Year of the Dragon is coming and I may take a lesson from it.

This year and a good part of the one before was a mix of multiple fingers in many pies. Some, like the volunteer projects were spectacular things to be a part of, some like the second school became a mix of repeating past events but differently and the paper paid the bills.

Ultimately, the schools have been a carrot I could never quite reach, the paper a safer bet financially not spiritually, so taking a hint from the Dragon, this year coming I will be cutting loose the things that do not fit and concentrating on those that nourish my soul or my meagre financial needs as needed.

Goodbye to schools it seems.

Scotch Oakburn was the perfect job and little of what I had to offer was ever wasted, but it was not a real job. St Pats was closer to a job, but not as diverse, nor as open to my skill set being biggr, with more resources.

Neither will ever be a replacement for the paper and including them adds a decent but inconsistent income stream, but they also fight for attention in an already crowded space and sometimes the effort is greater than the return (says the guy who does his best work for free!).

I often feel I am trying to get my job to fit me and my capabilities, not the other way around. I have an interest in sound gear, but little use for it, much the same goes for top end video and studio portraits. These things haunt me as unrealised pursuits.

Maybe they should just be regular old hobbies, like most people have, you know, the ones where you don’t need to justify every purchase against its earning potential.

If I just stick to the paper, my volunteer interests and most importantly of all, and this one is actually a bit of a revelation, do something for myself, I may get back some life balance.

In that vein, the Sirui 24 anamorphic is back on my radar just because of the look, just for me, nobody else and my projects are turning a little more towards the things I am passionate about.

Happy holidays.