101 Goals in 1001 days

I am a list  maker.

I enjoy order and efficiency and I love the feeling of 'checking things off my list'.  Its a sense of accomplishment, a sense of purpose, and a way to measure the way I've spent my time.  In fact, I love putting things on my monthly calendar, because when I look back on it at the end of the month, I can physically see the way I've spent my last 30 days.  I feel amazing when I'm busy and get things done.

So it makes sense that I would eventually incorporate lists into my photography career.  As a newbie who is trying to built a photography business from the ground up, I think my goals in a list form will really provide me with focus and purpose in the coming three years. 

The inspiration for the 101 goals in 1001 days came from reading two posts by Denver area photographers R.J. Kern  (Kern Photo) and Amanda Tipton (Kokoro Photo).  Being new to the area, I'm slowly trying to learn about (and hopefully meet!) other wedding photographers and the two of them seem like fun people with great photographic work.  I like the idea of updating my list as I accomplish my goals, and sharing the final products with photographic proof when possible.  I will re-post this as one of my first posts once I get my photography blogsite up and running (Goal #1).

Since I finished my list today, my 1001 days will expire on Saturday,  February 7, 2015.

You'll see that this list has mostly photography components to it as this is the area that I have the biggest goals to work towards, but there are plenty of other personal goals (both fun and serious!) to reach.  I hope you enjoy following along as much as I enjoy attempting to accomplish my goals.

101 Goals in 1001 Days: Green Blossom Edition

Completion date: Saturday, February 7, 2015

1.     Launch Green Blossom blogsite

2.     Blog twice a week

3.     Write inspiration posts for blog

4.     Write FAQ’s for blogsite

5.     Write a kick-ass ‘About Me’ section for blogsite

6.     Enter a photo contest

7.     Contact a local gallery about selling my work

8.     Create a business card

9.     Create a marketing postcard

10. Consult with a lawyer to create a contract

11. Sign up for liability insurance

12. Open a business bank account

13. Shoot a wedding as a second photographer

14. Purchase a full frame camera

15. Purchase a 24-70mm f/2.8 lens

16. Purchase a 70-200mm g/2.8 lens

17. Try out a new lighting technique

18. Photograph a wedding with my wife

19. Photograph a same-sex wedding

20. Advertise in a publication geared for same-sex couples

21. Photograph a newborn baby

22. Get portraits taken of me

23. Attend a photography class/ workshop

24. Attend a wedding photography class/ workshop

25. Purchase an iMac

26. Purchase CS6

27. Join a photography organization

28. Subscribe to a photography magazine

29. Subscribe to a wedding magazine

30. Attend a bridal show

31. Host a booth at a bridal show

32. Meet area photographers

33. Photograph a gymnastics meet

34. Photograph an elite gymnastics meet

35. Photograph a destination wedding

36. Eat a whole lobster

37. Have a wedding featured on Style Me Pretty

38. Buy a car

39. Buy a house

40. Have our first child

41. Give birth naturally

42. Have maternity photos taken

43. Hike the Grand Canyon

44. Go to Hawaii

45. Take my wife on a surprise vacation

46. Print gallery wrap canvases for our nursery

47. Photograph a boudoir shoot

48. Finish scrapbooking our wedding album

49. Complete 365 Day photo project

50. Have a 365 Day photo project party

51. Publish an ad in a local bridal magazine

52. Go to the 2015 gymnastics world championships

53. Purchase a monitor calibrator

54. Go to an 'equipment try-out' day at the Denver Zoo

55. Go to the Denver Museum of Science and Nature

56. Visit Mesa Verda

57. Climb a 14,000 foot mountain

58. Cook every recipe in Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution cookbook

59. Finish transferring my gymnastics VHS tapes to DVD

60. Take voice lessons

61. Join a yoga and spinning studio

62. Join a volleyball league

63. Pay off our credit card debt

64. Buy a dresser

65. Complete the Red Rocks fitness challenge

66. Get a massage

67. Have a spa day with my mom

68. Buy a bike with a basket

69. Knit a blanket for our baby

70. Grow my own herbs

71. Print photographs for my wife’s office

72. Attend a concert at Red Rocks

73. Take a 3-day backpacking trip

74. Host a dinner party complete with stylish table decorations

75. Go on a business planning retreat

76. Create a cozy and inspiring studio space

77. Evaluate 101 goals and progress throughout the year

78. Photograph a stylized photo shoot for fun and experience

79. Visit a natural hot springs

80. Start figure modeling again

81. Learn off camera lighting set-up with wireless remote

82. Create a list of photography blogs I follow and check weekly

83. Introduce myself to photography bloggers I follow

84. Find photoshop plug-ins I like

85. Define my photographic style

86. Photograph a wedding at the Denver Botanic Gardens

87. Purchase a pair of Vibrum 5 fingers

88. Run a 5K race in Vibrum 5 fingers

89. Visit the 4 corners

90. Go on a wine tour

91.  Have lunch with a local wedding photographer whose work  I admire

92. Make monkey bread

93. Do a photoshoot with headpieces from Dani Hansen’s ‘From Sprout to Out’ collection

94. Go horseback riding

95. Print my own greeting cards as family Christmas gifts

96. Go on a 30-mile bike riding adventure

97. Purchase a case of Chenin Blanc from Goosecross Vineyards

98. Go apple picking

99. Make a dessert from a Martha Stewart recipe

100.                Go on a 10 mile-run

101.                Make my own ice cream

My Country 'Tis of Thee

We had a fabulous Fourth of July holiday weekend.

I honestly think that this is the first holiday weekend I've had that felt relaxing and wonderfully fulfilling. I think part of that has to do with not being so stressed out in life and being able to just enjoy some quality time off with my wife and friends. When we were living in DC and both in school a holiday weekend was a time to recover from life--we spent so much time running around crazy busy that we needed the extra time to chill and do nothing. The extra day off passed with nothing special happening and then it was back to the grindstone.

This time around, I wasn't dreading the end of the holiday. I suppose this is probably a result of only working part time jobs that don't really require thought outside of the office environment. Hopefully someday that will translate to a full-time job that also doesn't require much thought outside of the office. Not that I have a problem with a job that requires a little extra effort or thought at home, but I don't want that to be the norm. I want my time away from work to be my time.

I am definitely more of a 'work to live' kind of person and I cherish my time off to nurture the other things in my life that fulfill me.

For the weekend we had enough time to go kayaking on the lake, picnic at the park, clean the house, lounge at home, go to two cookout/ hanging out events with good friends, and watch the fireworks from afar. The weather was blissfully comfortable, the food we ate was good and the company was even better.

I hope we have many more holiday weekends just like that one!

A Common Theme

I was listening to the radio on my way to work this morning and they were talking about the quarter-life crisis, most notably in females. I'm not sure why the emphasis is on women, maybe by nature we are more apt to plan and dream and freak out if we haven't reached or discovered our goals by 30. Not being a male, I don't really know your side of it--leave a comment if you happen to have a clue.

In 2010 I followed the blog of a fellow R-MWC classmate and former co-worker which explored a breadth of topics surrounding quarter-lifers, and consequently touched on a common theme in blogs of many R-MWC graduates--the search for a Life More Abundant (case in point, this blog by another classmate, so titled Vita Abundantior).

What I find interesting in the common theme is that all of us understand the concept of living a Life More Abundant and are actively searching for it. While some of us are still searching, some of us have found it, and some of us thought we did, only to find out that our own definition of an an abundant life has shifted or changed. I think that's okay. I think part of the beauty of the school motto is that it gives us the power to direct our own life within an achievable and tangible framework. After all, each of us has our own personal definition of what an abundant life looks and feels like.

As for myself, I wouldn't say that I am having (or have had) a quarter-life crisis, and I don't think my wife has either. In many areas of my life I've trusted what feels right for me (regardless of what other people think) and that has led me through a natural progression of self-discovery. I'm married to a wonderful woman and about to graduate with a Master's degree in a field I love. However, as evidence by this blog, we are still reaching for our own path of satisfaction and happiness. I'm ready to settle into a career, move to a place that makes me feel alive and energized, and start a family (not necessarily in that order). I certainly feel like we are striving to live our life abundantly, healthily, and happily no matter where we are in our life, but I think we want it all.

Perhaps we're playing the quarter-life waiting game. Not waiting for life, but waiting for all of our hard work, energy, and passion to manifest into something extraordinary and fulfilling that can sustain us for years to come.

The Start of Something

We are Jennie and Heather, newlyweds, fresh out of graduate school, and trying to navigate life in the ‘real world’.

We currently live in the snowiest city in the country (and sometimes it seems like the rainiest and cloudiest too), which has led us to feel like we’re just ‘biding our time’ until we can move on to something better. Sounds depressing, right??

So we are embracing a new mindset—a new way of thinking and doing—that brings us back to our roots at Randolph-Macon Woman’s College. While we both believe in our school’s motto, Vita Abundantior, or Life More Abundant, we have struggled to make this a reality. One of us (Jennie) has struggled more than the other. As a constant planner and dreamer, Jennie thrives living in the ‘future’, but as you can imagine, this can lead to missing out on the present, even a snowy and dreary one.

With this in mind, we are changing things up a bit. We’re changing the way we eat, the way we shop, the way we work, and the way we play. We’re opening up our minds, trying new things, and making a conscious effort to enjoy our time and each other.

We’ll be using this blog to share some of our projects, our discoveries, and any other adventures along the way that lead us to the ultimate goal of a Life More Abundant.

Enjoy!