10 Weeks in Nature
10 WEEKS IN NATURE
Introduction
Goals are something I often struggle with. Establishing an actual goal is not too difficult. However, tracking and accomplishing goals: that’s what’s hard. I think everybody can understand that.
As a college student, clueless about my future, I often daydream about an ideal me. The perfect, fully-accomplished me that is intelligent, productive, and caring in a way that is almost beyond superhuman.
At the start of this college quarter, I decided to join a nature photography course. Our first assignment, of course, asked us to list our goals for the class. I wrote down a couple of notes, submitted the assignment, and then literally forgot about it the next day.
As the quarter started to conclude, I went back and looked over the work I had completed for the class, finding dozens of photographs and presentations I’d produced. I eventually rediscovered the list of goals, and thought to myself, “Wow, did I even try to accomplish these?”
Once more, I felt as if I set lofty goals that I tucked away in some void, never to consider again. What’s even the point? However, as I looked back at the goals I set, I reflected. I thought about how I didn’t meet all of them as I originally wanted, I tangentially, sort of tackled several items on my list.
I took two out of six of the goals I listed and decided to reflect on them here. Let’s take a look at where I was 10 weeks ago and let’s see where I am now.
Goal #1: I can verbally and orally analyze a photograph’s content and style to identify a theme that is supported by those components.
I think, by far, this is the one goal that I am proud to say that I was able to meet, mainly because the entire class is based on this goal. Every time we met, the class spent considerable time discussing each other’s photographs: their strengths, their weaknesses, and room for improvement.
Even though the class basically forced this goal, I am still really proud of myself for two reasons. One: No one is really required to speak. I chose to speak when I thought of something that no one else had brought up yet. Why is this special? Well, two: I am incredibly reserved in seminars. In the past, I’ve taken many discussion-based classes and I have always been “the quiet” student. In this class, I really did break out of my shell and, to me, it was revolutionary.
So, what did I learn about goals here? It turns out that goals you set may have secondary goals programmed into them that you aren’t even aware of. And, accomplishing one of these goals will actually help you accomplish both of them. As such, goals are often comprehensive in ways that are not always clear at the start.
Goal #2: I understand pressing local, regional, and international environmental movements and how to effectively promote and contribute to their efforts
This is by far the wildest goal on my list. I don’t know how I expected to learn about every environmental issue facing our world today in just 10 weeks.
When I first looked back at this first goal, I felt as if I didn’t really touch it all. The class mainly revolved around discussion of our photographs and the subjects of our photographs. Throughout the 10 weeks, I didn’t really seek out and photograph anything that seemed like a pressing environmental movement. I just went to local parks and took pictures of wildlife.
That’s when I realized: goals do not have a straight path, nor even one path to achieving them. Yes, I had forgotten that I had written down this goal and did nothing directly to reach it, but I still was able to learn about environmental issues.
For the class, I had photographed a nutria, an invasive, aquatic rodent and gave a presentation on the story of the nutria. Thinking back, I really did look at national legislation concerning nutria control, as well as regional policies. It’s probably the only time I looked at legislation for that much in the last 10 weeks.
So, no, I didn’t learn about every issue ever, but I took one thing that I personally discovered and found interesting and just spent time researching it. In the end, I learned a lot as a result of that one motivating photo.
Conclusion
I’ve come to realize just how intangible and unveiling goals are. I think that they’re important to have, but maybe not as important to keep track of constantly. Sometimes we’re so caught up in what we want to be that we forget to live in the moment. Ultimately, I think that can actually take time away from things we actually enjoy and allow room for natural growth.
After 10 weeks of nature photography, I know there’s a lot to grow and that I’m nowhere near meeting my original goals. I’ll probably continue to work towards them. But, I will always do so in a way that seems natural. Everyone reaches goals in a different way. Maybe there is some merit in setting goals, forgetting them for 10 weeks, and then touching base with the goals again. It’s truly fantastic to see how you have changed, how your goals may have changed, and how you met goals in ways you never planned to.
