2020 - What a year it has been!
When I had a day job, there were always lots of changes going on; to procedures, to reporting, to how the office was laid out - you name it. If we complained that some of these changes seemed to have no practical purpose, there was the saying that ‘the only constant is change’. This year has certainly seen constant change and most of what was normal is now not so normal. There was much wrong with the previous normal, so we have an opportunity to make the ‘new normal’ better than the old. We have seen many acts of kindness between neighbours and in neighbourhoods, where once neighbours had never met or spoken. We have seen a rise in the use of technology to allow people to work from home and avoid the time consuming, energy sapping commute, although this model of working is not for everyone and it has meant some not going outside for weeks on end and not interacting with others in person. For some, the explosion of on-line activity; drawing classes, choirs, exercise groups, flower arranging courses etc, etc, has been a release from the restrictions imposed on them by health issues or caring duties, enabling them to be part of a group again.
For my part, there have been few changes to the way that I work, but I mainly work alone, actively avoiding other people when out taking photographs. The limited numbers in the hall and one-way system around the markets and fairs that I have done has been interesting at times, but overall not bad. The wonders of the natural world have still been there for all to see, and as people were confined to their local area they often had more time to explore and discover wonder and beauty in unexpected places. It seems that there has been an appreciation of the natural landscape that maybe wasn’t there before.
The launch of my very first calendar was a great success, although at one point I did begin to wonder just what I had done! The project was well received and sold well, so there will be more people with my images on their walls next year than ever before. I intend to repeat the process next year, so look out for news of the 2022 calendar around the end of July/beginning of August.
There will be more changes to come, but as we head into another year, let us all try to take the best of the ‘old normal’ and mould it with the best of the ‘new normal’ and make sure that change is as positive as we can make it.
Wishing you all a peaceful Christmas and, as ever, if you have been, thanks for reading.
Alex
