"And I will lead the blind in a way that they do not know, in paths that they have not known I will guide them. I will turn the darkness before them into light, the rough places into level ground. These are the things I do, and I do not forsake them." -Isaiah 42:16 (ESV)
This post is a follow up to the one I posted in March reflecting on 2019 as 2020 is about to begin, as well as a bit of a life update. 2019 was a year of taking steps, not knowing where they might lead. So where have they led so far?
Photography:
I began 2019 wanting to exhibit my photography, but not knowing if it was good enough. My first steps involved attending an event about the art of photography and becoming a member at Mistlin Gallery. I submitted 8 photos to the floral and still life show that ran through May and they were all accepted.
I had the privilege of photographing 2 events for the Stanislaus Medical Society.
I had the privilege of photographing 2 events for the Stanislaus Medical Society.
During the summer, I exhibited 3 photos in the summer splash show.
In August, I renewed my membership and submitted 5 photos for the Autumn Art Festival. This was the first show I entered that was judged and juried. I was excited to have 2 of my photos selected for the exhibit.
In the fall, I was notified that an event I had participated in before was coming back under a new name. This was The Art of Hope Gala, formerly the Art of Justice Gala. It involved local artists selecting works children who have experienced domestic violence had created accompanied by quotes from the children. Below is the piece I selected and the piece I created based off of it, called Distorted Decisions. It was created by taking a photo of the street sign with the double arrow, a basic symbol of a simple decision, and distorting it several times and then layering the distortions on to the original image. My two favorite things about this event are being able to support an organization I care about and being challenged in photography as it calls for something different than what I normally do. I also had the privilege of photographing the event. Two exciting things happened. 1)Someone actually asked me about my photo. 2)Someone actually liked my photo enough to pay $250 for it, and I recently found out it was a friend that purchased it.
I finished out the year with the 3 photos that didn't make it into the Autumn Art Festival being exhibited in the Home For The Holidays show. I've had several family members purchase photos from me this last year. And I'll be starting 2020 with 4 photos in the new abstract and valley impression show. There was some frustration preparing for this one due to having limited time to prepare, but I'm excited for it because I think the photos I'm exhibiting are some of my best so far.
As far as 2020 goes, I plan to continue to exhibit at Mistlin Gallery. I'd also like to create a nice website and try to sell more physical prints.
Volunteering at Doctors Medical Center:
In May, I became the chair of the patient and family advisory council. In June, our director transitioned to a new role. During all of this, I realized that this was something I would like to do as a career. I learned that there is an institute called the Beryl Institute that offers courses to prepare for the licensing exam to become certified in patient experience leadership. This is something I want to pursue; it's just a matter of coming up with the money to do so.
One of the challenges I faced in all of this was the unexpected death of my grandpa at the hospital. Just to be clear, it wasn't because of the hospital, he just happened to unexpectedly die there on the day he was going to be discharged. It was a hard loss and made me question being there soon after. It's been a blessing having the opportunity to use his experiences to help other patients, though. In a way, it's like he lives on there through that.
This is one area where I am frustrated going into 2020. I have this goal and I'm looking forward to it, but I don't know how it's going to happen yet. I'm finding to that it's harder to just take steps in this situation and am trying hard to focus on taking what steps I can.
Church:
In June, I left the church I had helped plant in been at for 10 years to call the Anglican church I've attended part-time for 8 years my home church. The liturgy has grown me.
Church attendance has unfortunately been something I've struggled with at the end of 2019 between it being a particularly hard year and due to fatigue and other health issues. A main goal for 2020 is getting back to attending regularly.
Health:
No surgeries this year! However, I have struggled with daily neurological that are likely due to my migraines. My neurologist started me on supplements that have been very helpful, but the issues return if I don't take them. I've also experienced a lot of fatigue that my doctor and I now believe may be due to the generic thyroid meds my pharmacy switched to. I'm hoping to begin taking name brand meds early this next year and hoping that will help a lot.
Work:
September was my last month of nannying for 2019. A temporary job at Kmart, which was soon closing opened up and I was hired at just the right time. This particular Kmart held a lot of good childhood memories for me, so it was bittersweet to be a part of closing it.
2020 currently looks to be opening with a new nanny jo, but work for the year is a bit of mystery right now. This will be a big area for taking steps.
Here's to the steps that will be taken in 2020 and to all the places they might lead. May I have the patience and faith to persevere when not being able to see where the steps lead gets discouraging and may you as well.
