2020 Recap in Photographs

We are approaching the end of 2020 and I know everyone is eager for 2021. In 2020, we made so many changes with every personal and business decisions. We laughed, we cried, we stayed home, we went back to nature and after all. we found ourselves in the most hopeless year. Let's review my personal adventures and business growth in 2020 and what changed for A Grateful Note in 2021.

This is Steve. Steve was a chipmunk who lived in my trailer lot. I trained him to take seeds out of my hand. He's a brave little guy and I would love to see him in 2021.

Let me just say 2020 was an odd one. It comes as many surprises, struggles, frustrations and impossibilities but I found myself achieving a lot more than I ever had this year. I learned to be more patient; more compassionate and to take care of myself more. I learned new skills that will add values to my business. 

To start the year, in February, I injured myself badly at work and as if it was not hard enough, the world announced its global pandemic to add that cherry on top. Delayed appointments, surgery cancellation, inconsistence physiotherapy appointment, rescheduled health care services due to our city's lock down order etc. got to the best of me. Some days, I got so stressed out over the pain and the delayed treatment I can see my health declined.  I spent more times at home and to cope with the boredom and the uncertainty of my condition, I started to draw floral elements.

​I also have time to review A Grateful Note's business goal as I realized that most of my local services are terminated due to the COVID restrictions. I started looking into a product to sell in case if my services based projects are going down. That was when Modern Calligraphy Workbook came into my mind. This project is the largest project I did in 2020. It is one of the proudest accomplishment for A Grateful Note. 

At the end of May, most of the weddings are cancelled due to the by-law of my city keep changing the number of people that can attend weddings and events. I decided to pack up all my belongings, leave my dreadful job and went for a long staycation. I want to get away from the tensions that is formed in the city so I bought a car and went away to northern Ontario. The heat and humidity of Toronto summer is not an ideal place for me to rest. I need to get my health back to its prime. While staying in Kawartha Lakes Ontario, I spent my day at the lake, swimming, canoeing and going along the trail that lead to beautiful sceneries. I found my muse in nature and it helps me to reconnect with my business and found what inspired my brand.

At night, I tried myself in astrophotography and/or going for long night walks to the lake. These photos are my 102932894th try but honestly, I have learned so much about this type of photography. It is different to date time photography; as you have to go for night time adventures and practice with the freezing cold air and possible mosquitoes. The better the scene, the colder and buggier the night. For the best result, you need clear nights (preferably after the rain), full moon night and dark photo spots. At the trailer park, many people has their porch lights on at night, especially at the water front. Night time photography is light sensitive and you have to avoid other light sources to capture the stars, I usually work on weekday evenings when there are not many people come up. I used was a 35mm lens with a beginner DSLR body and a tripod to capture these amazing starry photographs for my heart content. 
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In August, my day is consistent of staying outside and enjoy the beauty of Mother Nature. The sight of the clear blue sky, silent lakes and puffy clouds brings my heart and soul to such a meditative state that I can see design so differently. All these photos below are taken with a Samsung Note 8, unedited.

I spent a summer day with a couple of friends on a private island in Bancroft, Ontario.

Relax and watch the Disney clouds drift by slowly from the boat

By mid September, the weather was getting chilly at night time and the sun was a rare treat for us. We resorted our adventures with trail walks and bike rides through the wood. The scenery is just as breath taking as the lake. The colour palette of Canadian's autumn was one of a kind, even in a cloudy day.

A cloudy day at the lake, calm and cool.

Deep in the wood at golden hour gives you this view

CN Tower Toronto Dec 31, 2020

In 2021, we are looking to redefine our design services and focus mostly on education and entertainment calligraphy. We will start offering custom engraved calligraphy for gifts and beginner's modern calligraphy classes in Spring 2021. You can find our list of of service in 2021 as below:

A GRATEFUL NOTE 2021 SERVICE LIST

main services
*NEW* Custom Engraving
​*NEW* Calligraphy Workshops
​*NEW* Live Calligraphy

​products
​Calligraphy Practice Sheets

secondary services
​*NEW* Custom Digital Illustration
​Graphic Design (Branding + Advertising)
Event Calligraphy
​
rental
Mirror Event Rental

BOOK ME FOR YOUR 2021 PROJECTS