Wednesday 1 January 2014

1/52

I wasn't expecting to write anything here today. I've been having trouble finding the inspiration to write here recently, but there is something inspiring about a New Year. It not only brings the hope of future happiness, but also opens the mind up to think about what can be/what you want to achieve. New Year's resolutions have a bad reputation, they almost feel doomed to failure, and yet so many people make them. It's the new hope that the new year brings. Which I think is an excellent thing! I'm not making any traditional resolutions this year. Yes, of course I want to loose weight, and do exercise, learn more or earn more but what I truly want to achieve this year is happiness. Happiness in everything I do. Even when I'm three stone over weight, I want to be happy about my body. Even when I can't afford to go out, I want to find pleasure in staying in. I am going to find something positive about everyday and stop dwelling on the difficult and stressful. I'm going to devote 2014 to being happy.

As a part of that I have decided to start a year long project, and document it here. I know there's nothing new about a 365 day or 52 week long project. But rather than try to document my life I am going to try to reinforce my happiness.

My plan is to take 7 photographs a week (I'm not restricting myself to one a day, life's too unpredictable!) I'll try to post once a week, and I'm only dedicating my self to this for January for starters. (I'm going to little bite sizes goals here!)

Rather than have one theme, or no theme, I'm going to have 7 themes. One for each day of the week.

1. Self portrait
2. The garden
3. Weather
4. A number
5. Words
6. A colour
7. Black and White

Working up to a full portrait shot. Accidentally captured the reflection of myself and camera in the mirror I used to take the photo though, so I reckon it counts!


Self portrait is pretty self explanatory. This is all about documenting happiness, but also it's partly a challenge to myself. I'm not usually filled with self confidence, so it's going to be a bit scary to find enough good feelings towards my self to put my face on the web every week!

This is one of the lushest plants in the garden at the moment. I think it's 'lords and ladies'. I dug this up and transplanted it in the summer from my Dad's old garden before he moved.

The garden is one of the things I love and brings me a lot of pleasure. I'm going to take a photo of anything that takes my fancy from birds and bees to leaves, flowers or mud and compost.

I missed the amazing scenes of flooding in Bristol this week due to looking after my boyfriends kids. A moody rain filled sky was all that was left by the time I got the camera out.




Weather. Rain, shine, sun sets (I doubt you'll get a sun rise from me!) clouds, rainbows, hail or snow. It can be pretty dramatic, and since I like dancing about in the rain, I see no reason not to let something so everyday cause happiness.



Christmas cards. Enough said.

A number. This is a challenge to find a number in the wild as it were, for the week in question. So for week one I might photograph a door number, week two find '2 tbsp' written in a recipe book. Or as I've found for 1/52 a 1st class stamp.

After all, when you seek advice from someone it's certainly not because you want them to give it. You just want them to be there while you talk to yourself.

Words. For this I want to capture a phrase from a book that makes me smile or think. Or a quote from someone, or just some attractive typography, or 'bus lane' written on the road, anything that interests me!

Starry fairy lights slung together in a fire grate.

A colour. I love all-colour photographs and I want to capture a saturated image. So a close up of an all red flower, or a red brick wall, or maybe a huddle of brown beer bottles. The key here is texture.

Lonely Christmas decoration (jewellery) I scooped up from the last of the detritus left over when my dad moved house not long ago. Dug out of a bag whilst tidying for Christmas.

Lastly I want to try to capture a dramatic black and white image. Again the theme is really finding something that makes me happy, but not an image of happiness itself. Don't expect mawkish pictures of my family inanely grinning at the camera, but high contrast images of trees or cars or reflections on water, (or the occasional kitten.)


I'm definitely giving my self some freedom here though. One week maybe I'll have two black and white images, but one will be the self portrait. Or perhaps I will decide to have a two-toned colour photograph. Maybe I'll decide a puddle counts as 'weather', who knows. The point is to push myself to think about the things which give me pleasure.

What do you think to my 2014 project?

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