Usually I do a recap post of the previous year around this time, and by "usually" I really mean "I think I did it once," but for 2016 I'm just going to show you my little one second-a-day story that I worked on this year. It's one of the first long-term personal projects I've been successful at completing in quite some time (*cough hello blanket I've been knitting for over 8 years... cough*) and I don't know if that's because of the number of super moons this year, or because there's an app that makes it so easy, with constant reminders on my phone and inspirational quotes, or if it's just because I'm finally starting to realize that life is short, and the time is now. The important thing is: I finished a project that I started! Woohoo!
I think it also took a lot out of me emotionally to write about the life of Bijoux, so this video is a nice way to look back at the year in a small (ridiculous and silly) video format. As much as I strive for authenticity in my life and photography business, I still spent a lot of time in 2016 trying to be "perfect" in what I posted online, hoping that I would look super professional (pbbshhhh, yeahhhriiiight), and mildly obsessing about how I looked compared to other photographers. To be honest, I'm always a little afraid to hit the 'publish' button. It's hard to put myself out there; it's scary. I just heard a term from a fellow artist, he called it 'paralysis by analysis,' and it's the perfect description of what a lot of artists go through on a daily basis - is my work good enough? Am I good enough? Will people like it? Will people like me?
Last year was about being brave in my photography, pushing myself to overcome the 'paralysis by analysis' - and this year is going to be a continuation of that, only with less focus on perfection, and more focus on realness, on authenticity. Perfection is unattainable anyway, and in my opinion it's undesirable. We are all individuals, and it's important to remember that our differences are what make us who we are; they should be celebrated. I actually talked a little bit about this on a recent podcast with Shannon DePalma - she's such an inspiration, and you can check out the episode here. Mostly it's about how being authentic is the heart of my business, and I'm just making sure that my website fully reflects that.
This video is just a silly representation of my year - I started it thinking I'd probably quit halfway through, or forget about it, but I actually finished it and I feel like it's a good way to start off 2017! This is about as real as it gets. I took my phone with me everywhere, and I filmed random bits of every day (well, almost every day - I do think I missed a few) this past year. It starts out with my first business trip last year, leaving for Kansas City and Omaha on New Year's Day, and ends with New Year's Eve's midnight cheers with friends and family. I am so thankful for everyone and everything in my life this past year, and can't wait to see what 2017 will hold!
I might still do a post about the photography highlights of 2016, but for now here's my one second a day video. Cheers and Happy New Year!
xo,
Sonja