Life, AI, Photography, And What Comes Next

Today marks a bit of a fresh start for my blog.

For the past three years, I’ve mainly used this space to write about photography. At first, that meant sharing my thoughts on building a small studio, improving my portrait work, and hopefully moving towards a few more commercial shoots.

That was the plan.

But life has a habit of moving things around a bit, doesn’t it?

Over time, I’ve realised that I need this blog to become something a little wider. Still about photography, yes, but not only photography. I want it to be a place where I can write more openly about life, creativity, AI, retirement, memories, ideas, and whatever else feels worth putting into words.

I suppose this is the start of a more open form of blogging.

I’ve also started keeping a journal, where I write down thoughts, experiences, ideas, and memories from different stages of my life. Some are recent. Some go back a fair way. I can already see some of these turning into short memoir-style pieces, either as reflections on life or little stories built around particular people, places, moments, and lessons.

The longer-term idea, if it all comes together, is that these pieces might one day form the basis of an autobiography. Nothing too grand or polished at this stage. Just honest writing, gathered bit by bit.

Retirement has not been quite what I expected.

I think I imagined quiet days, plenty of time for photography, trips out with the camera, and more time to experiment in my little studio. In reality, it has been harder to adjust to than I thought. I’m not sure I’ve been especially good at it, and I’m still working out what this stage of life is meant to look like.

My wife still works and enjoys what she does, which I’m pleased about. I also enjoy helping her with her business where I can. In many ways, that has become another creative outlet for me, especially with websites, handouts, social media, and planning.

At the same time, daily life brings responsibilities. There is the usual housework, but I also stay at home each day to help care for my mother-in-law. She has dementia now and cannot be left on her own for long. That changes what freedom looks like.

I’ve also had some health and mobility issues of my own recently, which have made it harder to get out and about as much as I’d like. As a result, I found myself losing some of my enthusiasm for photography for a while. Instead, I began reading more. Books became a way to step outside the limits of the day and escape into another world for a bit.

But I haven’t lost the urge to create.

In fact, something new has started to take shape. I’ve found a fresh interest in combining my growing AI skills with photography, writing, digital art, and practical work for Adele’s business. I have been doing an AI skills development programme, and AI has opened up new ways of thinking, planning, creating, and solving problems. That has given me a bit of energy back.

So this blog is now going to have a broader focus.

There will still be posts about photography, because that remains a big part of who I am. But I’ll also be writing about AI, life, retirement, creativity, memories, and the process of working out what comes next.

You’ll be able to switch between the main categories, including Photography, AI, and Life, from the options at the top of the blog page. I may add more categories later as the blog grows and takes shape.

This feels like the right time to open things up a bit.

Not to abandon what came before, but to make room for more of life as it is now. A little more honest. A little more flexible. And hopefully, a little more useful to anyone else trying to work out their own next chapter too.