Resolute in 2010!

2010 Resolutions

This time last year, I listed five things in my life that, over the following 12 months, I would try to improve. For the most part, I feel that I achieved those ’09 goals or at least kept the ball rolling in the right direction. So I figured why not make another list for 2010 building upon a year’s worth of successes?   Essentially a continuation of last year’s list, the gist of my 2010 resolutions is MORE MORE MORE!

1.  More of London in My London Daily Photos

Every day, I publish a photograph of something London-related on this blog and have been doing so since 2006. Of course, I realize the need to carry on perfecting my craft – overall, I’m pretty happy with the shots and can see how my photography skills have improved since starting my London Daily Photo series. Still, what leaves me discontent is knowing that the vast majority of my pics are shot within a small section of central London, particularly in Clerkenwell, Holborn, Soho, Covent Garden and Shoreditch. It makes sense that these parts of town inevitably retain my focus; I live in Clerkenwell and the other areas are where I spend much of my time.  Still, London is a huge metropolis with plenty more to see than what’s within walking distance of my flat.

In 2010, I will expand the geographic range of where I shoot for my London Daily Photo series and do a better job capturing as much of London as I can with my photography. More boroughs, more street life, more people, more London!

2.  More Arty Photography!

In other photo news, I was really stoked to have shown my photographs in a few group shows in 2009 and to have had two solo exhibitions in the past year and a half. Considering that I’ve only been giving photography a proper go for a few years, I reckon my move into the world of exhibitions has progressed at a fairly decent pace.  With a few more shows in the pipeline for the next year or so, my hope is to step things up in 2010 and find even more opportunities to share my art with the world.

I’m going to try and be aware of chances to show off my photography and do my best to get my name and my art out there. More snapping, printing, framing and showing in 2010 (fingers crossed).

3.  More Reading

I’m sitting here lazing through the festive season with some downtime at the in laws. I’m reading books, magazines, comics, newspapers, blogs, status updates, tweets and more to an extent that was well beyond my time constraints during the past year. Indeed, I don’t even remember the last time I read a novel. In order to continue developing my voice as a writer, I need to read more stuff by more writers.   Typos plague my published work more often than I care to admit, and I desperately fear the thought of my own writing style becoming stale.

I’ll make the time this year to sit down with a good book more often than I have in the past few years and generally will read more good stuff more often.

4.  More Baraka

Last January I set as a goal to be a kinder person. Midway through the year, I became part of the board of directors for the charity Baraka Community Partnerships. My involvement with Baraka led to some wonderful opportunities to better the lives of others as well as to understand how much more there still is that I can do.

I will continue trying to be a kinder person (such a loooong way to go!) while channelling much of that energy towards making the most of my experience with Baraka and the people whom we help.

5.  More Adventure

While enthusiastically crashing two large cymbals together during one of the more new age-y moments back in my twenties, I announced to a New Years Eve drum circle that “ADVENTURE!” was the main thing I wanted in 1995 (or whatever year it actually was going to be).  As I remember it, the especially hippy dippy folks making up the rest of the circle seemed incredibly perturbed with me for not following protocol by muttering “world peace” or “compassion” or some such wish as they had. But, adventure was what I truly wanted and – believe it or not – that was exactly what I got.  The following year turned out to be one of my most exciting for me yet.

Last year’s escapades in Nigeria and Laos left me hankering for a bit more of the type of action I had back during my halcyon days of the 90s.  I want more adventure. I summon it … NOW!  CRASH!

Happy New Year/Wish me luck!
Chris