Taking a look at my Resolutions for 2010

Wow, I can't believe I haven't blogged since September! Sorry! I will have to try to post more often. To be honest, once I got to school, I've barely had time to do shoots, and I haven't been super proud of the photos I've taken.

After reading Sam's (Samantha Nandez, that is) post about her past New Year's Resolutions on her blog, I wanted to do the same for mine. SO MUCH has changed since January. It's amazing. More than I realized.

Here are my resolutions from January of 2010, posted on Deviantart (which I now no longer use except for the occasional upload or update).

1) 52 week project: I generally think that 52 week project has all the perks of the 365 with none of the cons. I think it'll be fun to see how I grow through the year (: I'll be posting them on flickr [link] so add me as a contact if you want to follow that! (and tell me if you're doing a 365 or 52 week project!)

2) I want to inspire: I so want to improve more than I ever even thought possible. I want to really see. I want to inspire every single one of my watchers and more.

3) Get an internship or job in photography: speaks for itself. I want to learn so much more than I already know. So badly.

4) I want to do good, to change the world: I want to become a good enough photographer that I have 10,000 watchers, so that when I post something, like a charity that I've found that I love, or an idea that would be amazing if people followed, or someone inspiring that should be watched, or anything that could change people's lives for the better, there would be ~10,000 people listening. And maybe they will pass it on to people they know... and then we could really change the world, or at least the worlds of several, for the better. I really think that the possibility is incredible and amazing.

5) I want to live: I want to do things simply for the joy of being alive, for fun, to make the most of my time, to create beautifully colored memories and to gently or roughly shape me into someone.

6) I want to stop being lazy: Because it holds me down, it's a waste of my time. This goes for answering comments, too.. I hate that I've become someone that takes forever to answer them, and I'm so sorry for that. None of you deserve to wait for my thanks to your generosity and kindness.

7) I want to experience and learn: From everyone around me, even those I never expected to learn anything from. I want to be open to new ideas and ways, not shut off.

8) A creative project: I want to create something, maybe a photobook with writing? Something that I can call my own and produce and be proud of.

9) Win a competition: Or at least get shortlisted!

10) Get published!

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Now I'm gonna look at how each one panned out:

1) 1) 52 week project: Well, I failed organization wise on this one. I got to week like, 22 before I started my 100 days of summer project (which I decided to stop). I did, however, take a photo nearly every week this year. Not every week, but probably 45+ weeks out of 52. SCORE: 75/100

2) I want to inspire: I think I did okay on this one. Not as much as I would have liked to. I think a lot of the photographs I took for the first 2/3rds of the year were good and semi-inspiring. This last 1/3rd, I don't think I was particularly inspiring artistically, but I had several people tell me I inspired them because of my fundraiser, and that's something I really value. So I'm going to say SCORE: 100/100 on this one :)

Get an internship or job in photography: It's funny, this shows how much I have changed. This was back when I was still upset about not being able to transfer to a photography school. It was before I started my second semester and realized how much I love Northeastern, Communications, and the co-op program here. It was before I realized that I do not want to pursue photography as a profession, just as an ambitious side project that I enjoy. It was before I realized that I want my career path to be most likely in the Non-Profit/Fundraising sector. So, it's kind of irrelevant. Since my interests have changed, and I got a well-paying, 30hour-a-week co-op for next semester that looks like something I'm going to really enjoy and is a Non-Profit, I think I'm going to say that I succeeded here, since it's not as though I was too lazy to get one or I couldn't get one, I simply changed what kind of internship/job I wanted to get. SCORE: 100/100

I want to do good, to change the world: If you told me in January that my future self shaved her head after raising $12,000 (more than double my original goal) in 8 weeks for Susan G Komen, I'd laugh in your face. And then I'd probably think "hey, I should do that!". haha. Anyway, I'm so glad I can say that I feel like I've fulfilled this one!! SCORE: 100/100

5) I want to live: Hmm. I think I did a good job of this for the first 2/3rds of the year, especially with going to Paris and Gent, and meeting lots of new people. This past 1/3rd, I have been so insanely busy with school work and my fundraiser that I don't feel that I've gotten to really LIVE much. This is still something I want to do better at every single year. SCORE: 50/100

6) I want to stop being lazy: It's hard for me to remember how lazy or not lazy I was in the first half of the year. I feel like at least since summer started, I've been very busy and hardworking. I still have to work on this a bit more, though. SCORE: 75/100


7) I want to experience and learn: Yes, I think I have done this. From classes and exploring the city spring semester of '10, to my summer travels in Paris and Gent, to home tragedies, to classes and my fundraiser this semester, I feel that I've learned a LOT. I feel that I've become more open to seeing more than one side to an argument, and to admitting when I'm wrong. I still have more improvement to do for sure, but I think I've achieved this as much as I could have hoped to in this time period, so.. SCORE: 100/100


8) A creative project: Yep! I did create a photobook! I want to do more creative projects next year, though. SCORE: 100/100

9) Win a competition: I won some sort of competition but I can't remember if it was this year. I at least was in the finalists for this contest twice. And published for it. SCORE: 50/100

10) Get published! Done, many times over! Woohoo! SCORE: 100/100

FINAL SCORE: 850/1000! Not too bad. Better than I would have thought!

ANALYSIS: I think that there were a lot of things not on the list of resolutions that have changed for the better this year. I think I'm fairly proud of this year. There are so many big things and little things that I could mention that all happened this year. I feel like I've really grown immensely as a person. I hope next year is the same! I'll have to think up some Resolutions for 2011 and post them in the next few weeks :)

If you do a post like this, let me know!! I'd really like to read them!!