2021 Rewind
Happy 2022, guys! Looking back to the previous year is somehow very interesting to me every year. This year I've to say it's way better than the last one, not only for what's going on in the entire world but also for my personal life. I've remembered I said 2020 was the year for me and you to find ourselves back from the last rewind article, and I think 2021 for me is a year of knowing what I want and how to achieve in the next year! 2021 is the year of finding and preparing since the world started to reopen to everyone again. I have a strong feeling that 2022 is going to be a year full of achievements, achievements of your dream, goal, and your original plans that you have been holding on since the pandemic.
Starting from January of 2021, I already can feel a lot more different than in 2020. The world is beginning to go back to normal (even with omic sis), people are getting vaccinated, and lots of things are becoming available again. Compared to last year, full of scariness and untenable, 2021 was such a good year! I can't say I love it, but a year I liked. Let me break down some highlight moments of this year. Let's go!
More Visual and Menswear Photography
Let me start with the most important and passionate skill I have! Before 2021, I didn’t know what my niche was on Instagram. To be specific, I was into many types of categories and photography styles, but I never set down a niche with it. In 2021, starting from January, I suddenly turn my Instagram into a visual art page, with a bit of everything I love, such as fashion, travel, and lifestyle. Before May, I did the visual projects of Taylor Swift’s album “folklore” and “evermore,” album-inspired photography sessions. This visual project was based on the atmosphere from the song and turned into visual art.
During the visual project, I noticed there were some photos with more fashion magazine looks than the visual arts. I couldn't post on my page because it might break the vibes of my projects. Still, I also didn't want to let them sleep on my hard drive, so after doing the visual project, I started to post some of the magazine-style photos I created during the photo sessions. Suddenly, I realized the potential of doing menswear photography because of how well it responds on my Instagram.
I am starting to think about doing menswear but don't want to rip of the visual art I have been doing, so I decided to find a way to combine them rather than a usual walking outfits shots. I couldn't say I achieved a new way of doing menswear photography, but I love what I have created so far. Let's take a look!
Taylor Swift’s Album Inspired Photo Session
evermore
willow
‘tis the damn season
the lakes
epiphany
august
Menswear Photography
Success in Gardening
During the lockdown for the whole summer of 2021, I have more time to spend in my garden. I started to plant roses in 2020, but I was still a beginner in gardening back then. After a year of learning, I can say I mastered some of the things in planting roses, especially during the lockdown. 2021 for me was a year of my gardening passion, and I also transitioned from a 64 pots of roses owner to now 43 (my goal is 25) of the varieties I genuinely love and keep. This transition means I am now more thoughtful and skillful about planting them.
I have such a sense of accomplishment by the end of 2021 was because I finally understood the knowledge of planting roses and making them bloom for 20-50 buds in one pot! It’s crazy, I know!
Lockdown
It’s unfortunate to face a lockdown this year, but it’s also crazy to think this was our only lockdown since the pandemic. Why I tilted this part of the article was not going to cherished and celebrate it, but looking into what I did during the times. Because the chance to shoot outside or inside was no longer an option, I tried to do it differently, shooting at home and setting up my photo studio on the rooftops garden. I believe many creators had done the same as me when the lockdown happened, and it's such a creative way of doing things differently! The human brain is indeed brilliant!
Lockdown was not fun for sure. It affects the mantle of health and our creativity. But because of the lockdown, we spend the majority of time at home. Why not make your home a little oasis? In 2021, I spent more time decorating my home and garden. Looking to my home now, I only feel cozy and warm. This also makes me think about studying Soft Decorating Design as well. Making homes differently with the change of color, types of furniture, and layout is fascinating to learn.
Studio before
Studio after
Traveling with friends after 2019
After 2019, the pandemic hits, and many traveling plans got cuts. This is the first time after 2019, and it has been so much fun! I was talking with one of my friends complaining about the lacking of inspiration after the lockdown, and joking about going on a road trip just for photography, then the trips happened! We camped at the highest campsite in Taiwan and experienced the coldest fall of the year. Making hot pots in the four degrees nights, too cold to leave the tamed, laughing way too hard while driving, singing Taylor Swift the whole trip, and being a car show model in the middle of nowhere! Travel with your besties always feels so good, and I can’t wait to have another one in 2022!
Overall, 2021 is such a good year for me, and I believe for you because it was so m much brighter than 2020! For me, 2021 is the year I finally know who I am and what direction I will go in the future. Even though I have set many goals to accomplish and still have not achieved yet, which makes me sad, 2021 was such a chill year for me to find my style out. It is not the best year, but I am thankful for a year! Thank you for making me super chill for doing what I need to do, and I hope 2022 is the year with lots of achievements and good changes! I wish you all the best as well. Let’s do this!
