2020 Reflections

2020 has been a rough year for most and as I reflect on this last year I’ve identified some themes and sum up what I learned.

Themes: family, self reflection, learning, nature and resilience.

I spent a good six months living at home with my family during the pandemic thus spending a lot of quality time with them. I photographed them, went for hikes, learned many new recipes, laughed and did a whole lot of nothing with them. If it wasn't for the pandemic, I wouldn't have slowed down to share this time with them. During this down time, I spent a lot of time reflecting on my life and identified patterns I need to break/ aspects I would like to improve on. I took long slow walks in nature with my dog. I prioritized learning and took advantage of many discounted online workshops- one of them was with Alex and Rebecca Norris Webb (some of my personal photo heroes). I lost my first dog, Jasper and cried with my family as we all said our last goodbye. I also lost my job and had countless breakdowns as I tried to piece everything back together. I was forced to start over and ask myself self, "What do I want to add back into my life?" It’s a scary feeling to be lost but one that also comes from great privilege. I’m grateful to have all of my basic needs met, the health of my loved ones and an outlet to express my creativity.

My favorite lesson from this year is the tale of the Chinese farmer which I reference often as I continue to practice not constantly labeling everything that happens as "good" or "bad"- to simply see how life plays out.

Below is a video of 1 second everyday for my 2020 and some of my favorite photos I made during this year. I hope you have healthy, happy 2021. Feliz Años Nuevo!