While harvesting has to be one of the most rewarding experiences, I can't help but see how it can be one of the most arduous tasks. Just when you think that you can coast into a comfortable place, you realize that there is mountains of work left to be done. Perhaps all those seeds didn't take. Or maybe they got taken by something. Maybe your crop got too much sun or rain. It's here that you find out. And even after you reap your bountiful or pitiful harvest, you are still in for the work... the cleaning, the storing, the bottling, the canning, the preserving and the cooking. The work is never really done. It just continues in a new form. But the gratitude for the work done and the reward in front of you should always remain strong and big in your heart.
carrots
Project 365
Carrots from my garden. I am learning here too.
I have long admired the discipline of people who do a 365 project. I just never got into one of my own. Often I am taken away from my desk for stretches of time on shoots out of town (I am unfortunately not a laptop user). I also seem to struggle with something that I have to do every day - like take a daily supplement, for example. And these projects always sounded like more work added into my already busy life.
Besides all that, I think the vulnerability of posting something every day to the world that might not be your "best work" is something all photographers struggle with. Will people like this photo? Is it good enough? Am I good enough? Will I look too narcissistic or (insert other harsh adjective here) if I just post stuff about my life all the time? Self doubt can stop you before you have even begun a project. And so far, for me, it has succeeded.
Fear is real. And putting yourself out there can be hard. But like everything, you just have to do it. Leap and the net will appear. You just have to show up and keep trying...keep practicing...keep working towards the goal. A 365 project is just this - practice. It's there so you can keep working on that craft, so you can keep addressing the things you love to do, and so you can ultimately be better - be it gardening, yoga, photography or motherhood. Practice builds the ultimate confidence we seek out.
So here I am, working on my very own Project 365. I can't wait to see what it brings. I can't wait for the mishaps and the hiccups and the trials and tribulations that comes with growth and learning. I can't wait to see what comes next.