January 1, 2013

So here we are, the beginning of another new year.  January 1st brings with it that clean slate kind of feeling - like fresh sheets, an empty laundry basket, a newly weeded garden, a freshly fallen snow.  Or, if you are a cat, a litter box that has been completely dumped and changed rather than just scooped.  The obvious question here is, how do these feelings translate into a meaningful life during the rest of 2013?

Like most of us, I could resolve to lose weight, eat better, sleep more in the new year, but it seems easier to say that I plan to live a more intentional and purposeful life.  What does that look like?  I don’e really know, exactly.  What I do know is that I plan to be open to life’s possibilities, whatever they may or may not be. 

By making myself open to possibilities in 2012, the past year revealed how important photography as a way of personal expression is to me.  To those of you who walked with me through the 100 days of Visual Cents, I appreciate your support.  I learned so much during that project about photography, myself and other people.  It was truly a life altering endeavor.

As I finished that project, I discovered an online community whose purpose is to support its members as they undertake the goal of a picture a day for an entire year.  I have decided to commit to this for 2013.  Unlike with Visual Cents, where I intentionally did not write anything to accompany the photographs, I plan to write about my Capture Your 365 photos - at least sometimes.  These photos come with the same disclaimers that accompanied my Visual Cents photos, they will not all be good but they might be; they will not all be meaningful, but they might be; they will not all be technically correct, but they might be.  What I can guarantee is that they will reflect a part of me.  They will remind me where I was, what I was doing and what was in my heart and mind on any given day during the year 2013.

I invite you to journey with me through Capture Your 365, the 2013 edition.  As always, I appreciate comments, constructive criticism and questions.

I hope that each of you finds a sense of peace and purpose as we greet this new year.