I do like New Beginnings, but I don't like blank sheets. As the new year starts, my reaction is much the same as that which I experienced when I was learning design and started with a blank piece of paper and no direction. The sheer number of possibilities and lack of a clear direction caused me to freeze. And so it is, when called upon to make resolutions for the new year, that I freeze at the sheer number of possibilities for change and improvement.
As we arrive at the start of 2018, I am naturally inclined to look back - it is two years to the day since my dear mother died, but since I have decided to attempt the 52 week challenge, and the theme is look ahead, then this is what I shall do in the coming week.
Having spent all of two minutes scribbling down a list of things that I might look to include in 2018, I realise that my objectives remain much the same as last year, and the year before, and the year before that. And so it is, that I have arrived at one word to take me through the year.
Focus - it's a good word Helen. Quite often I hear myself saying, "Focus Annie, just focus on what you're doing." With the amount of things we are bombarded with on a daily basis, it's sometimes difficult to achieve. So, I think it's a perfect word for the coming year.
it certainly refers to a myriad of possibilities to focus on - resolutions, photography, life. happy new year, helen, and i look forward to seeing what you come up with for the year, certainly in terms of photography.
I'm going to try and focus more this year. Maybe a little more on myself. I never have time to take pictures recently. I'm going to make more time for myself and learn to start no to people sometimes! Hope you manage to keep your focus too!
My son is doing design and he feels your pain on the blank page problem! I follow loads of creative people on Instagram and am always seeing things I want to try - not enough time!
You have such a beautiful way of expressing yourself in words Helen!
Love the focus on the pencil tip and not on the word itself, the pencil, the creator of new things 'flowing out' of the pencil soon. Good luck with the 52 week challenge.
great advice for me too Helen. I keep telling myself to just focus on what I am doing at the moment and not be overwhelmed by the many things that are crying out for attention. Lovely composition
Great vision. I am sorry about your mother. My mother died two years ago in February. I also circled around with all of the possibilities for the new year and came up with one word...routine. :) Gorgeous photo.
Absolutely perfect . . . both your photo and your one word to take us all through the year! When I was teaching, 'focus' was a word I used with my students constantly throughout each and every day. Now I have to remind myself to 'focus' throughout the day. Wonderful way to begin the new year, Helen! :-)
Glad to see you are doing the challenges this year... they are more thought provoking than previous years I think. This is an interesting start and I really appreciate the explanation you give to the picture. I hope you will find the focus you need to achieve whatever it is you want to achieve. My best wishes to you for a very Happy New Year.
Love the idea and selective focus, HJ. Two words I like and may apply to you... continuity and incremental...I studied incrementalism as a process when doing political theory as part of my social sciences degree. Far better than sudden change, though change we must have, otherwise stagnation. I'll stop now! :) Best wishes for the year ahead.
Helen, hope you don't mind me asking but I'm looking to upgrade my camera and am looking at different options. Just wondering about the camera you use. Would you have time to tell me about it? What you like about it? What's good about it and does it have any limitations or anything that frustrates you? Any advice would be gratefully received but don't worry if you don't have time. I understand.
@pistache thanks Clare - lets see how it goes. @kali66 thank you for your kind wishes Kali and it is good to know that my narrative connects to the photographs. Somehow I feel that if my images were better they wouldn't need words. @flowerfairyann thanks Ann. I find staying focussed to be a great challenge and am easily distracted. But I am determined to try. @summerfield I think a myriad of possibilities is a good thing and I probably need to address them all! Thank you for your interest. @janemartin learning to say NO is so important. Hope you succeed in getting your 'me' time. @judithg not enough time is certainly my constant refrain. Never short of ideas, just time to follow them through. I have a bit more confidence than I did in the days when I went to uni and had to start with that blank sheet. I hope your son overcomes this problem and enjoys his studies. @overalvandaan you flatter me and I am touched by your kind comments and observations of the photograph @cruiser becoming overwhelmed is also my pitfall Chris. It pays to be able to shut things out and concentrate on the thing in hand. thank you for your comment. @redandwhite thanks Catherine - much appreciated @bizziebeeme oh thank you - and thanks too for your follow. @kt8ird routine is also important - I could do with a bit of that too (especially when it comes to bed time!) @lsquared thank you larry. Generous of you to say so. @taffy I see I am not alone with the blank page fright. It will soon be mid January and we can all relax again. @gaylewood thanks for your enthusiasm Gayle. I will be repeating this word to myself many many times and have already had to do so today. @kjarn thank you Kathy, I think is is a word that suits everyone. @domenicododaro if only just having the idea would be enough. All this focussing is hard work. @stephanies thank you Stephanie for your most thoughtful comment. I am going at the challenge with my eyes shut because I know that if I viewed it all now I would talk myself out of it. One step at a time... @ivan bnow there is food for thought. Continuity and incremental. I think they will be an encouragement to me. Tiny increments add up to giant steps eventually. Thank you for your best wishes. @carolmw thanks Carol. I am always surprised that people bother to read my narrative - thank you. @flowerfairyann Hi Ann. Of course I don't mind you asking. I will need to give it some thought though. Overall I am very pleased with the camera which is a step up from the last one I had in the same series. The only annoying feature that I have experienced is the screen blanking out for no apparent reason - but in the end I worked out that I was putting my hand over the camera in such a way that it thought I was using the viewfinder and switched off the screen. So now that I know, I can adjust! Obviously it has its limitations, being a compact, but I wouldn't be without it. One day, I will progress to an SLR but I am still too frightened and have plenty left to improve on when it comes to using this one. I'm not very technical and so not the best person to review the camera. It is easy enough to change and adjust settings on the fly, and has pretty much all the settings I think I need.
@flowerfairyann@helenhall Saw your comments...just a thought maybe. I had SLRs for years. Then found them very heavy, bulky. Now have a CCS...compact camera system...actually the Sony 6300. Interchangeable lenses, but much lighter and easier to handle than a frull DSLR. All the photos from Holland shown on 365 were taken with it or on Tina's little Fuji compact (which I identified as hers, btw!) May be worth a look if you think of changing. Good luck with your picture taking and making...it's the photographer, not the camera, which counts! :) - But sometimes the camera helps a little. :)
@ivan Thank you Ivan. I'll look into your suggestion. Just getting information together before I commit and it's good to gather it from the people behind the cameras. Again, thank you for your contribution.
@helenhall Thank you Helen. You've been helpful already. I'm not technically savvy and am too embarrassed to tell a salesman I haven't understood what they're telling me about a camera. Thought it would be a good idea to talk to someone actually using the camera I'm considering. Lucky you! Please don't spend lots of time on it though. Your comments on what it's good for, what it's not so good at and why you like it would be great. Thank you again.
love the shot and the inclusion of the pencil, it adds some nice texture and a sense of solidness to the shot especially these days when a lot of people do not write with writing instruments any more. Focus - I like that idea too. Again, there are so many distractions in our lives these days that people's minds are all over the place. Hope you have a great 2018 and I look forward to your shots and narratives
Excellent photo, by the way.
Love the focus on the pencil tip and not on the word itself, the pencil, the creator of new things 'flowing out' of the pencil soon. Good luck with the 52 week challenge.
@kali66 thank you for your kind wishes Kali and it is good to know that my narrative connects to the photographs. Somehow I feel that if my images were better they wouldn't need words.
@flowerfairyann thanks Ann. I find staying focussed to be a great challenge and am easily distracted. But I am determined to try.
@summerfield I think a myriad of possibilities is a good thing and I probably need to address them all! Thank you for your interest.
@janemartin learning to say NO is so important. Hope you succeed in getting your 'me' time.
@judithg not enough time is certainly my constant refrain. Never short of ideas, just time to follow them through. I have a bit more confidence than I did in the days when I went to uni and had to start with that blank sheet. I hope your son overcomes this problem and enjoys his studies.
@overalvandaan you flatter me and I am touched by your kind comments and observations of the photograph
@cruiser becoming overwhelmed is also my pitfall Chris. It pays to be able to shut things out and concentrate on the thing in hand. thank you for your comment.
@redandwhite thanks Catherine - much appreciated
@bizziebeeme oh thank you - and thanks too for your follow.
@kt8ird routine is also important - I could do with a bit of that too (especially when it comes to bed time!)
@lsquared thank you larry. Generous of you to say so.
@taffy I see I am not alone with the blank page fright. It will soon be mid January and we can all relax again.
@gaylewood thanks for your enthusiasm Gayle. I will be repeating this word to myself many many times and have already had to do so today.
@kjarn thank you Kathy, I think is is a word that suits everyone.
@domenicododaro if only just having the idea would be enough. All this focussing is hard work.
@stephanies thank you Stephanie for your most thoughtful comment. I am going at the challenge with my eyes shut because I know that if I viewed it all now I would talk myself out of it. One step at a time...
@ivan bnow there is food for thought. Continuity and incremental. I think they will be an encouragement to me. Tiny increments add up to giant steps eventually. Thank you for your best wishes.
@carolmw thanks Carol. I am always surprised that people bother to read my narrative - thank you.
@flowerfairyann Hi Ann. Of course I don't mind you asking. I will need to give it some thought though. Overall I am very pleased with the camera which is a step up from the last one I had in the same series. The only annoying feature that I have experienced is the screen blanking out for no apparent reason - but in the end I worked out that I was putting my hand over the camera in such a way that it thought I was using the viewfinder and switched off the screen. So now that I know, I can adjust! Obviously it has its limitations, being a compact, but I wouldn't be without it. One day, I will progress to an SLR but I am still too frightened and have plenty left to improve on when it comes to using this one. I'm not very technical and so not the best person to review the camera. It is easy enough to change and adjust settings on the fly, and has pretty much all the settings I think I need.