Push

As I look back over the past year, one word comes to mind – push. With nearly two thirds of the year gone I can say that 2010 has been a year quite unlike any other. I’ve been pushing myself hard to rise to new experiences and challenges.

These days I make music, create photos and write words. Looking back on the last year or so I see pattern; nearly every month I’ve done something new to push myself in each of those areas. From crazy things, like trying to write a novel in one month, through to serious tasks like starting a music production company it’s been a period of pushing away from the shore of comfort and familiarity.

Which makes me wonder – is this somewhat accidental pattern something I should be turning into a more intentional system? What if I planned, every month, to do something that pushed me in each area of music, photography and writing?

For example, in August I’ve re-certified as a Logic Pro User and I’ll be photographing for the first time in Taipei (Hong Kong friends might be shocked by that). That’s two out three already. In September I’ll be aiming for my advanced Logic Pro certification, photographing in Northern India and taking a few days to draft out what may become a memoir on my expat experience. October is looking a little bare, but in November scary, new music thing to launch and a photo portfolio review with Ami Vitale.

The core of the push idea is that the experiences that are new. Since I changed vocational stream I’ve done plenty of hard and challenging things, but I was getting myself into something of a rut – maybe I thought it was a comfortable routine, but, truth is it was a rut.

However, these pushes have made me look at what I do in exciting ways and I’m now dreaming about some even bigger challenges for 2011.