, is just how important it is for me to see photos where I am also in the frame.
So I have a couple 2021 goals…
1) Commit to a self portrait project.
Every week. This is my going to be my new Project 52. I’m not entirely sure what this is going to look like. But since I turn 40 in February it feels right. I would love to have anyone join me on this self portrait journey that would like to, so please reach out if you are looking for a weekly/monthly/occasional photography project to take part in.
2) Support others to tell their story through photography.
This one encompasses a number of different projects not least of which is my I Was There Too conversations and Tell Your Story talks. But there are also a couple of other projects beginning to develop and I’m excited to see where they go. The idea of supporting others, both kids and adults, to narrate their own story using photography is the driving force behind everything I want to do this year.
3) Keep telling visual stories of (and with) my family.
This year our annual family album had a lot more images that my kids had taken. Which is awesome. But I also felt like I had really fallen off the wagon with regards to taking pictures of our family. My husband’s special request this year is that I post more blogs. He misses my weekly blog posts about our boys and he doesn’t realize how much I actually post about our family because he’s not on social media ; ) So I am aiming for a monthly family based blog post.
4) Continue to make self care a priority.
I find January to be a pretty difficult time of year, but since it’s Mental Health Awareness month let’s talk about it.
Photography is a major part of my self care and having goals to focus on like the above projects and improving on my skills (particularly nailing exposure in camera!) keep me going
In my roll with the Wolfe Pack Warriors (the charitable venture of the Wolfe Automotive Group) we are also talking about mental health. We have partnered with Maria M Consulting to create a Wolfe Pack Warriors version of Mary’s amazing Live Well. Lead Well. calendar. I have included the calendar below and WPW will be posting a different self care activity daily on social media. But please feel free to download your own copy and join us.
My 2021 wish is that each of you find a little time for yourself each day and that you continue to focus on the things that bring you joy.