1.10.2012

10 on 10: the January edition.

I spent the first week of January battling with an old acquaintance of mine.  his name: Restless.

he calls on me quite often, and it drives me crazy.  his usual ploy is to pick on me until I become so agitated and discontent that all I want to do is scream at the top of my lungs and run away.  so I do.  well, not literally.  I run away to Target, or to the mall, or around the block-- some place where I can unwind and blow off a little steam.  usually an hour or so of down time is all I need before I'm ready to head back to the nest with renewed energy and a more positive attitude.      

this time though, it was a different Restless that came a-calling.  it wasn't so much that I was agitated, but rather I had this nagging, sort of antsy, feeling that I was supposed to be doing something, although I wasn't quite sure what.  I tried several times to pinpoint it, but each time I came up empty-handed.  eventually, I just kind of brushed it off and figured it had something to do with the kids returning to school after Christmas break, leaving me with perhaps a bit more free time on my hands than I was used to.

it wasn't until last Saturday, when I came across my camera tucked away inside a cupboard in the living room, that the reason for my restlessness finally dawned on me: Project 365, DUH!  for an entire year it had been a part of my daily routine, something I thought about with relative frequency.  now that it was over, that stress/challenge was gone, leaving behind an empty hole in its place.

even worse: in the week that had passed, I hadn't once pulled out my camera.  as challenging as P-365 was at times, at least it had kept my camera from sitting idle, and had inspired me to continue to capture those little everyday moments.              

that said, I needed something to get me into the picture-taking mode again.  and fast.    

later that evening, I began scouring the web for other photography challenges.  that's when I stumbled upon this idea: a picture an hour / ten on ten.  I decided it would be a perfect way for me to continue to capture life's moments without being as overwhelming as P-365 sometimes was.

my plan is to choose one day out of the month and capture ten images throughout the span of that day.  on the 10th of every month, I'll post those ten images that will hopefully tell the story of my day.

here are my first ten photos, taken this past Sunday on our trip to Phoenix.   keep in mind, these pictures are not at all orchestrated, but more or less random snapshots of whatever happened to be in front of me at that moment.

precious cargo
pizza-licious.
four years-old.
birthday guests.
shadow play.
ripening oranges.
brothers.
dress-up.
on the drive home.
tired out after a long day.


are any of you up for a challenge?  if so, I'd love to have you join me! 

-jessica

6 comments:

Crystal Lee Photography said...

great idea! Project 365 is SOOOO hard, I thought I was going to do it this year, and it's already a no go, I tried, unreal how hard it is, amazed you were able to complete it (not doubting you) it's just practically impossible!..I'd love to join you with the "10 on 10", but I'm lacking motivation...we'll see. Can't wait to follow your project, good luck!

Anonymous said...

sounds cool! i also have tried to the 365 but failed!

Anonymous said...

im doing your picture a day project:) But this sounds fun too!! ~jess

Anonymous said...

ohh...yes! i like this idea!

Amy W said...

Now that sounds interesting! Can't wait to follow your pictures:) I'm going to give it a whirl! I'll let you know if I post them... except mine will probably be more of the same each time! Babies, messes and so on! ;)

Kate Giovinco Photography said...

I have been seeing this 10 for 10 everywhere and I think I am just going to do it. Pull out my camera and do it. I think I will do my man's birthday on Thursday for January and then each month post on the 10th of the month. I am a little late for January but oh well going to still go for it.