The first two weeks of January have been a comedy of errors. I broke a filling, my kids shattered my laptop screen, the power charger fried my battery, we had multiple snow days and delays, and I forgot several activities—swim, karate, and cheer. On the bright side, Linc finally potty trained, though not without peeing through every pair of underwear he owned. We now have more underwear than before, and as of this morning he’s officially diaper-free. I also managed to get my computer repaired, ordered a replacement battery, kept up with the kids’ activities, and scheduled the dentist appointment I’d been putting off.
Despite the setbacks, I’m feeling accomplished. Between parenting, housekeeping, and cooking, I’m also taking an online photography course. I’ve taken a few classes from Clickin Moms before and appreciated them, so when an advertisement for a class called The Documentary Approach appeared in my Facebook feed, I bookmarked it. I kept returning to the post and finally signed up to keep myself creatively engaged through January.
The course so far has been focused on light—tough in the depths of winter—and this week’s lessons tackle composition. I used to think I had composition under control, but the exercises have humbled me. It’s shaken my confidence a bit, but it’s been excellent for stretching my creativity. I’m eagerly awaiting warmer weather so we can shoot outdoors and I can photograph somewhere other than my house. I love documenting everyday life, but I also crave the chance to create more intentionally beautiful images amid the daily chaos.
