Year of The Dragon… Let’s Fail Bravely!

*_{Arann, Harper, Ally and our dog Juno perched in an orange chair in our mustard forest front yard.}* *_{Medium format film.}*

2024 is the Year of the Dragon. “A year that encourages us to be ambitious, creative, and strong in facing challenges. By setting big goals, being imaginative, staying resilient, building good connections, and balancing our efforts, we can make this year successful.” I hope so because this is also the year that…

Arann turns 5.0 (How to Deal With Men Turning 50)

_{Arann Harris sitting on a step in front of our house holding his guitar and staring at the camera.}*_{Medium format film.}*

Harper turns 13 (Teenagers on the Best Thing About Being Their Age)

*_{Harper sitting with his back to the camera in a canoe on Tomales Bay. Medium format film.}*

Ally turns 10 (On Turning Ten by Billy Collins)

_{Ally standing confidently on a beach and pointing in the distance with a sandy beach scene and palm tree behind him.}*_{Medium format film.}*

Our marriage turns 15. (The traditional 15th-anniversary gift is crystal, a beautiful and transparent glass that represents how well a couple knows each other after 15 years of marriage.) Appropriate because, “If you don’t know me by now,” is one of our most favorite song lyrics to sing at each other.

*_{Babies Paige and Arann in 2009 ready to take on a lifetime together.}*

And my photography turns 20. I started my internship at a photo studio in SF and committed to photography in February 2004.

*_{Black and white photo of Half Dome in Yosemite with Ally blurry, giving the peace sign in the foreground and Harper and Arann looking at the view. Medium format film.}*

We have big plans for how we would love to celebrate… Arann wants to go to Japan, get a new guitar, and have a concert.

*_{Arann Harris playing at his new favorite music venue in Petaluma, California. Medium format film.}*

Our eldest wants to catch a tuna.

*_{Harper sitting quietly bundled in an orange jacket in the fog on a fishing boat in San Diego with poles behind him. Medium format film.}*

My youngest desperately wants to learn to hunt and go to Alaska.

*_{Ally happily holding a BB gun at a rental house in Louisiana. Medium format film.}*

I am dreaming of a trip with Photographers Without Borders to document the all-female ranger team and their orangutan relatives on the island of Sumatra, Indonesia.

*_{Baby Paige holding an orangutan at a rescue facility in Indonesia when she was maybe 9.}*

But after a year of inflation, we will celebrate by becoming more financially stable and focusing on our health. Yay!!!!

*_{Ally blurry in the foreground giving the middle finger with his dad and brother in the background.}* *_{Medium format film.}*

Financially Stable: Two self-employed folks are not ideal. We live very much in the moment and are always crossing our fingers. We have been so lucky to make it through economic downturns, fire seasons, a pandemic, and now inflation… boy are we feeling the inflation. But we both want more stability and this is the year it starts. We’d love to connect with folks who can help us with this challenge.

*_{Three people and a dog are all looking off in different directions on a sunny dock at Tomales Bay. Medium format film.}*

Health: we are figuring out the heart and mind needs for our eldest.

*_{Harper looking at the camera on top of a brightly colored plastic playground on a beach in Mexico.}* *_{Medium format film.}*

And trying to solve the mystery behind our youngest’s perpetual runny nose and belly aches.

*_{Ally timidly looks at the camera standing on a wood plank above a pit of rusty toy trucks. Medium format film.}*

So it will be a year of celebrating, and hard work, and celebrating hard work.

*_{Blurry photo of Ally playing in water fountain at San Diego Zoo. Medium format film.}*

We may not make it to Japan, or Indonesia this year, but I am kicking off the new year with an art show at the Petaluma Arts Center in the group exhibit, Souvenirs: A Reflection of Memory. I am grateful to Llisa Demetrios for her lovely invitation. Reception is on Thursday, January 18th – 5:30 to 7:30 PM. I’d love to see familiar faces!

*_{Ally and Harper standing on large rocks in the fog at the edge of the ocean at a beach in Carmel. Medium format film.}*

In my 20th year in photography, I am excited to: dig deeper into my personal work, photograph with more film, strengthen existing relationships, and build new ones.

*_{Maddie in her yellow dress holding her French Bulldog staring at the camera. Medium format film.}*

I am starting to get that life-after-photography feeling. I look forward to someday being free from the schlepping of stuff, the all-or-nothing schedule, and the continuous technology chase. I am not sure what will be next: teaching, nonprofit work, researching pinnipeds and sea otters (yes, please.)

*_{A beach in La Jolla, San Diego full of people surrounding a sea lion. Medium format film.}*

Because I feel the end of photography around the corner, I am going to appreciate every remaining second and celebrate the fact that I have been making it work as a photographer for 20 freakin’ years!!! That is amazing and I couldn’t do it without you.

*_{Blurry silhouette of three kids running toward the ocean at sunset. Medium format film.}*

Two things I am loving so far in 2024:

The 30-day Drawing Habit with Wendy Mac. I was originally a drawer and I always hoped I’d get back to it someday. This is the perfect way to slide back in. And Wendy is such an incredible teacher. Her message this week was inspired by Julia Childs:

Have the courage to make mistakes, to turn them into something else, to not take ourselves so seriously. And just to DO IT. Do it with love! Learn by doing! Make mistakes! Fail Bravely!

*_{Drawing of a mug given to me by a friend in North Carolina.}*

And puppy snuggles with ReMap puppies. I call it puppy therapy. My friend Sue adopts momma dogs from shelters, who either have puppies, or are expecting puppies, and she gives them a soft place to land and grow before she helps them find their forever homes. Connecting people with dogs is quite possibly the best feeling ever. We couldn’t make it through life’s challenges without our two dog loves.

*_{Harper sitting on our front steps looking at the camera with his arms wrapped around our two dogs. Medium format film}*

As always, thank you for your love and support. 99.9% of my work has come from word-of-mouth. So thank you for believing in me and sharing my work with others.

*_{Silhouette of Ally standing with arms stretched out to the side staring at the sunset over the ocean. Medium format film}*

Happy Year of the ambitious, creative, strong, imaginative, and resilient Dragon! Let’s fail bravely together.

somewhere between a handshake and two kisses

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