Time To Reflect

With February just around the corner, and the glimmer of longer days to come, I've taken a bit of time out in January.  Time to take stock and reflect a little.

Last year was a busy one, and I'm so grateful for this.  I met some amazing couples and families, and worked on some inspiring commercial commissions.  And later on last year, Suzi joined the team.  It's great to bounce ideas around and have her on board.

As I'm so connected to the business, sometimes I've found it hard to allow myself time off and do little things for me.  So, I've just had a week to step back, on the outside looking in, and given time to plan new projects.

I've done some walking, some talking, reading, writing, and enjoyed development time.  I've been kind to myself.  Something I think I've almost felt guilty about, like I shouldn't be taking time out - what is that all about?!  To nurture and grow the business, I need to grow me.  It sounds simple, but it's always pushed to the bottom of the list.  I've had so many ideas for projects for the business.  I get really excited about them and want to do them all at once.   I kept hearing myself saying 'if only I had more time' and resenting those words!    So I'm trying to strip it back and give myself a clear path in 2014.  And also, learn not to be too hard on myself.

So, I've been reading all those books I've been excited about.  I've started yoga and wish I'd taken the plunge a long time ago!  And I've been going out for more walks with my camera.  I'm trying out a couple of new things.  I dabbled with a bit of filming last year, and the time feels right now to experiment further with this.  There are a couple of potential projects in the pipeline for later on this year, but at the moment I'm really enjoying getting to grips with it, and seeing what's right for me.  And I've been trying a bit of time-lapse photography too.  I thought this might be just one of those things I needed to get out of my system and then move on, but I'm really liking the results.  I can see some potential this year in my commercial work. Here's the first experiment which was shot over 30 minutes.  Link to video.

So, if there is a resolution here, it's allowing myself time out to reflect.  To nurture the small sparks, and to be gentle and compassionate with these ideas and inspirations.  It's good to start a new year, and feel the anticipation of what lies ahead.  With the nights getting lighter, and with spring in touching distance, it's the perfect time to kickstart these new projects and collaborations.  It feels good to be excited!