Hello my love,

I'm sorry I've been gone for far too long but I've had a number of weeks of trying to sort my head out. I think we all need to step back sometimes and organise our thoughts and our plans; it just took me a wee while longer than usual this time!

I've been keeping an eye on this little blog while I've been gone and I can't believe how many page views there are each day, even with no new content! If you've been popping in by to see what's going on, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting! ♡

As you can imagine, I've been thinking a lot about goals and the future on my little breather from social media and I thought I would share them with you today to not only hear your input on mine but hear about yours too.

So grab a cup of tea (it's a long one!) and let's get going!

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*Professional Goals*

1) Create
An obvious one, I know. But this year I want to create. I want to create more quality work by creating more personal work.
The first year I was out on my own, I felt like I had to be constantly shooting; I had to say yes to everyone and everything. I learned the hard way that this is just working for the sake of working and I don't plan to repeat it.
Last year, I was much more selective about the work I took on and do you know what? I was doing projects I was seriously excited about; I was working with incredibly talented people, I felt I was getting better with every shoot I did and I kept my integrity as an artist. The only thing was that I was being so selective, and so professional, that I forgot to focus time on playing around with personal work.
This year my goal is to create; to create professional work, to create personal work, and to get better with every shoot.

2) Get published in print
     If you're one of my usual team or if you follow me on other social medias you'll know I've already been published in a couple of magazines (I know, ner ner ner) but they've all been online publications and although that's still really amazing, this year I want to get published in a print magazine. Ideally one that prints in the UK... and is stocked in the likes of WHSmith... so I can just pop in by and casually buy it... That's totally realistic, right? Lol.

3) Give back
     This year I want to dedicate time to giving back to you. I feel like so much of what I post to social media at the moment is just 'hey, look at this photo I'm super proud of!' and 'check out the incredible work the team did on this shoot!' which is great, don't get me wrong; it's great that I love what I'm creating and love the amazing people around me but I feel like I'm not giving you guys anything. Not really. Not in terms of important things. Which is where this blog (and possibly videos) come in.
I want to give you guys something back; whether it's lighting tips, or shoot set ups, or how to talk to models, or even the good olde Q&A, I want to open up and share what I know with you. And, look, I am by no means saying that I'm the best photographer who ever graced the planet but what I am saying is that I have learned a heck of a lot over the years and there is so much I didn't know starting out; if I can help even one person by sharing what I know, it would be worth it.
I talk a lot about lifting each other up, and not just viewing your peers as your competition, but I'm going to start actually doing something about it.

What would you like to see? Is there anything you want to know? How would you like to see this going forward? Please please please let me know.

*Personal Goals*

4) Look after myself more
     I'm most definitely a 'throw myself in at the deep end' 'all or nothing' sort of person. Which is both fantastic, and horrendous. If I'm working on a big project it's all I'm doing until it's over and done with. If I'm doing a big retouching job, I'm sitting at my desk for eleven hours a day. My dedication is great. My lack of healthy habits is not.
This year I'm going to set restrictions, schedule things like breaks, and make time not only to keep myself healthy but to do the things I love. Which brings me to...

5) Read
    There's a chance that you laughed when you read that. And yes, you're right, I already read. A lot. This year, however, I want to read more and allow myself the time to read more.
I want to go back to dedicating the odd afternoon to spoiling myself sitting in a coffee shop devouring an entire novel and not just reading a few pages here and there before bed as I battle to keep my eyes open.
I'm also in desperate need of some new reading material so I would love to hear which books you would recommend in the comments!

6) Go to the gym/swim every day
     Ahahahahahahaha. Okay, sorry. I'll be serious.

7) Visit art galleries
     When I was studying I feel like I made a point of visiting galleries often but it's sort of fallen to the wayside.
I've already got a trip to London planned in the Summer (for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child; I know, I know, I'm big ol' nerd) so I'll definitely be having a dreamy wander around the National Gallery and the National Portrait Gallery when I'm there. I also need to visit the Scottish ones more frequently and maybe even venture to a few I've never been to... One day, The Louvre, one day.

8) Travel 
     My wanderlust is atrocious; if I could take off tomorrow and travel the world I would. My dream trip is across the United States and Canada but since this isn't really a 'just hop on a plane' sort of journey, I'm going to take time this year to make this a reality. In the meantime, I need to see more of Europe. *cough* See above. 

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So that's my goals for this year! I'm really excited to look back this time next year and see how they turned out!

What about you? What are your goals for this year? I would love to hear about them below!

Lots of love,
Rachael♡