The end of the year 2019 is here. What does that mean? Better yet, what does it mean to YOU? The end of the year logically means the beginning of a new year. What does that mean? Again, the better question is what does it mean to YOU?

For me, the end of the year means a moment of reflection and review. I reflect and review all the good and bad of the year. Some things emotionally, some things professionally, some things physically, some things private. When I look back, the review aspect is about taking a look at my own personal and professional goals. For me, hitting the personal and professional goals will put me in better position to be an example of the goals I have for my family. (That sentence probably doesn’t make any sense.) Something I tell my family pretty regularly is “when I win, we win.” I believe that and strive to live that each day. So hitting those personal and professional goals are important to me. And looking back over 2019, yeah, I’ve knocked out a lot of goals. Not all, but almost. So now I continue my thoughts for the near future.

So what happens next?

For 2020, it will be a bit more of the same. Same goals, but just a bit more from a quantitative standpoint. I want to shoot more. And I will. I want to share more. And I will. I want to prepare my boy for the next level. And I damn sho will. 2020 is the first year I can take my creative energy and devote all my energy to it. No more IT stuff or corporate America being in the mix of my day-to-day. I’m proud to say that and excited. So I’m going to really push myself to be a better content creator for myself and for my new employer, TWiT. I hope to continue to help someone out in the creative space with the little bit of knowledge and experience I have. And I will.

My message to content creators out there

I’m not going to sit here and go all motivational and guru on you. I’m not a “big time YouTuber” or “Influencer” or anything like that. I’m just someone that likes to shoot. Anyway, my message to creators out there looking to get “big” in 2020, don’t think that way. I say aim to have some longevity. Don’t aim to be viral. If you’re a creator that thinks “I should only create street photography content,” don’t think that. Create whatever kind of content you want. The influencers of the world have conditioned so many of us, yes I said US, to have a niche in your content. To a degree, they’re right. But what really should have been said to simplify that statement was “create content that says it’s YOU.” Put your heart into it. It will show up.. If you want to shoot portraits, shoot ‘em. Shoot ‘em YOUR WAY. If you want to shoot street photography the same day, SHOOT IT. Do it your way. If you feel like writing a blog post or recording a podcast, DADGUMIT DO IT. Just do it your way. And the second you feel like you’re not enjoying it, STOP doing it. Don’t let creativity put you into an emotional or mental funk. I’ve talked about the other side of content creation previously on this video. Feel free to watch it, if it helps. Stop fussing about “the algorithm” hiding your content. Let it go. It will all work out. Your work will be seen by others. Just let your passion come through and do it for the love of creating.

Anyway, I hope for nothing but the best for you all. I thank all of you that take the time to consume my content. The support has been pretty dadgum amazing. I finally got out of stressing over “likes” and stuff. It’s quite freeing when you let that go. I feel a LOT better since a few years ago. Have a good end of 2019 and gear up for an unbelievable 2020. Before I go, check out some of the podcasts I listen to regularly that are aimed at content creators. There’s Adventures in Creativity, Because We Make, Behind The Shot, Photo Geek Weekly, Swopes So Dope, We The Creators, Through My Lens with Clay Daly and He Shoots He Draws. That’s it for now. Peace.