Coming To An End

I'm trying to decide how I should end it all. Should I end it after 20 years, or on my 80th birthday? They're only a few weeks apart with my birthday first. I've toyed with the idea before—several times.

There are days when nothing goes as planned, and even what I initially perceive as good days often reveal themselves to be less than ideal upon reflection. When reality falls short of my expectations, when I face failure, I am reminded that all things must come to an end.

Eighty would be a good age to finish it. That's eighty years of responding to visual stimuli, challenges that have sometimes led to disappointment and feelings of abandonment as I grappled with my creativity.

Perhaps twenty years is sufficient. Two decades of intense activity have brought new successes, but also increased frustration as the world of creativity around me evolved—sometimes too rapidly, too shockingly, too inexplicably, without clear direction or purpose.

On November 15, 2025, I will have been creating a photograph every day for 20 years at My Final Photo. That feels like enough. More than enough. I'm ready to step back. Yet, I find myself unable to completely let go.

I've been working really hard to expand my skill set to include video. I've done enough to make me realize I have much to learn. I need a lot of practice. I need a lot of help. I've been picking the brains of my videographer friends and have made some success in being a better videographer. I've still got a lot to learn.

My plan is to stop making a photograph every day. The My Final Photo project will come to an end. My Final Video will begin on November 15, 2025. That will be an even greater challenge than making a photo every day. But I'm up to the challenge.

Perhaps more like this one from several years ago.