Like most people, 2020 kept me inside, away from family and friends, trying to figure out this new world and how I fit into it. Making photos doesn’t seem important during an existential crisis.
But as we approached the end of the year I realized how much I missed image-making; it was like part of me was absent. Looking for a way to reset my artistic practice, I started a new project.
Like 366 Things I Love (2016) and 365 Details (2018) I decided to make one photo per day for a year, starting on January 1. My only rule was that each photo had to be made on the day it was posted, meaning that I couldn’t work ahead.
Projects like this are a lot of work. You have to always be thinking about making a photo, whether you’re feeling creative or not. Most days it’s really fun, thinking about what you’re going to do or what location you’re going to shoot at, but some days you’re so busy with other stuff that you curse yourself for committing to the project.
Mostly, though, this project was rewarding. Forcing myself to create an image every single day has helped me regain my equilibrium. It has shown me that even though I can’t control the world, I can take charge of a little piece of it, one photo at a time.
