In 2014, I started an everyday photo project called The Joy Project. You can read about the project here. For years, I captured the everyday life of our three children. At the time our children were 4, 7, and 9 . Through the Joy Project, I also took time to reflect on the beauty of these days at home with each of them. The beauty found in the mundane.
Today, we have four children ages 4, 11, 13, and 16. I continued this project for years, but over the last few years I stopped shooting daily. I stopped sharing daily. Life with two teenagers, a tween, and a four year old is undoubtedly busy and full. During the past decade, I’ve seen social media interaction ebb and flow. It was once a place filled with many artists encouraging, inspiring and challenging one another. A place of authors sharing their words and heart. A place of community. Social media was the place to be and the life of a blog slowly died. Social media has changed since those initial years. It’s still filled with beautiful artists and writers, but you have to dig through so much negativity to find that inspiration. And then there is also the algorithms and business side of social media. I’ve felt the pangs of interaction dwindling. I’ve felt the pressure of creating something amazing each time I share. I’ve felt the insecurities as “likes” have drastically declined through the years. I know I am not alone in many of these feelings.
2020 has been challenging in many ways. The world seems like such a dark place right now, yet, I still believe there is beauty to find everyday. I believe God’s light is ever present, we just have to keep seeking. To be aware. This year, I have decided to bring back The Joy Project; my daily project to find the beauty in the mundane. I was going to start again November 1st as I have often enjoyed shooting 30 days of thanks or other gratitude projects in November. But, I realized there was no better time than today. My desire is to start shooting daily again and to resume posting to my blog. To capture the everyday details of life with our four children. I am certain that there will be days I miss and I will offer myself grace when needed. I realize more than ever that these days are fleeting. I don’t want to pick up my camera in hopes “of the world loving my images.'“ I want to pick up my camera to tell the story of today. I want to do this as an artist, but moreover, I want to do this as a mother. My prayer is that I will look back on these stories and see how Christ grew each of us through this season together. My prayer is that we can all begin to see more light than dark.
For my fellow artists and mothers. Don’t forget your why. I think somehow many of us lost our why and forgot the true love we felt when we began creating. These stories matter. I can only imagine one day there will be something different than what we know social media as today. Your following, likes and interaction will cease to exist, but the images you leave as a legacy for your family will be a last for years to come. Finally, the true gift comes as God shows you the light through the details of the mundane.The gift of seeing His beauty in the everyday is my prayer for each of you.