365 in 2021: A Daily Photo Project
In 2021, I decided to embark on a daily photo project. While I had completed a 100-day photo project in 2019 and another daily photo project during the pandemic, committing to a 365-day project seemed both daunting and inspiring. The project initially started with the goal of documenting each day…it quickly morphed into an entirely new interest and passion: toy photography. Who knew?? As a kid I wasn’t much into toys (I was into baseball cards!), and I didn’t build my first LEGO set until, well, January (of 2021!)…yup, a month before turning 46. I guess it’s never too late to (re)introduce yourself to your inner child!
2021 was challenging in so many ways: we were still in the midst of the pandemic, we decided to move late that summer to be closer to my family, and G had a (second) kidney transplant in the fall. Amidst it all, I managed to carve out the time to create each day and document life. Perhaps because so much of my days were fraught with with concern/fear/worry, my daily photographs transported me from the realities and into a world of whimsy. I built desktop scenes with LEGO mini figures, and soon my toy collection grew to include characters from my childhood—characters from the Muppets, Sesame Street, and Back to the Future. I packed toys with me on walks and camping trips, and I used the toy figures to document daily life. When I first committed to the project, I never, ever could have imagined where it would lead me or what it would teach me—about photography, creativity, and the importance of play.
Below are my favorites from that year’s project as well as links to each month’s gallery of images, if you’d like to view all 365. Enjoy!
