Every year I like to try and think about where I was 12 months ago. Sometimes it’s easier than others. Last year I was struggling with finals and planning my trip back to New York for the holidays. Life was… busy. But I was excited for 2020! 2020 was going to be the year of eyes and vision. I was so eager to see what special things were going to happen this year for myself and my profession. And a lot of interesting things did happen. In no particular order, I stressed through the first 3 months over my boards exams before COVID ravaged the world and brought everything to a screeching halt. I learned to live in a world of uncertainty, where a trip to the grocery store was potentially dangerous. It still is. But I’ve learned to live with it.
I also met the love of my life this year. Amidst all of the chaos, I met the one person that makes me absolutely happy. I feel genuinely content whenever I see her – almost calm. She motivates me and helps me, almost to the point where I’m convinced I don’t deserve her. I’m so lucky to have her in my life. I don’t want to talk about my marriage too much on here, but I’d be foolish to do a recap of 2020 without mentioning her.
With photography, I’ve had some of the highest highs with periods of nothing in between.
- I designed my first photobook with some of my favorite portraits ever
- My longest and most well-received photoshoot with ~10 different models spanning across 2 days.
- Designed my own faux Vogue covers
- One of the best sunsets I was ever able to capture in Boston. Here’s hoping I see hundreds more like it.
- A lot of time meandering the streets of Boston at ~5:30 AM to catch the sunrise
- Few adventures in Providence and Newport when I found the time
- Finished probably the busiest clinical externship I’ll ever have
2020 has brought with it a lot of challenges and definitely a reassessment of my priorities. I’m not creating as much as I used to and I’m definitely a little bit upset about it. A lot of my mental bandwidth is now being occupied by other priorities in life, and that’s okay. I’m happy that my loved ones and I are healthy and safe. I’m happy that I’m growing as a clinician. I’m happy to go to work everyday and play my very small part in the healthcare industry. Somewhere in all of that, I hope I can find the time to take one more photo for myself.
Goodbye 2020. You will not be missed. Let’s hope the new year comes with it a whole new set of opportunities
Andy Chen Photography 