We have turned a page. A new and fresh year has been born. And with that change follows hope and new energy. The year we have left behind, will be one to forget in silence, one with too many disappointments and setbacks, a year that knocked the world over and brought it to a standstill—at best. For many people it turned out to be a disastrous year.
We are still not in safe heaven, far from. The virus that came upon us last year, is still making havoc, in fact in many countries, is creating more mayhem than it has so far. Nevertheless, we are facing the prospect of better times again. Hope is back. As new vaccines are put in production and more people are being vaccinated, although it will take time, we are on the track to some normalcy again. Slowly by slowly we will get there.
Personally, I am going to embrace the new year with aspiration and anticipation, both creatively and socially. I believe in changes and that any demise, even a worldwide pandemic, can be used for positive changes. As the saying goes, what doesn’t break you makes you stronger. New possibilities will arise in 2021. I will be ready to grab them, and even instigate new opportunities as much as I can. The waiting is over.
I hope you reader is ready, too. To get going again, if only slowly, as the world gets back on its feet. One thing I hope to accomplish is to be of some sort of creative inspiration with this blog. The blog has always been about creativity, but this year I want to focus even more on the creative part of photography—after all my own craft.
As some of you have noticed, I slipped away from the blog sphere part of last autumn. I needed a break and also to find a new direction. Towards the end of the year, I was slowly getting back in to blogging again. However, I admit I didn’t reciprocate your visits. That is one of my goals for the new year, to visit your blogs again. It does take a lot of time to comment on other blogs, so I need to restrain myself a little, but I want to be more active again.
I wish you all the best for 2021. What plans do you have for the new year?
Good to have goals for this year. I’m doing yet another 365, I need to get my creative button switched back on!
That is definitely a good project to get the muses going again. I look forward to seeing the daily photos.
Cheers Otto.
yes, here’s to the new –
Cheers. 🙂
Good for you on your determination to find new ways to let your creativity flow. As for reciprocation and blogging inngeneral, it is very time-consuming and one needs to find the happy medium that works. I’ve had to cut back as well as it is such a time-suck! We have to be able to enjoy it!
Happy New Year to you and yours
Indeed so. Blogging is supposed to be fun.
My goals are to stay safe, stay happy and try to regain the mojo of creativity
Those are great goals. I expect to see the results at least of the latter, although they are all connected.
Thanks, Otto!
Indeed, change can be viewed as something to be feared, but ultimately it can be a force of good. Embracing the new and the different is perhaps a way to keep us all energised.
Exactly.
When I read all these comments, it looks like I wasn’t the only one to fall into a creative void… Happy reawakening to all! 🙂
No, I think I lot of us got knock out of our creative path last year.
Yep…
To be more creative is a goal of mine as well. In my case, it’s more in the way of painting than photography, looser, more spontaneity…
I, too, want to encourage spontaneity in myself. 🙂
My first goal is a visit to my youngster in Leeds at Easter, Otto. Beyond that I’m happy to explore more of Portugal, when it seems safe to do so. I have friends who currently can’t come back here from the UK because they aren’t residents, though some are property owners. No idea how long that ban will apply. 😦
The ban is making life difficult, but I believe it’s necessary. I haven’t been able to see my love one in the States since February last year. Just have to be patient.
Happy new years!
Thanks, and Happy New Year to you, too.
Otto, welcome!
Such a positive post, Otto – and so needed.
We are on the same page, mentally and emotionally!
I look forward to more photo ideas from you this year.
Stay well, my friend!
XO
Thank you, Donna. And likewise.
Wonderful picture for new year. It makes me feel fresh of the morning and that is the new beginning feel.
Thank you. 🙂
My plans are always pretty simple…carry on.
Simple maybe, but a good one. 🙂
Welcome back Otto with your new possibilities and ideas. As all of us, I haven’t much photography opportunities for the last year, since travelling has been restricted and still will remain for a while, who knows. Myself, I haven’t set much of a goal yet, still being clueless of the future, but certainly I will focus more on what opportunities will open up in my surrounding. Have a healthy, creative and inspiring New Year, Otto.
Hopefully, it won’t take too long until the world starts to open up again. Wish you all the best in the new year, Cornelia.
Looking forward to your new creativity blogs. I am not there yet but hopefully soon. Glad to see your enthusiasm!
Thank you, Syd. You’ll soon be there, too, I am sure. 🙂
I agree that the air is full of hope… my ecom biz kind of fell down around my ears, but just today, I have embarked in a new direction, and it feels surprisingly good! Happy New Year, Otto!! xoxoxoxoxox (and yes, you should come and check out my blog, i wanted an ultra minimalist blog, took me a while to figure out, but i did it!)
Sounds exciting with the new direction you have carved out. And of course, I will come by and have a look at your blog. Happy New Year, to you too, Elaine.
You have got an amazing view of Bergen. Hope to attend one of your workshops this year.
Happy new year.
That would be quite lovely, if possible. Happy New Year, to you too, Rupali.
Good to see you in action that, I’m lacking recently. Nice
Maybe we’ll see a return from you, too?
January’s going to be a month for simply getting my balance back after my three weeks of chaos without a dependable car. Now that’s taken care of, but I discovered on my first trip into the countryside with my camera that three weeks without touching it had some downside, too. As I get back into work and leisure routines, my next goal will be to get caught up at work, so I’m ready to do a little traveling during our spring wildflower season. It begins in February, so there’s not much time!
You have discover something (which I am sure you already know), that to stay good at something, you need to practice regularly. Three weeks without using your camera (or writing, painting or …) puts you back a step or two. Not that you have to start over, but you need just to get back on the track again, get used to see as a photographer and get used to the camera again. I hope you will have some inspiring weeks ahead of you – and the rest of the year, too, of course.
Being retired and not economically strapped, life’s been easier for my wife and I. We’ll continue with our vegetable garden (living in near coastal inland Southern Calif with no real bitter winters, seasonal crops fair much better), home projects, cooking and baking, calling our relatives around the USA, guitar playing, late night movies/tv series… and I’ll
dream up more elements for my poetry/art/photo blog site. Have as wonderful a 2021 as possible, Otto.
Art
Sounds like you have found the good life, Art. Thanks for the well wishing. I hope the year will be good for you, too.
Klausbernd and I both feel deeply grateful for being together, retired and financially independent in this difficult times. We see how younger people suffer and struggle to cope, feeling drained be daily chores and the hardwork of copying with the changing rhythms. We are blessed, living on the coast in an AONB. The greatest joy for me this winter was to volunteer as a seal warden and property photographer for the National Trust on Blakeny Point. I have used my camera extensively and have a few thousand images to work on. They will keep me occupied for the whole winter, preparing press releases and folders for the local groups. I have really enjoyed reading your book “Photographically seeing” and still have some mindful exercises to do, but already I think I have corrected my approach a little. I can take in a scenery in a more inclusive way, it’s an act of practise and I can look and see what work will well and what’s not so good. I have not limited myself and followed your advice to shoot a lot in order to get some really good ones. Apart from this I’m very happy with the work of my photographic society, we meet on Zoom for talks, competitions and creativity projects. I’m involved with a project group Water” and then there’s the blog. A time consuming love-hate affair based on do ut des and I must admit I drop out a lot. We have reduced our blogging to two posts monthly and, almost contradictory, it’s only when I spend a lot of time on other blogs that I start enjoying it. 😉
In the UK we are facing serious problems with the rapid growth of Covid-19 cases and I have a feeling we’ll be limited in our movements for the most of this year. We aim to stay safe, be happy on our own until it’s safe to mingle and then we might reconsider a visit the Cairngorm National Park in Scotland that had to be cancelled.
My heart goes out to you, to you both for being separated from the one you love for almost a year now. Here’s to a rapid change and a reunion in a not too distant future. All the very best, Otto!
Thank you for the well wishes. And yes, here is to rapid changes in the foreseeable future. I think we all are a bit overwhelmed by now and want some kind of normalcy back again.
Thank you for sharing your daily routines with us. It seems like you have found the good life, doing what you love and even expanding your joy and excitement. A little in your way of thinking, I have also been wanting to do work for an ideal or non-profit, local organization, but as I am still working full time, I need to limit myself somewhat.
Finally, thank you for the lovely words about my eBook. I am really happy that it’s been able to inspire you to expand your approach.
I wish all the best to both of you.
Don’t miss the chance to own the full of Marvel’s movie collection:
https://thewiin.com/product/marvel-studios-23-movie-collection2abc/
Otto, it is lovely to hear your positive thoughts and words. I must admit that I have entered the year feeling like I want to hibernate for the next two months and wake up in the Spring. I am glad you have renewed energy for your work and I will be watching out for all your future posts and inspiration. Keep well Otto.
We probably all need to hibernate the next couple of months, at least in some way. Yesterday I went skiing, walking right out my front door. So we can still do somethings. 🙂
I would love to learn to ski…maybe one day 🙂
If the past year has taught us anything I hope it is patience. Now we must remain patient, wait for our vaccines and a return to normal. The new year is certainly a perfect time to reboot. I have no immediate plans for change but do hope the coming year will allow for more travel since there are many places in the western US I want to visit by car.
Well said, Denise. It’s time to reboot, in whatever direction each of us choose to go for the future.
I’m feeling pretty much the same way Denise is – we will need patience, we don’t know what’s coming. I’ve been able to go deeper into my own surroundings this past year. I’d love to travel but we’ll have to see how things go. No expectations!
You are right, we do need to approach the coming months with patience. And it’s not bad at all if that results in going deeper into oneself or one’s nearby habitat.