Things I've learnt/started in 2020 that I hope I will take with me into the new year and beyond.

1. Checking in on family and friends more often via video calls, phone calls or even a good old fashioned message.

I hope that going forward, I never underestimate the importance of asking someone how they're doing and listening to what's new with them. With having physical meet ups taken away, these phone conversations became more important than ever before. I also realised how much I enjoyed those group video calls and lockdown quiz nights with family. In a way the enforced distance between us all has brought us all much closer as a family. I hope that when life is restored to normality, we'll still find the time to check in with each other as much as we did in 2020 and when all restrictions are lifted I hope we remember how precious it is to spend time together.

2. Meal Plans

Last year a trip to the supermarket became a daunting event and shopping online for groceries became a race for a delivery slot. On the occasions where I was either brave enough or lucky enough to get some food in the house, it was important to make it all last and not waste anything. Pre-Covid, I took that kind of thing for granted. Pre-Covid if I couldn't be bothered to cook, I would have something from the freezer and would sometimes have to throw veg away because I'd forgotten it needed using up. Lockdown changed that. Meal plans changed that. Really taking note of what needed using up first, planning those meals for the start of the week and making sure everything in the fridge was used and not wasted. I ended up eating better and I felt so much more motivated to cook properly every night because the meal was already planned out.

3. Self Portraiture

For years I had followed the work of conceptual self portrait artist Joel Robison with awe. His art was so inspiring to me but I never had the time or the confidence to pursue self portrait art myself. 2020 provided me with time on my hands and I used that time to explore photography and photo editing in a new and exciting way.
One of my New Year Resolutions, going into 2020 was to stop hiding myself way. Being a wedding photographer, I would only share photos on social media of the happy couples I'd photographed. Every post I made on social media was an advertisement for my business. Every sentence I typed was written to promote my business. Before I knew it, who I was had faded away. I also began struggling in social situations, I noticed that if I was at a wedding as a guest I would feel incredibly self conscious and shy but if I was at a wedding as a photographer I felt confident and larger than life. I was hiding behind my camera. My business was my face, my words, my whole life. I realised that I had become extremely uncomfortable with the thought of posting up a photo of myself on social media or sharing anything online about my life.
2020 has saved me in a way. No longer having new wedding photos to post encouraged me to come out of hiding, sharing my face and my life online again. Standing in front of my camera for my self portraits was incredibly difficult for me and sharing my self portraits online was a million times harder. But I did it and in doing it I discovered and celebrated who I am. I gained confidence; in my appearance, in my ability to edit concepts in Photoshop, and in my creative and artistic imagination. Check out my self portrait art here.

4. Being eco-conscious

Making sustainable changes in your lifestyle isn't something you can just do in an instant. At least it wasn't for me. It took a great deal of research. Looking into what changes I can make, what sustainable products are out there and pricing up whether I can afford to make changes (because eco friendly living is often more expensive than supermarket equivalents).
In 2020 life effectively went on pause and I had a lot of extra time on my hands while waiting for normality to restore. I used some of that extra time to search for the right eco-friendly changes for my household and budget and I made those changes. I won't lie, eco-friendly living is certainly not as convenient for me as the throw away lifestyle that I lived before, at times it feels like a labour of love. It's a way of thinking and a lifestyle that I couldn't do if sustainable living wasn't important to me. When I was researching into what eco changes I could make I found that it really helped me to talk to others who had already made sustainable changes themselves. Some of the best switches I made were recommended to me by others, and I hope I can help others in the same way by sharing my own experiences of eco products/brands that have worked for me. So for anyone who is interested, get in touch, maybe I can help you find some perfect eco switches too. As part of my journey to become more eco conscious, In 2020 I also started having a tree planted with every wedding booking that comes in. It’s great to be able to make a small difference with my small business.