I have had "write blog post" on my list of things to do for weeks, and weeks, and weeks. The longer you put something off, the harder it is to do it, as I am sure you all know.
This is my first blog post on my new Squarespace site. I had to move from my hobbyist photography website to a site that could accomodate my photography business. I decided to move to Squarespace from Wordpress (ProPhoto) so that I would not be dependent on anyone else when I needed to make changes to my site. I was able to design the site myself, but I have had to have help with some other parts of it. And that has honestly really sucked, because sometimes people are so incredibly non-responsive. It is just really, really frustrating. Maybe it is my Nebraska/ Midwesterner thing, but I would never just disregard people who had paid me money to provide a service for them. I am very seriously considering a new project that will help other photographers find trustworthy people in the industry that provide the many things we all shell out money for- branding, website design, SEO work, editing photos, workshops, mentoring, and on and on and on. Be kind. Keep your word. We need that now more than ever, seriously.
I was going to do a personal project this year where as I fulfilled my goal of reading 52 books, I would write a blog post related to each book, and take a photo related to that book. I realized after reading the third book or so that no, not gonna be able to do. Or rather, I don't want to do it, I guess. I am happily reading many books, and am planning to do a monthly post recapping what I read, but creating an image for each book, no.
I am picking up my camera on most days- although at the moment my Nikon is on a visit to the repair facility. Photography friends- maybe don't use FoCal? I used it years ago with my Canon. When I used it with my Nikon last week, it made my camera freeze on Error mode and it wouldn't unfreeze no matter what I tried. FoCal says that is not possible. It is.
The end of winter is in sight. I guess we are getting through it pretty well, and as of this writing the forecast predicts highs of 60's for the next little while. We are working on a 2,000 piece jigsaw puzzle, I am drinking a lot of hot beverages, I have started getting a decent amount of sleep, and I am doing some yoga at home.
I am not going to talk about politics. I am pretty consumed with all of that, as many of us are. I am now trying to limit my political information intake to Pod Save America, and sometimes The New York Times. I have become fairly obsessed with the idea of limiting my social media/ iPhone use after listening to a serious wake-up call podcast about technology addiction. My next book will be Nancy Colier's The Power of Off, which I am really excited to read after hearing that interview. I am using the Freedom app to shut off access to social media and news during the day, although sometimes I will check in quickly on some Facebook groups that I admin. I know I am not alone in struggling with this. For all of the great things about social media, at the end of my life, I don't want to look back and realize how much time I missed with my kids and the books I didn't read and the stuff I didn't make because I chose to scroll mindlessly through Facebook constantly.
Well, that is depressing. What else can I talk about? My kids are awesome. They are unbelievably funny. I am glad we are getting outside a little bit. We have stayed relatively healthy this winter, although we just had a weekend of stomach flu.
I will be back soon to share some photos from some recent-ish client sessions, and to tell you more about the books that I have been reading, and of course to post some images of my crew.
THIRTY FOUR DAYS until SPRING. Totally doable.
