MONDAY
First day back in the office and it feels… amazing. We all sit in complete silence, revelling in the peace and quiet of a few hours without kids who are manic on a Christmas/sugar cane high. And breathe….
I find the first few days of the year totally intoxicating. There’s just so much potential and the unknown of what the next 12 months will hold I find so exciting. I do these journal prompts which I’ve done for the past two Januarys and find really useful for channelling all my energy a specific direction/s. I make lists of actions I can take for the next couple of weeks before work starts to (hopefully) pick up and write it all down in my Notion, which I started to use a couple of years ago but let fizzle out some time last year. It’s a great place to keep absolutely everything in one place, so I hopped back on there, deleted all the old information, put the app on the home screen of my phone and recommitted to using it every day. If you’re interested in joining there are loads of template you can use to make the set up process quicker. It’s a bit of a commitment to get all the relevant information on there, but once you get going, it’s worth it. As with everything, it’s the consistency which will make the habit. ‘Consistency’ is my word of the year. So much in life is about consistency; just showing up day in and day out, that’s the way progress happens. This is my mantra for 2025.
TUESDAY
Woke up and went swimming. Another thing i’m prioritising at the beginning of the year (and hopefully throughout!) is my physical and mental health. I haven’t had a regular exercise practise since I fell pregnant with my eldest child which, it suddenly dawned on me recently, is now six years ago. No wonder I had so many problems with my back and neck this year… It really is amazing how much exercise can do for your headspace - come bouncing into the office feeling a million bucks afterwards and start researching potential new layouts for my website.
Followed up a few bits and bobs from last year - a story about Sicily I’ve been talking to two magazines about and a shoot which has some final edits to be made. I’ve been mentally planning another production in Europe and reached out to an existing client about collaborating on another shoot out there. This time I’m determined to get an editorial confirmed as well as a commercial partnership, so I’m starting the pitching process early and location scouting and moodboarding everywhere I want to go.
WEDNESDAY
After looking at a few of my favourite photographers’ websites I had the realisation that my time would be better spent printing / making new work to put up on my existing website. I’ve already delivered the video component of the Sicily client shoot but have been meaning to do a ‘Director’s Cut’ for my portfolio so set about doing that. Moving image is something I’m really keen to develop more this year so this feels like a good thing to start the year with. I love it. Video editing is something I always put off, but once i’m into the swing of it I enjoy it so much. Choosing the music, playing around with layouts and layers - it’s so fun. I have learned everything I know from YouTube so it’s probably not as slick as if I’d worked with an editor but I like the feel of where i’ve got to.
Have a call with a potential new accountant. I’ve been with mine for a few years and am getting the feeling it’s time to move on to some new pastures. I always seem to get left to the bottom of the pile in their priorities and got my accounts so late this year I think it’s time for a refresh.
THURSDAY
Living in the countryside, you don’t always have a huge community of creative people to tap into but my friend Connie (of Studio Connie), who recently moved up here, and I have committed to spending a morning a month together just having a coffee, chatting about work (or not much work at all as was the case this week). ‘Community’ is another word/commitment for me this year; more collaboration, more talking, more asking for advice, more humility. I’ve decided to do an updated version of my logo for the fine art website so it stands apart from my portfolio and Connie is very kindly going to help me with that side of things. I actually used to do some logo design when I had a brand consultancy but in the name of collaboration, it’ll be so nice to work with someone else (infinitely better and more experienced than I am) for a change.
Get back to the studio and book a service for the Colenta paper processor, reconcile some receipts in Xero, and do some more video editing. Lots of bits and bobs. Next week I’ll get started on outreach to clients old and new, but I’m keen to give the website a bit of a freshen up and get some new work up there before I do that so that’s what i’m focussing on for now.
FRIDAY
I had planned to get into the studio and do some editing and website updates but it’s -4 degrees celsius outside and so beautifully sunny outside I go for a massive dog walk and take my camera out with me to capture some of the frost. I only take a few frames but it feels nice to be outside, purposefully looking for beautiful moments; feels really uplifting. Grab my laptop from the studio and decide to work at home instead for once but it’s absolutely freezing at home so I end up under my duvet updating my software. It takes so long I end up only getting my laptop up and running just in time to leave the house again to meet another local friend who is a casting agent for film and TV. Have a cuppa and talk shop before heading to school pick up. Not the most productive day but hey ho - week one of the year is done and it’s been a good one for connecting with people which feels great.
*THINGS I DIDN’T DO*
Outreach to clients - will get on that next week.
P.S. Do you have any assisting opportunities you need to get great photographers for? Or are there jobs you can’t do that you want to pass onto someone else? To list them on our Job Board and tap into this amazing community of creatives, just send the details to studio@aliciawaite.com.