Transitions, Transformations and a Little Photography
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Website Changes
This is a short one, but I’ve been working on making a few changes to the website with an aim to improve user experience and also to try and provide more value for readers (you’ll have to let me know in the comments if I have succeeded and if there are other things that would be of value either in functions/navigation or content).
Two notable additions are the About Me Page and the Resources Page - I’m going to go into a bit more detail with these two.
As many of you have probably realized, I’m an avid reader and I’m always on the lookout for new topics and books to read.
Talking to other retirees about my passions
I can honestly say that 18 months ago I would never have imagined that I would be talking to other seniors about my photography passions and how I link it to physical and mental wellness, however I’m thrilled to have been invited to speak. In my other life (that’s how I think of my pre-retirement career), I often had to give talks and presentations - sometimes for groups up to 2 - 3 thousand people and even a few live interviews and conferences.
Funks, Negative Thoughts and Some Ways Out
There is a seductive nature to negative thoughts and energy. As humans we are naturally drawn to remember negative stimuli whether that’s events, words or actions. This is called the negativity bias which is our tendency to not only register negative stimuli more readily, but also to dwell on these thoughts. It makes sense when you look at it from an evolutionary perspective when we were motivated by survival to be attuned to negative/dangerous/life threatening things.
A Canadian Kind of Winter
Winter can sometimes seem endless in Western Canada with it often starting early in November and snowfalls not ending until April or May - yes that’s right we get a good 4 - 6 months of winter and I’ve even seen snow in every month of the year while living here. As a result you need to be able to embrace the season or you’re in for a very long and unhappy time.
I have found that there are several keys to embracing winter and the most important has to be ensuring you’re properly dressed - layers! layers! layers!
Birding
I think that my interest in birds surprises people as I don’t necessarily fit the stereotypical view of a bird photographer and I think it’s likely time to debunk that stereotype. Many different people (young and old) have found pleasure in bird watching and photographing them as it’s an interest that can be practiced on a short neighbourhood walk or a more lengthy birding destination trip. The stereotype of someone wearing a multi pocketed khaki coloured vest bulging with various birding accessories and a pair of
Being present and intentional
I think that one of the most frustrating responses to receive when asking why something is done in a certain way is “because this is how we’ve always done it”. My frustration arises because this response dismisses our ability to be present and innovate as the situation requires. It means that we are doing things out of habit rather than intention.
I found myself falling into this pattern once I retired.
Experiencing Kenya for the First Time
I was concerned about spending 3 weeks on safari with the main focus being photography and my non photographer husband becoming bored stiff, however I needn’t have worried as the trip became more about the experience and the people we met than the taking of images (though we did get some epic and special images). It ended up helping us to form an even deeper connection and we have both said that this was by far the most special trip we’ve made together.
You don’t always get what you want….
Because I was being open minded and focusing on enjoying the solitude and experience, I kept calm and continued to travel similar routes each day. On day 3 of my 7 day trip I stopped at an intersection to scan for snowies and I noticed a vehicle parked on the intersecting road. I didn’t think much of it and as I scanned the area I saw several birds flying around above me. I pulled out my binoculars to get a better look and thought at first they were hawks
In Search of Snowy Owls
From November to February or March each year we are treated to an amazing phenomenon in western Canada and that is the sight of migratory snowy owls who winter in our regions. These are such special birds and listed as vulnerable due to the public interest in them. As a result birders are especially careful about not revealing sighting location details and often waiting until after they have left the area to even post images. This helps prevent large groups of people trying to find the birds and stressing them unnecessarily.
Finding space and recalibrating
I’m an introvert by nature and while I can feel comfortable taking the lead in a large group setting or giving presentations in public this requires me to use a lot of energy and it can be quite draining. I have noticed that I re-energize by more quiet or solo activities like cooking, reading, hiking and definitely photography.
(As a side note: Susan Cain has written an excellent book about introversion called Quiet - I highly recommend it.)
Irritability, Cabin Fever and a Breakthrough
Initially I like these cold snaps that force us to stay indoors as I get to do things that I usually put off - like bulk cooking to stock the freezer with soups and stews (my favourite meal when it’s cold), reading a good book, playing board games or catching up on admin things or photo editing and courses. It is wonderful to have dedicated time to do these things for a few days and then......I find myself looking longingly out the window and starting to feel trapped.
Habits, Spontaneity and the Importance of Play!
This is one of those moments where I am grateful that I made the decision to retire and that I chose to pursue my creative passion rather than trying to continue to work in some fashion. It’s interludes like this where taking the opportunity to be spontaneous and follow a hunch results in fostering that curious playfulness that allows creativity to grow. It’s a habit that I’m building and as a result I believe I am a much more creative photographer than I was a year ago.
Rediscovering my creative mojo
How did that happen? How did I lose my way from being curious, playful and imaginative to becoming successively more restricted in what I would show the world? Fred Rogers (Mr. Rogers’ Neighbourhood) is quoted as saying that “Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But for children play IS serious learning. Play is really the work of childhood.” I came to see play as a break from the seriousness of everyday life - now I was having to rethink its role in my life.
How it all began….
So you want to write a blog? The question kept circling around in my head - Why? What do you have to say? Who will read it? There’s so many blogs out there already! My inner critic was on overdrive - loud and vocal about raising self doubt and making me wonder if this really was a good idea. This blog’s future definitely looked uncertain.
Let me give some background to explain how I got to this point. I’ve had a very challenging few years as I came up to retirement - firstly coming to the decision to retire and then actually doing it!