Today, I thought back over the past year and all the photos I’ve taken.  Some great, some pretty crappy.  Some interesting, some poignant.  Some beautiful, some mundane.  And ok, some where I was definitely faking it.  (Some of you know what I mean.)  But the quality of the photos was never really the point.  The point was to start something and complete it.  Yes, there were days when I fought against the project and kicked and screamed all the way to the “Publish” button.  Yes, I did miss a few days in between.  Whether it was because I had no access to internet, or I plum forgot, or I simply was not inspired and refused to go out and take a picture at all that day.  I certainly had my bad days.  By enlarge however, I took at least one picture per day and posted it for one whole year.  For someone who is notorious for half-finished projects and not following through on ideas, the fact that I completed this project is quite something.  Inspiring, you might say.

Do I even feel different or like I’ve learned something?  In the beginning, this project was something to remembered and something I even had to schedule into my Google calendar.  But during the last few months, taking pictures every day had become so ingrained into my daily routine, it became almost as normal as brushing my teeth or checking my email.  I didn’t think, I just did.  I had successfully integrated this into my daily life.  I learned that I can discipline myself to complete a task.  The key ingredient being inspiration!  Which, serendipitously, is that new path I find myself on.

I’m now in the midst of making choices and taking action on things that make me happy.  I’m talking about the larger things in life, like career and relationships.  Here’s an example.  Recently I was offered a full-time position with a company (where I currently hold a part-time position) who I fought tooth and nail with to get my foot in the door.  The full-time position was for a position I did not want and knew I’d be miserable in.  But I went back and forth on whether or not to take the full-time gig.  Deliberating on the opportunity this full-time job could bring, not to mention the peace of mind of being able to pay my rent, feed myself and have a health insurance plan that does say, “Yeah, well, if you die, maybe we’ll help you out.”  Versus happiness.  Will I be happy with this job?  And what about that other part-time job as a nanny that I thoroughly enjoy and is one of the only fulfilling things in my life right now?  Happiness.  In the end (after way to much thinking, list making and phone calls to friends and family), I turned down the offer.  I chose in favor of doing what was right for me, instead of what I thought I should do or what was necessarily correct.  I mean really, who, in today’s world, turns down an offer for a full-time job with great benefits?  Well, I guess, me!  But I tell you, I feels really good to make choices that make me happy and to stick with the things in my life that are fulfilling.  If I keep this up, who knows where I will land.

Photography, which is something I immensely enjoy and feel I’m good at, was 95% of this project.  Having this project was a daily reminder of the things I love to do.  I’m so grateful for that.  Without this daily reminder, for the past 365 days, I don’t think I would have had the confidence or the perspective I do now.  Take on the tough challenges.  Do the things I love.  Stick with what makes me happy.  The simplicity of it all seems ridiculous and like something I should have seen years ago or maybe, let’s see, when I started this project!  But I didn’t.  And it took me a year of ups and downs, failures and successes, to see what I see now.

So, yes.  I do feel different.  And I have learned a lot.  Taking on something you don’t think you can do and then seeing it through to the end is very powerful and changes you for the better.  I’m quite proud of myself and feel optimistic about my future.  I know I’ll be alright.  For me to truly believe that, is really something.

Thank you to all those who followed this project, wrote comments, offered advise, listened and read about my struggles and to me drone on about things that probably only I thought were interesting.  Thank you to my friends and family who logged on every day to view the pictures I took.  I’ve heard from many of you who looked at my blog each morning and say they don’t know what they’ll do with out it.  I’ve also heard from the silent viewers – those who watch from afar but never comment.  It warms my heart that you all were following me on my journey.  The project began very selfishly (as most blogs do, hehe) and I never would have imaged the amount of people who were touched by this project.  One of my greatest pleasures is being able to make a difference for someone.  And I hope that in some way, this project has made a difference for you.

I don’t know what comes next or if I’ll continue on with a similar project.  For now, I’m declaring The 365 Day Photo Project complete.  Job well done and I’m signing off!

I found it fitting to end this project with images of clouds.  Something I found very inspiring and fun to shoot this past year.  I just love them!  These pictures were taken with my brand new iPhone.  I’m stepping into the 21st century.  It’s about darn time!  Who knows, perhaps the power, versatility and convenience of having a camera attached to my phone will lead me to a whole new project…

We had a beautiful aspen lined drive up…

A great view of Longs Peak about a half mile from the summit…

And the last few hundred yards or so was a scramble across rock and it seemed like we’d never make it…

But we did.  And boy, was it worth it!

PS: 1 day remains.

PS – 2 days remain!

PS – 3 days remaining!

P.S – 4 days left!