So This Is The New Year - ISSUE 23

A few things to help you power through 2023

Happy New Year my treasured Love Lucy readers! I hope you are all settling into the new year with good days and positive vibes.

So the start of the year just has all this opportunity and the buzz around setting goals and intentions for the year is coming at us from every angle. Are you sick of it yet? Full confession - I am not sick of it as I LOVE goal setting, mindset advice and all the other things that fall under the self development category that would have made 20 year old Lucy barf and lock herself in her bedroom to have another session of Fight Club and Donnie Darko back to back to reinforce Tyler Durden’s quote…

Self improvement is masturbation

Oh how things change with time. I mean I still adore that movie but I definitely have way more get up and go in me now and my values have shifted. Growing up, finding the person to spend my life with and having a child, have all impacted me greatly in the last few years, leading to positive changes in my behavior and a will to self reflect and improve when I can.

Okay so enough with the Tony Robbins speech, let’s get into the things I think can really help you smash 2023. These are all small, free or affordable and actionable things you can ACTUALLY do. No tall orders here, just me recommending what I see working for me in 2023 and hopefully you too!

If it’s your first time here don’t forget to hit the button below to subscribe so you get this weekly read straight to your inbox.

What would Kyle Mcdougall do?

This isn’t the first time I have written about Kyle and it won’t be the last.

I’m sure you have seen his channel, but beyond that Kyle also has a podcast, “The Contact Sheet”, which I am hoping picks up again as it’s just the best, most grounding thing to listen to. No pressure Kyle, I can imagine how busy you are.

Kyle has recently started back up with his newsletter “Field Notes” and I would highly recommend getting on that so you can read all of Kyle’s thoughts and tips throughout the year. The latest issue covers a book Kyle revisits each year and I will definitely be looking this one up and grabbing a copy!

Honestly this newsletter blew me away with how much it resonated with me and I think it will with you too. Kyle is so in touch with the process and the roadblocks us creatives run into. I find his words comforting and like I have the permission and motivation to keep going. Go subscribe, you won’t regret it!

Sign up at the bottom of this contact page on Kyle’s website to receive Field Notes straight to your inbox.

The 6 Minute Diary

Or the 6 minute dairy as I keep typing to Matt Murray who so kindly gifted me this for Christmas. Matt admitted he was pulled in by the promises this diary made to boost positivity and productivity. I know we see a lot of products/courses/people promising those things but after a few days using this the way it is intended it really has made a difference to my overall mood and outlook. Just ask Lux!

So at it’s simplest this is a journal with allotted spaces that invite you to write down the following:

• What you are grateful for?

• How you will make today great?

• A positive affirmation

This is done both day and night and each session takes just 3 minutes, hence the 6 minute diary. This is so achievable and you feel as though you have just gotten ahead of the day by completing this activity. It really boosts a sense of productivity that you, hopefully, carry through the rest of your day. Writing things down really is powerful and I think I underestimated that.

There is also a weekly challenge sprinkled throughout the journal as a little added extra and I wanted to share this weeks with you in case you want to join me…

Write an email to the future you. Describe where you see yourself and your life in six months time. You can write this on futureme.org or whensend.com for example.

Maybe this all sounds super cheeseball to you but I’m up for it! My life has taken the most unexpected turns and I would love to hear from myself in 6 months time and have the chance to take a look at what I’ve achieved, or learnt, between now and then.

If you do this challenge with me definitely DM me and tell me about it or shoot me an email I would love to hear what some of your hopes and dreams are for the next 6 months!

OMTC + LLAA

Did you catch the live stream with Ali aka One Month Two Cameras and I??

Well if you didn’t it can be consumed like a podcast as I’m pretty sure there were no visuals in this, just two gals chatting life, cameras, goals, film prices, Pentax and YouTube! This was a real treat and I think you will enjoy.

I absolutely adore Ali and I think the authentic way she shows up on the internet and the fun vibes she is bringing to YT are just a godsend and exactly what we need right now. I am really excited to see what she does in 2023 and if you aren’t subscribed make sure you go check out OMTC, again, you won’t be sorry you did! Love you Ali :)

Shot by Lux Lumen on the one and only NikonL35AF

Notes On Goal Setting

Whether you subscribe to the idea of goal setting or not I really think writing out your big dreams for the year is a simple and effective way to get closer to them. There is one problem with goal setting though…

Most of us just write them down at the start of the year and then as the days go on we become bogged down in everyday life and it seems that our goals are suddenly slipping away or we tell ourselves they aren’t important. I have some tips that will help you if this has happened in the past and made you cringe at the words, goal setting. Here they are…

• Make your goals visible on a daily basis, not just in a book that is on your desk that you never actually see. I have mine on the wall where I am writing to you now.

• Share them with someone! This could be a friend or fellow photog. Maybe you wanna be brave and share them on social media for everyone to see! You can also DM me if you like, I would love to hear them. A goal shared is one that is more likely to be achieved.

• Revisit your goals every few months to ensure you are on track and revaluate your position. Are these goals still relevant? Don’t be scared to change them either. I often look back at notes I have made and think to myself “oh wow, that is not what I want anymore” or “I’m so glad I did that so I know it’s not for me” Don’t feel like you can’t change or augment your goals half way through the year if you don’t feel like they resonate with you anymore. Be flexible.

• Avoid a “to do list” style of goals that is filled with 10+ things that can be confused for just simply - things you need to do or learn etc. I am sooooooo guilty of this and trust me, it’s a sure fire way to be uninspired and feel overwhelmed with a list that looks a lot like hard work. Make your goals sexy! Make them a bit wild or unachievable so they feel like something to strive for and dream about rather than learning how to use a new editing software or sort out your neg storage system. Unless of course those things sound sexy and aspirational to you, then go ham!

• Mind map each goal. This is kind of like extra homework for those of you who are like me and love to really get organized and put pen to paper planning things out to feel in control. Yes, I am a bit of a control freak. Try looking at one of your goals and then write that down on a piece of paper and circle it. From there, draw lines outwards and write down things you can do, people you can reach out to, steps you need to take to reach that goal. This is a great way to chunk a big task or project out and something I use all the time. Let me know if you try it!

Want To Avoid The Dreaded Creative Rut This Year?

Covid 19 and the lockdowns that came with it had a lot of people feeling a bit stuck and stale in their photography. Sure there were some great creative projects to come out of it but I think some people lost their groove a little. Did you?

Even now when we are semi back to normality, life can get so hectic and after the holiday season we fall back into our usual routines and sometimes end up shooting the same things as always do or worse, not actually shooting much at all!

Whether you feel this or you just wanna have a bunch of tools at the ready to get you feeling inspired and in the mood to create photographs, then look no further than my 101 Creative Strategies Guide for Photographers.

This guide has been in the works for a while and I’m really excited and grateful at the response from you guys! I got a few copies printed at my local Officeworks and having it in my hands to flip through is really something special.

It’s available for download and you can also print it if you like as well. Although, it’s a great tool to have on your phone when you are out shooting and want to just have a prompt to change things up or get out of your comfort zone!

This guide was inspired by Brian Eno’s deck of cards called Oblique Strategies which is available as a virtual deck of cards online and is something I highly recommend if you don’t have any dollars to spare but wanna use the strategies to your advantage as a creative person!

Feel free to DM me with any questions in regards to this as well. Any support through purchasing this guide I made is much appreciated and thank you to those of you who have already purchased it. This is a great way to support the content I make like this weekly newsletter!

So that’s it for this first issue of 2023 I hope you enjoyed! I plan to really put a lot of my energy into this newsletter and prioritize it alongside YouTube so if you love the vibe here make sure you share it with others who can also benefit and get some value and enjoyment.

Until next time…Love Lucy xx