It’s beginning to look like Christmas

It’s beginning to look like Christmas. We’ve had our first snowfall and built our first snowman. The dog ate its nose, but it was cute nonetheless. We’ve baked cookies, and eaten them too. The fire has been crackling and the mood is set by our Christmas decorations. It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas.

2021 – a bit daft as well?

I don’t know about you, but this time last year I felt hopeful. Even if the Corona Chronicles were full of great adventures, 2020 was a bit of a daft year, right? I was sure 2021 was going to be a lot better. Long before it would be time to state ’tis the season yet again, the pandemic would be over. We would have reopened society and were all looking forward to socializing our way through the holidays.

However I don’t think that I’ve been alone in feeling that 2021 has been a bit daft as well. Full of great adventures sprinkled throughout the year, indeed. But still a bit daft. It’s like we’ve been in a collective funk, not really believing it’s over. And what do you know, yesterday Norway went into “lockdown light” yet again. Ah, well, we’ll get through this one as well, right?

 And I have to say that creatively for me 2021 has been way less inspiring and productive than 2020. First with the creative rut I was in during spring, then with way too much work after summer and topping it off with loosing focus come late autumn. Looking through my portfolio from this year daft is the best word to describe it.

But hey, it’s beginning to look like Christmas, and this post doesn’t do well at contributing to the holiday spirit, so let’s look ahead!

2022 – an amazing year ahead

Last year I had a few big projects; Corona Chronicles, the Explore Locally episodes, Blogmas and my “Silent Night” Christmas card. This year I’ve focused on smaller projects; getting better at short form videos, learning how to create images and video with my drone, sharing some of the things I’ve learned over the years and shooting more horizontal images. So what’s my plan for 2022?

First of all I’m going to prioritize my health. I still don’t know for sure about the underlying circumstances that caused my optic neuritis, and 2022 will be an important year in that journey. My vision has improved a lot, and with it the urge to be outside alone with my camera in hand. It feels like heading out to shoot will be a crucial part of staying healthy and sane in the future.

I’m also going to plan a few bigger projects to focus on in 2022. I want at least one proper photography project and one bigger video project to focus on. Over the last few years I’ve photographed and documented Savalen to a great extent, and I really want to find another location to immerse myself in. I think it’s time to do something closer to home (home being where I grew up), so I’m looking into the possibilities.

 

It’s beginning to look like Christmas

As it’s beginning to look like Christmas I actually started to write a few obligatory posts for a blog like mine. You know; a gift ideas post, a things to shoot during the holidays post and even a post of my favorite images from 2021. However I decided to scrap them and just accept the fact that I’m not really ready to create that many posts just yet. I’m giving myself a break over Christmas to capture moments of joy and tranquility. And then I’ll be back with more consistent content once the holidays are over.

I might pop back in to say Merry Christmas in a weeks time, but if I don’t; I wish you all the very best of holidays. Take care of yourself and your loved ones. Listen to what your body, mind and soul is telling you that you need. Spend some time alone with your camera. Listen to the sound of the fire crackling. And know that 2022 may well turn out to be a bit daft as well, but that’s totally fine.

All the best,

Tonje