Dear friends,
I haven't posted on here since February 20th of 2019 which makes it almost a full two years! Why the absence? In 2019 I was very busy making new work, traveling, and building my portfolio back up with film photography. In 2020, I was changing jobs, narrowly missed getting hit by a tornado, dealt with no power for a few days, and oh yes...a global pandemic. I spent most of last year struggling at my new job due to a very toxic work environment and simply just trying to make it to the end of each day...sounds bleak and trust me it was! Luckily though as an adult person who has a good head on his shoulders, I remembered to exercise regularly, drink plenty of water, and continually look for opportunities that would fulfill me in life. I can't tell you what to do, but exercise really is a wonderful thing and can help pull you out of the deepest places.
So I am going to try and make more of a regular appearance this year and keep anyone that still reads this updated if not just for my own document of better days ahead. I gladly put in my two weeks last Friday and could not be happier that I will no longer have to work with a verbally abusive person. Unfortunately we can't help who we work with and there was no way of me knowing before I took that job, as they didn't reveal it during the interview process (why would they?). I wish very much that I had never taken that position, but at the same time I'm very glad that I did. It pushed me to look for unique opportunities every single day, so there is at least some silver lining in there. I think that's all we can do in life is try and find the positives in situations and keep working towards a more peaceful and in-tune existence.
I'm revealing a lot here because I've been through a lot over the past year and it just seems like the right place to do it. So now that I'm in the midst of changing jobs I can tell you that I've never been happier and more hopeful - although I don't want to jinx it. I can finally start to see a future where I'm making more photography and staying inspired to keep creating. I think that 2021 is going to shape up to be a really good year and I'm looking forward to sharing the projects that I'm working on with you.
One thing that I've been on and off working on for the past few years is putting out a photography zine of images I've collected of kids with skateboards. I'm really excited about this one and finally have plans to release it this year. For those of you that are still here reading this, thank you for your support and I hope that 2021 brings you some peace of mind and stability - we all need to feel good about what we're doing.
Lots of love to you all,
Jamie
