On Projects
Give me a month, and a new idea, and I’ll make a project out of it.
Quitting coffee for a month? Done that. Quitting alcohol for a month? Done that (in January). Doing Lent, even though I’m not Catholic? Done that. Drive cross country a few times? Check!
I’ve done the workout thing, the running thing, the daily photo project thing, the portrait project thing, tried the vegetarian thing, a few documentary things.
A lot of my inspiration comes from Benjamin Franklin, who challenged himself with all kinds of fun personal projects. And because the idea of learning new things and applying what I’ve learned is immensely gratifying.
By pushing up against your limits, even if those are just perceived limits, can help you figure out more about yourself.
Can you quit meat/coffee/alcohol? What does that mean for the rest of your life? Does it makes things better, overall, or worse? What did you learn by doing that? Etc.
Here lately, I’ve had a few more personal projects in mind:
- Make only black and white photos for the summer
- Take up running again
- Lose five pounds
- Tackle my next big portrait project
The good part is, these are all small things to try. If I fail, I’m not losing anything (except, perhaps, a bit of fitness).
But if I succeed, maybe it will make life a tiny bit better.
