How a Photo Gallery Becomes a Powerful Year in Review

The motivational power of photography

If I’m not careful, I could easily believe that the last year was one of my worst. It wasn’t just garbage. It was hot garbage — reeking and desperate. At least, that’s what I might believe if I didn’t have evidence of an entire year of growth saved on my phone.

I lost my primary income earlier this year through no fault of my own. My chronic illness began having worsening symptoms. Because it’s cyclical in nature, half the month was a struggle to focus, remember details, and even function. I was waiting for a doctor’s appointment, but my employer wasn’t willing to wait for test results or to see if the new medication would help. It was a shock, and it wasn’t one I was prepared for. I watched my savings drain out as I tried to stay afloat. Then, I watched credit cards hit their limits as I tried to supplement what I was missing. Through it all, I kept hustling and trying to make ends meet.

So, it wasn’t my favorite year. Yet, I do one thing every year that helps me get a more complete picture of my year in review: I look at the photos I took of the full year on my phone. Suddenly, my gallery tells a different story.

In the last year, I did a lot. I took a pottery class when the year began. Later, I would plant a micro-orchard, a vegetable garden, and berries around my property. I ate a lot of tomato sandwiches, fresh from the garden. I painted rooms of my house, fixed things I’d been putting off, and did a little redecorating on a budget. I traveled before I lost the job, and I made such huge strides in my personal growth that even I have to sit back and be impressed. I adopted two kittens and worked hard to organize my home.

I struggled. I can look through the photos and remember the heavy fatigue and worsening symptoms. I can see the trajectory of my illness and then the upswing when the new medication started to help. But when I started getting physically better, the job loss created a mental health crisis. I started having full-blown panic attacks on a regular basis. My anxiety created physical symptoms — from sleepless nights to a rash on my face. I became a ball of nerves, but I kept going, kept trying, and kept stretching those ends to meet in the middle.

I donated plasma. I had a medical emergency from donating plasma. I cried while trying to pay the bills. I borrowed money I can’t pay back any time soon. Honestly, it’s no wonder I got to the end of the year and thought it was an absolute dumpster fire.

But it’s not the whole story. If I hadn’t spent a year taking photos of the good times and bad, I wouldn’t see the full picture. Taking a minute to relive my year in review serves two purposes:

• It gives me greater perspective on my year as a whole and helps me find gratitude for the things that went right, and
• It helps me make plans and set goals for the coming year.

There aren’t many people who would look at the last year of my life and think it went well, but with more perspective, I can admire how much I got done while things were falling apart. When I couldn’t go out, I stayed in and made my home calmer and more organized. When I couldn’t eat out, I found ways to make a meager meal seem like a luxury dining experience. I tapped into my inner strength and resourcefulness.

I can’t write off the last year of my life. Instead, I look at the upcoming year and decide what I want from it. What keeps coming to mind is that I want to bloom. It will be my word of the year. Just that: Bloom. I know that growth is painful, and much of the work happens below the surface. But I’ve put in the work. I’d like the next year to be about reaping the rewards.

I don’t know what’s going to happen in terms of my financial situation, but I do know I won’t stop trying. I’ll keep managing my health and trying to create more opportunities to turn my situation around. I’m hoping for another year with a thriving garden — and hopefully a thriving orchard, too. I hope to keep maintaining a tidy home, reading more books, and being present in my life. I want to spend time with my kids and keep creating a happy life — even when it’s hard.

I started this photo review years ago. I was still married then, and I got to the end of the year and reflected on how I had done so little that I wanted throughout that year. It was a wakeup call. I didn’t want another year of my life to go by in a blur. I wanted to make the most of it.

And I’ve done that. Each year, I take a look at the last 12 months to see what I did, how I spent my time, and how I feel about it. I find things to be grateful for, and while I don’t discount the hard times, I do put them into perspective. Then, I make a plan for the coming year.

Photography can be a powerful tool. It captures moments and memories. It acts as a time capsule that we can keep looking back on to see how far we’ve come. It can be a reminder, a warning, or a powerful motivator. It can also be a way to see the year as a whole instead of focusing only on its parts. What we do with that knowledge is up to us, but I choose to use mine as a way to source lessons, uncover gratitude, and remind myself just how resilient and capable I am as I go into a new year.