Sometimes I can actually see visible progress. Other times I can't. Like when trying to plan out a new plot, there are a few plot holes I'm trying to fix and it feels like I'll never get better at this. Especially, when I think about how many words I've actually put down lately.

A few weeks ago I got back from my grandmother’s farm. It’s my favorite place to go shoot and I’ve taken so many photos there. Partly because it’s my relative's place and I don’t feel rude doing so, and partly because I have always loved escaping to the farm.

My father used to complain there was never any good cell phone signal or wifi there. But that’s part of the beauty of it. Take a break from work, traffic, and the city to enjoy quiet time. We put puzzles together, eat 3 meals a day together, play games together, ride around the farm together.

Then there’s the alone time. I normally take several walks a day around the farm with my camera. I spend hours taking thousands of pictures of the buildings, land, or animals. And each time is different. Though, I usually focus on the age of the buildings. As far as I know, they were built in the 1800s. I know that’s a wide range of years, but my family doesn’t talk about things much and I don’t know how to ask.

Since I plan on printing off some of the farm shots for canvases in my dining room, this last trip, I focused on more abstract pieces of the farm. I’m not sure if my photography is getting better or my style is just changing and I like these better … at the moment.

And I'm not sure if it's the idea of printing these shots off or just the simple act of creating something, but the farm gets me exciting to create and grow things. Maybe it's all the plants, baby animals, or thoughts of new businesses always transacting on farms. Either way, the afterglow of visiting the farm is still felt.

And so now in the afterglow, I feel like there's some type of progress. I’m not sure I see it as much in my writing or graphic design skills, but at least there’s something.