And so, the year 2021 starts with new hopes and aspirations. In the absence of any currently confirmed shooting commissions due to rampaging C19 virus, I’m turning to myself.
Establishing a strong connection with my photography clients is paramount in creating meaningful and honest images. And so before any new project, I ask a lot of questions. Some are about business, other are more personal.
So it’s only fair that I take this opportunity and I introduce myself properly.
Each day, I’ll attempt to write on one of the three daily January challenges to which I subscribed.
One – Literally Challenge. I’ll be following Feed Your Soul suggestions in the Guardian article – each day is a new piece to read, some poetry as well as stories.
Two – Breathing Challenge. Employing traditional yoga poses and breathing techniques, I’ll be aiming to realign my often scattered focus. In turn, I hope that a daily practice will help me to build a more balanced physical, mental and emotional health. Yoga with Adriene is my go to on-line class and I look forward to this new challenge.
Three – Learning Challenge. If you didn’t know already, English is not my mother tongue. Even if I lived in the UK most of my adult life, my first language was Russian. So building on my language skills I am now learning French. It’s a slow progress, but I persevere nonetheless. My daily drip of language knowledge is provided by the free language App – Duolingo. I’m hoping to go beyond a minimum of 30 day streak in my quest to speak a new language, improve my memory ability and potentially reduce risks of dementia and Alzheimer’s.
And so…
Namaste
Au revoir
and I’ll leave you with the words from Still I Rise, by Maya Angelou
Leaving behind nights of terror and fear
I rise
Into a daybreak that’s wondrously clear
I rise
Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave,
I am the dream and the hope of the slave.
I rise.
Full version read by the poet herself in her own sassiness.
