030 — Looking Back, Moving Forward: 2024 Reflections
Moments, Milestones, Memories
For me personally, this newsletter gives me the space to reflect in a bit of a structured way. This was and is really important for me to avoid rushing through life, be more present and adjust things early enough.
Every post on this newsletter is filled with some pieces of reflection, and every year I’ll dedicate a whole post to a reflect on the past year. 2024 was coming to an end and it is the time of the year where I’ve slowed down to reflect on the past 12 months and set goals for the upcoming.
01 Personal Growth, Lifestyle, and Well-Being
Even tho I tried to take life slow and prioritise my well-being to keep my battery energised, it was a challenge to avoid a busy lifestyle when there were some packed weeks and months in 2024.
On the one hand I really enjoy it when projects and events are happening, but I definitely noticed that I need the slower days at home, practising routines, being outside or working out to recharge. Therefore if I didn’t find the time to slow down, life was quickly feeling intense.
Looking back, I have to agree that I sometimes prioritised things that do not matter in the long run. This happens to me unconsciously sometimes, probably when I do not find the time to reflect after busy periods and rely too much on my inner drive.
Anyways, routines and a healthy lifestyle are my strong backbones since the move to Tyrol, and so it was this year. I’m not super reliant on routines but feel it if I’m missing out on one of the few. A health lifestyle (nutrition, sport, sleep) is probably the most important ingredient for me over the past years, which was and is the strong backbone to rarely feel very exhausted, both mentally and physically.
02 Photography Projects and Goals
For 2024 I only set 2 concrete goals, and I only managed to fullfil one of them. Sounds not that good, right?
#1 Assist two different creatives and participate in a workshop
Ok, this did go well. The reason why this was even a goal for me, was, that I first of all love to work with other creative people and second I will never see myself in a position where I stop learning new skills. Also diving into new creative fields and learning more about the creative industry is key for me to find my place.
Honestly, this did go super well. Not only did I worked with two creatives, I assisted four and and this makes me feel super grateful. The trust and kindness besides the actual work was immense. THANK YOU!
Also it was summer when I was part of a weekly Art Direction workshop, hosted by two creatives I really admire. Art Direction is a skill I see as crucial for my way of working on client and personal projects. In 2025 you will receive a whole newsletter about Art Direction, so make sure you are subscribed.
#2 Print a Portfolio Magazine
Spoiler! I did no completed this goal, BUT underneath this goal were many other prerequisites — First and foremost, to build a body of work that I feel comfortable describing as my work and my style.
Building this body of work has been even more successful than I could have ever imagined! Not only did I worked on personal projects, like NEW ROUTES, I can also claim that many client projects feel completely like me.
My favorite was probably the portrait of Thibault Anselmet, the two-time World Champion in ski mountaineering, for ATOMIC.
Saying (or writing 😅) this feels like a dream I never thought possible after only 2 years of pursuing it.
In other words, I'm super happy that I didn't reach this goal and that I was able to enrich my work with very special and meaningful projects!
03 Looking forward to 2025
As we are already in the new year and things are start up, I took my time to gather my main goals for the upcoming year.
Continue pushing more into the direction of commissioned photography work
Portfolio Magazine
Connect with the right people
Pitch project ideas
Collaborate with creatives and brands
Write consistently on Substack
24 newsletters (2 each month) in 2025
Rebrand the newsletter: WRITTEN THOUGHTS → CREATIVE RHYTHM
Start a specific long term project
I will share updates through the year and a dedicated newsletter in October
Keep learning
Same as in 2024, I aim to work on 3 project as a helping hand
Also I’m curious to expand my knowledge through participating in another workshop of any kind
Dedicate specific time to certain routines in order to maintain my personal well-being
More yoga and stretching
Running
Learning how to play guitar (this will be fun)
All images in this post are from a somehow scratched roll of 35mm APX 100 film shot in the Canonet QL17.
I wish you a great start in the new year, stay healthy and continue to pursue your goals and find your purpose!
Fabian
I’m a freelance photographer who focuses on authentic advertising, documentary, and portraiture. This newsletter is for you, if you are curious about my journey to find the creative rhythm. By subscribing, you'll receive project updates, in-depth thinking, photos, insights, behind-the-scenes stories and how-to’s straight to your inbox.
The best place to see my work is my website. Other places to find me are Instagram and LinkedIn.
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THANK YOU!