Due to my ethnic background, I get to celebrate the new year twice. For that reason, I’ve always jokingly said that if I somehow drop the ball on the first one, I always have another chance to do it right when lunar new year comes around.
This year, I really dropped the ball. The holiday/new year post did not happen. And when the world was looking forward to a fresh start, no one was ready for the devastating fires that broke out in LA. In no fashion should a new year be celebrated that way.
So now, at the cusp of one and only other chance that I get to do it again, I pledge to show up and be present to the people/things that are meaningful and important to me.
As the world is seemingly spinning at an ever-faster pace, we all are strapped for time, whether it’s time in a day, or time in the remainder of our lives.
Hence the million dollar question - what/who is important to us?
As I always say, the most difficult thing to do in this life is to face ourselves in an honest way. No one is exactly the same in what makes us happy, and what values we embrace. It’s up to ourselves to figure out the exact priorities in this life and to spend our time accordingly.
What makes your heart sing might make someone else want to plug their ears, and that's perfectly fine! Life's too short for one-size-fits-all happiness.
In 2024, I got to walk alongside (and work with) many courageous ladies that have taken a deep journey in learning about themselves and to meet the many sides that they’ve never seen before. It gives me great joy in seeing the liberation in them, not just physically, but also spiritually. In my usual metaphor, they walk in a caterpillar and leave a butterfly.
My goal is for them to start enjoying the world, sampling life's sweetest nectars, viewing the world from perspectives they never imagined possible, and never look back at the days when they were munching green leaves.
The below short video is just a sneak peek of what beautiful butterflies we have flying amongst us, done in my usually wacky, authentically Jean fashion!
If something in you flutters while watching this, maybe it's your wings getting ready to spread. Get in touch and/or spread the words (or the video). Last I heard, monarch butterflies have become endangered. This world needs more butterflies, especially ones with a story to tell. 🦋
P.S. Yes, that's me at the end of the video with my beloved wok lid. Who says professional equipment can't come from your kitchen? Remember, my post about getting out of the “old year” with a bang?
40-OVER-40 PORTRAIT EXPERIENCE WITH JEAN HUANG PHOTOGRAPHY
I’m photographing 40 women in their 40s, 50s, 60s+ and I'd love for you to be one of them! You are invited to a unique and luxurious one-of-a-kind photoshoot experience.
At the culmination of the project, your story will be featured in my upcoming celebration and gallery-style exhibition along with the other women's.
As yours truly always says, "Beauty is Not Measured by Metrics".
Join the movement to show that we are all unique in our beauty and stories.
https://jeanhuangphotography.net/over40
