Better Late Than Never

If you check in here regularly, you’ve probably noticed several changes as I worked on redesigning this website. And you’ve probably also noticed that I’ve been pretty quiet here in the written portion of the Journal.

In an attempt to gain more focus, I cut Facebook out of my daily activity which, while being wildly successful in terms of freeing up more creative and mental space, it means visitors aren’t dropping by here nearly as often without the regular reminders that this place exists. In my spare time I’ve been immersing myself in research and study and came to realize that forcing myself to pour attention in this page means that it may also be pulling me away from work that takes place even deeper behind the scenes.

It’s an interesting thing to think about– since moving to the other side of the globe, I often feel as if I’ve become invisible except for those surrounding me here in this physical part of the world. My local community, for the most part, is made up of former students, street vendors and stray dogs. Some days it’s isolating– others, quite liberating. It’s a reminder of how quickly some people and places can fall out of mind, but then even when months or years have passed you can pick right back up where you left off if the friend is dear enough.

What this means for you, stopping in for a visit, is that I’m cutting back on the filler and chit-chat here in the Journal. Rather, I’ll keep my posts to things that feel important instead of maintaining a daily schedule that might lead to watered-down content. This was such a big factor behind closing the full-time operations of my portrait business a few years ago. I felt I had created a system, learned how to be efficient and profitable, yet in that process of streamlining business, I lost grasp of the wonderful things that come out when creativity has time to marinate and stray from a recipe.

On that note, I’m toying with dates for a US return. I’m finding myself thinking of new ideas related to portraiture in a way I haven’t done in quite a very, very long time. It’s a feeling almost like meeting up with that old friend and I hope we can pick up right where we left off.