New Year

I can’t let the turning of the calendar go by without a mention of the New Year and what it may mean for me, or you, as we roll up 2022 and put it in the closet and look ahead to new possibilities.  I have never been one to put a lot of emphasis on the new year, however, it is also a great “turning point” to assess where we’ve been and where we’re going on this road of life.  If not during the calendar switch over, then any other time will do for a little introspection and evaluation, it doesn’t really matter when you do it, just that you do it!  One of the activities I do at the end of the year is to try and pick my “best”, or as I like to call them my “favorite” images of the prior year.  This year I put them in a video, check it out HERE.

As a continual learner and someone who wants to be better every day, I am subtly and consistently looking back, even to just yesterday, to assess what I did and how I felt I did and are there things I could do better. This is true in my regular activities as well as with my creative pursuits.  I don’t dwell on the past, no way.  But I do use it as a great reference point to look at how I did and where I want to go.  I also don’t spend too much time projecting in to the future…I am not clairvoyant and I cannot predict what the future is going to be for me and I just don’t see the rationale for spending time worrying about something that may never come to pass.  I can acknowledge that it may happen and prepare possible responses, but I do not stress out or dwell on something that may not happen. Instead, I try to be open and responsive to the world around me and above all else, be present in the moment in order to fully experience and appreciate each and every moment, as well as be connected enough to respond appropriately to unforeseen things that may come up. This is the same philosophy I wrote about in a recent article published on Nature Photographers Network when it comes to preparing for a photo trip.

So how I recognize the new year is to do a bit of assessment of the past, give some thoughts to the future and consider some aspirational themes for myself for the coming 365 days.  I don’t believe in setting concrete “New Years goals” for myself.  I don’t want to lock myself in to a path on the first day of the year that may constrain me to “have” to follow that path to achieve my goal.  Instead, I set general themes or guardrails for myself…some general directions if you will.  Setting themes instead of goals provides me some latitude to move around on my way to the general end point (goal).  Think of it like this….a curving roadway through the mountains headed towards a mountain chalet with incredible views of the valley below.  The road is lined with a yellow stripe and has guardrails on both sides.   If I set a specific goal, it may sound like “make it to the chalet safely and on time” and I need to stay between the guardrails and preferably on the right side of the yellow lines.  OK, sounds reasonable enough.  But instead, if I set a theme of “going to the mountains, headed towards the chalet, wanting to see beautiful views”.  That sounds a bit different yes?  The theme allows me the attitude to go slowly, weave between the guardrails to enjoy the curving road (not leaving the road/general direction) AND, this is the big one, allows me to pull off the road at turnouts to enjoy the journey along the way.

I apply the same philosophy to my creative pursuits.  I don’t set specific goals for myself, choosing instead to consider general themes for the rough direction I want to go in the new year.  As I said above, I cannot predict the future, so setting a specific goal that is dependent upon a specific future state to be in place for me to achieve it…it just doesn’t make sense.  I don’t know if 10 months in the future I will be in a position to have the capability to achieve a specific goal I set back in January.  Instead, by setting general themes, I allow myself the latitude to adjust to changes in my environment and even in myself and still be heading in the general direction of the theme(s) I chose for the year. As the year goes by, my creative energy changes along with my personal life and I need the freedom to adapt to these changes and still feel like I’m successful at the end of the year. I may consider one theme or several for a coming year.  I don’t want to overload myself, yet as a continual learner and growth advocate, I also want to make sure I am inspired and challenged in the new year.

As I’m writing this, I realize that I haven’t spent enough time considering the new year and what themes I feel are the most important to me in the coming year.  D’oh!!!   The good news is that because I’m working with general themes, I don’t need to be specific and I don’t need to work out every last detail of a goal in order to feel successful.  Notice that I say “feel successful”, not “be successful”.  There is an important difference between the two; one is subjective and the other is more objective.  In creative pursuits, I try to stay in the subjective realm as creativity is not something easily defined or measured.  A lot of it is feeling and emotion, which by their very nature are subjective.   I will never set creative goals for myself such as “take more frames that I did last year” or “get 5 images published” or “create 10 portfolio quality images”.  Those things just don’t work that way in the creative space for me and it sets me on a path to “have to” create with those specific goals in mind.  Instead, I prefer to be in tune with my creative energy, paying attention to where it is directed, and oftentimes following that energy to produce creative work.  As I follow this energy, I do keep in mind the general themes I have for the year, as well as more practical considerations to how it may impact my business or personal life.  My point is that I follow the creativity that flows from me, rather than a specific list of “achievements” that I defined months prior. With that, here are some of the themes I am considering for this new year.

2023 Themes

• Continue to be present each and every day, noticing as much around me as possible, large and small, to fully experience the days and enrich my overall life.  Enjoy the journey!
• Grow my income.  I won’t define how, but just that I want it grow it.  It can be through the creative side of my life such as more workshops, more book or print sales, etc.  Or, it can be through more traditional means of employment.  Because I don’t know what the next months may bring, I leave myself open for many possibilities. I am considering an effort in to Patreon, which is a way for people to support artists and receive additional content.  It means that I need to deliver additional value to the patrons, which means more work, but that’s the price I may have to pay for increased income.
• Grow my audience. Whether through speaking at camera clubs, social media or professional organizations, my general theme is to grow my connections in my creative world.
• Increase quality of workshops. I’m already happy with how I, by myself or with Jack Graham, run workshops.  But being one who wants to constantly improve, I can always do better.  Exactly how that will look, I don’t know right now and THATS OK.
• Have amazing photographic experiences.  On workshops or by myself, recognizing and being grateful for the amazing opportunity I have to be in beautiful locations witnessing nature in all its glory.
• Continue to practice “slowing down” when I am in the field photographing.  I preach this a lot and is something that I strive to continually work on.

I hope you noticed through this that there is no mention of specific photographs, destinations or measurable/quantifiable things related to photography.  Images are important yes, but they are not the end-all/be-all of why I am a photographer. It is the experiences, the people, the amazing natural landscapes.  Most importantly, it is the richness that this can bring to my life!  Our journey on this planet is not long and I am determined to enjoy the journey, each and every day.  Being creative is not about the number of images one takes, or the number of followers, or even how much money one makes.  Being creative is about the experience of self-expression, perhaps touching someone else emotionally or cognitively, and creating something that you find beautiful.

What themes do you have for yourself in this new year?  I’d be very interested to hear some of yours and perhaps it may influence some of mine!