A Reflection on Intention — Week 13 of 52 Week Photo Project
The brisk air slid across my skin. The sun peeked between the branches offering pockets of warmth in the chilly afternoon.
"I'm here," I thought.
I'm actually here. I was present in the moment, something that my anxiety makes incredibly challenging to accomplish.
I spent quality time with friends, cracking up, being myself.
Laughter broke through my bones, expunged from my belly, and out my mouth so much that my body ached.
I was present in front of the lens. AJ behind it guiding me and for a moment my thoughts escaped me and perched on a branch in awe and nonchalant like, "this is cool. look at them, doing their thing."
Yeah I had moments of uncertainty "am I doing this right?" (because it's absolutely normal to think that when being photographed) but it didn't consume me. I had trust in AJ, in myself, and also the hype from my friends looking at me 😅 (also nerve wracking, but I couldn't be bothered to overthink it, I was too happy to be there with all of them).
As I prepare for the second quarter of this year, I thought it would be a good idea to reflect on my word/them for the year thus far.
New York from Jersey City
My theme for the year was INTENT and all variants of that word (intentional, intention, etc). I found I've used it interchangeably with purpose, alignment, and being present.
And at first I thought maybe it was too heady to have this kind of theme. Maybe it was too obvious or too simple. I don't know, but again I reminded myself that the purpose of selecting (and changing if needed) a theme is solely for me; something for me to come back to after life inevitably takes the reigns and goes forth for days, weeks, months, and becomes as unpredictable as possible (because, if you didn't know, as much as we try to control any and all the things, there's so much more that we can't control).
Freezing with friends enjoying the skyline
So have I done that? Have I operated from a place of intention? Been intentional with all that I do? For the most part, yes. I do think it is easy to make this theme incredibly stressful and put too much pressure on myself to be a certain way or always second-guessing. However, so far, as my self-awareness continues to grow, I calibrate and more often than not, as I make more and more decisions about my business and my life, I'm making choices that feel aligned and intentional.
So while I didn't craft a new/pre-planned photo for myself this week, I crafted so many memories (and phone photos!) in collaboration with my friends!
I played in front of the camera with no thought as to how to make the photo, but rather style my clothes, hair + makeup, and leave the rest to AJ. I modeled along with my friends under the budding cherry blossoms in Branch Brook Park, laughing and shaking from the cold slowly taking over the day. I was there in my entirety and although I didn't pick up my camera, I got the next best thing, the one that's on me (my phone) and did what I do best— smile and document what's in front (or behind) me.
Enjoy this dumping of photos for Week 13 🙂 A Reflection on Intention
Also, peep the incredible portrait AJ made of me with the cherry blossoms <3 He’s incredible!
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