It’s been a while since I’ve been unemployed. There’s been two other times in my recent career path where I’ve taken significant time off between contracts/projects – once was in 2008 when I had about 4 months off and the other was in 2010 when I had about 9 months off. The key to taking time off work is to ENJOY the extra time away from the routine of a 40-hour work week and to explore any interests or hobbies you want to pursue. That’s just what I did in 2008 and 2010 when I not only took the time to catch up with family and friends, but also to work on my French, go back to school, explore and photograph new places, and caught up on sleep and reading… it’s great to have this kind of sanity check given how fast paced life could be these days – it’s like spring cleaning for your mind, spirit and body.
In the last month and a half off from my last job, I’ve put a little bit more time into my photography and working on this blog – I also have a couple of business ideas brewing and still need to work out the details. But I’ve focused a lot more on my photography, including publishing a book on my 2013 photo project, and being more involved with giving my photos a little bit more exposure, and it seems to be working… One of my photos was just published in Emirates Bride magazine, a sister publication of Emirates Woman, the region’s leading women’s fashion and lifestyle magazine .
The photo they chose to include as part of a special feature on romance in the south of France. I took the photo in 2007 (available on Flickr) during a hike in Les callanques de Cassis near Marseille. The blue-green color is amazingly crystal clear and is like that because of the ice-age and glacial influence over thousands of years ago.
