I am not sure if this should be a looking back or looking forward kind of post, but I always like to use the change of the big number on the calendar to think about what the theme of the year will be. I do not like the idea of New Year’s resolutions, but rather more of something that will guide the overall shape of the year rather than any specific outcome. I don’t think I’ve ever really been goal or achievement-oriented; it is more about what you do and learn along the way.
2020 started with a theme based around getting out of my comfort zone and make more videos, travel to photograph new places, and just a general ”getting out there more.” 2020 turned out not to be such a good year for all of that, and focused more on keeping some embers glowing for the next year and fine-tune and release some new software. Still, I was able to get one trip in and start to make videos photographing out in the field before everything ground to a halt. Learning video production and editing has been a bit of a challenge, but I just posted my 3rd video from that trip.
There are three or four more videos left in the series from that trip, and some more planned based on what I learned over the past year.
Something that came out of 2020 and the need to change how we connect is how people have become more comfortable live streaming and recording conversations and that it is happening more regularly. When the stay-at-home orders in the UK and the United States came down in March, Jeffery Saddoris and Sean Tucker began to hold regular Instagram Live conversations about photography and creativity and those ephemeral chats were a bit of a lifeboat early in the pandemic. Later in the year, Jefferey started a live call in show, and I was brave enough to call in a few times. Those conversations rekindled some of that flame of what I got into all this for and what I want to focus on in the year(s) to come. It also turned into a budding friendship with Jeffery, with plans to record some of our conversations about art and creativity over the next several months to release in his podcast feed. If you are interested in some of those conversations that were part of his live call you show, you can catch them on his site, podcast feed, and YouTube channel here:
Of course, I would recommend listening to the whole series, but I called into episodes 3, 8, 11, and 12 if you want to check those out here.
Another thing that came out of the last year is realizing how much I really need a studio outside the house. The final straw in searching for a dedicated space outside of the house was trying to print and frame a couple of big prints for a show I am in at the Perkins Center for the Arts. I was super lucky that camel broke when it did because I found space in a studio building within walking distance and signed a year lease the next day.
Anyway, the new studio is maybe the thing I am most excited about because it will enable me to do what I have been trying to for the last few years. Between the ability to have a larger area to work on much bigger prints, a dedicated space to hold virtual classes and workshops, make the videos and podcast recordings, and not having a kitchen a few steps away to run to when the work gets a little difficult, I think this move is going to open up a lot more possibilities than what I was able to do at home.
I have to say; this already feels like it is going to be a good year.