I started making annual wall calendars in 2012, spurred perhaps by the purchase of a macro lens and the resulting enthusiasm for seeing the world in a new close-up way. I made a bunch of photos, picked my 12 faves, went to considerable effort to make a minimalist design I would personally enjoy looking at, and had a printer in Lihue make copies for me. Those went to family and a few close friends, and one hung on the wall in my office. There was feedback from folks that the Monday start was confusing, but I’ve stuck with that format because 1) apparently I like to do things a little differently and 2) it’s never made sense to me to look at Sunday as the start of the week.

That first calendar, built on a whim, started a bit of a tradition for me. That tradition is largely founded in an annual pattern of stressing about formatting Photoshop files as the clock races against holiday shipping deadlines. But once that part is done, there is the joy of sending it off to my sweet family, and the joy of looking at a fresh image each month, hanging on the wall here beside me as I type.

This year the photos trended in a most conceptual direction. No lovely landscapes or travel sights or even macro details of flowers. Nope. Nothing but blurry colour this year. The reviews have been … mixed. But I am delighted each time I glance over at a print of saturated colour. So there’s that.

Ten years might just do it, might be all the calendars I need to make. I guess we won’t know until November rolls around. If you read this between now and then, and you feel very strongly about the importance of wall calendars, please do get in touch and tell me all about it.