Goals For 2023
It’s February 2023. We’ve made it through the first month of the year. Now, most people would have started making their lists or new years resolutions back at the end of December/early January, but I wouldn't consider myself to be like most people. Over the last year I’ve really thought about where my skills lie and how I can utilize them moving forward. I know in 2020 and 2021 I went all in on social media and took a back seat in 2022, not posting as much, trying to focus on doing these blog posts instead and I think I’m still going to keep to that. Social media, while good for your online presence, can have some negatives that I found to be a little too overwhelming. So this year, my goals still remain with what I did last year, with a couple differences.
Being more present. While I grew my presence on social media a few years ago, I was living behind a screen majority of the time. My screen time on my phone was laughably outrageous and was clear that I was spending far too much time trying to build that following on platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook. Last year, I did not post nearly as much as I used to, but put my focus on other things in life. Getting sucked into the doom scrolling for hours led to a lot of bad mental health and much time going to waste. Lately I’ve been switching up my habits to utilize other devices to let me know when I have a text, such as my laptop or smartwatch, that doesn't fully give me access to the doom scrolling. I can respond to the text or answer the call without immediately opening up another app and getting sucked in. Staying off my phone helps me be more present with the people around me as well as the environment that I’m in. Being present also means less time editing when I can. I am lucky enough to have Fujifilm cameras that allow different “film simulations”, based off of Fujifilm’s old film stock, that give my photos the color/look that I like when editing my photos. Now, I can’t always shoot JPEG photos, but it is nice to know that I have that ability to shoot the photos the way I like them in-camera and not spend so much time behind the computer editing those photos. Getting the look in-camera has allowed me to enjoy the places that I go to, especially after all the traveling I did last year, than sitting around editing the photo or thinking about how to edit the photo while I’m visiting that place and taking in the sights. The thing about being a photographer is to capture what you’re seeing, and not to live vicariously through the photo. It’s not fun to only remember the photo itself, and not appreciating what you see before you. In other words, I don’t always need to be behind the camera, or the laptop, but to just take in what I see before clicking the shutter.
Making more connections. Last year I was dealing with a lot of personal things. Some of those things have carried over into this year, as they tend to do, but this severed my connections with many people around me. I found myself having a hard time responding to people, being social, or honestly even enjoying being around other people. Like a turtle hiding in its shell, I retreated, not interacting with other people so much. I’d really like to shift my focus on building those connections again, with old friends and new friends alike. I’ve realized how important it is to have and maintain these connections, as I feel like I’ve really lost touch with many people around me. I’m currently “hiding in my shell” again, but I feel like I’m ready to not be such a homebody and venture out a bit more.
Writing more. Something that I should be doing each and every day. Even a little bit, to help me remember why I do what I do. I did not start as a photographer, writing was one of my first big sources of creativity, and it’s something I would like to prioritize. Whether it’s writing in my personal journal for reflection, writing this journal for my career and passion, or writing stories again. That last one may not have a whole lot to do with photography, but it does help when crafting a photography book or a small narrative when talking about an image that I share. I had a talk with someone recently about how powerful and impactful writing can be, and it's part of my roots that I want to hone in on. To improve what’s already there, and share how I feel, share thoughts, stories - whatever they may be. Writing is essential to who I am, and I need to fully embrace that this year. So, I gotta write more blog posts and keep up with that haha.
Finishing some projects. In the ‘writing more’ paragraph, I mentioned photography books, and I have been working on one big photography book for quite some time now. I’m gonna talk more in detail about it soon, I’m just going to keep it under wraps a bit longer - at least until I know that the writing for it is fully completed. I’ve been working on this for some time now and this year I would love to actually have it be done. I do a lot of talk, and I need to do more of the walk, ya know?
Getting back into art shows and film sets. The art show I was featured in back in 2019 (wow that feels so much longer ago when I write it down) was a highlight in my career as a photographer, finally being able to share my work on a larger scale and get feedback from real people - not just individuals behind a phone or laptop screen. It leveled me up, allowed me to get into a couple other virtual shows (dangit, COVID) and I haven't been presented in one since late 2020. Now that the world seems to be back to normal (if you could ever say it was normal) and I feel like I don't have any excuse to creating a piece or a set of my photography to be displayed yet again. It’s something I truly miss and really need to be on the lookout for, since I would love to build my presence in person once again. The nice thing is this also aligns with my wanting to improve on connections more, as this will throw me back into the creative scene once again. This goes for my work as a Behind the Scenes/Stills Photographer on set for productions. I’ve felt at home working on set with people, essentially one big collaborative job, and I want to plunge further into that world.
Getting paid for what I do. I believe that all artists should be paid for their work. In my time as a photographer, I’ve done a lot of stuff for free. Probably, too much if I’m honest. There’s room for people to take advantage and I know that what I do is worth a monetary value. These days, I still get asked to take photos for “the art” or “because its fun” or my favorite, the “collaboration for more followers” and I really can't take that any more. After going all out on Instagram a couple years ago, I realized it didn't do much for me in the long run. Money, however, would. So yeah, getting paid for what I do, hell, what any artist does, is something that needs to happen this year.
Getting involved with Fujifilm. If you’ve been following me for the last couple years, you’d probably know that I’m a pretty dedicated Fujifilm user. I love their cameras, lenses, their sensors in their cameras, and the brand overall. Something that I tried last year was to get in to their ambassador program, and I did not hear back. In November, I applied for their grant program (which is for this photography book I’m currently working on), and yet again, no response. I’m not giving up though, as I’ve always felt like I’ve caught their attention a few times, even winning that raffle last August for the X-H2s which has become my primary camera. Whether it turns into some job or something, anything, I would love to work with Fujifilm in some way, shape, or form. I’m putting that out in the universe, if you believe that sort of thing. Manifestation, right?
I have some work to do. This year is bound to be full of changes. These are just some of the goals and things that come to mind when I think about what I want to accomplish this year, and what I want to work on. I want to further my career, work on film sets, make stronger connections with people, write more, get paid for my work, finish projects, get back into the creative scene, try to get some type of job with Fujifilm, and above all - be more present in my life. Writing these things down has helped me realize what’s important for me to work on not only this year, but in life in general. I’m excited, and I hope you all have some great ideas of what to accomplish. If you read this far, thank you. I don't get a ton of views on these blog posts, but I still enjoy writing them.
Take care.