Another year has passed and as we get ready for a new one, I want to take a moment to look back.
I’m a bit torn on how to classify this year. Was it a success or was it a failure? That can be a bit of a subjective answer to come to. In some regards, I feel the product I put out wasn’t up to my standards, and in some ways, I learned more about myself and made some changes that I believe will benefit me in the long term.
So, to put this in perspective, what could I consider failure? I feel like I didn’t post as often as I should, sometimes going several days in a row without making posts on the site. At the same time, I didn’t add a lot of my own content. I didn’t write a lot of reviews. I didn’t make many videos (a total of two on the Youtube channel this year). While I did manage to promote a lot of great content, my own contributions were at an all time low beyond my photography. I feel like my voice was diminished on the site this year.
On the other side of it, the past year has allowed me to do a lot of internal reflection and really think about the things I want to do. One of my favorite things this year has been the evolution of my photography. I feel like I have made some changes in how I look at images and edit images to more develop a style that is clearly my own. it has really given me a new motivation to get to conventions and also do more staged photography and photoshoots. I believe it will also spill over into other projects and really shape what this site can provide in the future.
Speaking of events and conventions, in 2018, I managed to get to a total of 23 events. A bit down from the 27 of 2017. Will 2019 be the year we hit 30? It could very well be so. But if it’s not I’m okay with that. While I would love to have a great number and be able to say I did it all by myself, I will also be happy with more quality and putting forth memorable content.
I have allowed my personal life and other factors to divide my attention away from the site some. Much of this ended up being necessary, but I definitely felt it when I couldn’t devote the attention this site needs to succeed and grow. This year, I will be able to switch some of that focus back and now I have learned from the experiences and am ready to capitalize on it.
2019 will be the year of recapturing the momentum this site had in earlier years. In July, we hit 9 years and start the roll toward our 10th anniversary. I need to build now to take advantage of hype that will surround the completion of 10 years. The momentum begins now. Hold on for the ride as we go forward to a new year and a new prosperity. Thank you to all of the supporters who have been here through all of it. Through the good, the bad, the highs and lows. This year, we get back to the highs.
