Speaking of my lifelong love affair with photography, I'm dreaming big and hope to publish a book of my photography one day. (If you can read the page on the left it says "write a novel" so I hope to have a book one way or another) I've always been into books, more so when I was younger, I would always have one on me in case I got bored enough to take myself away from whatever the adults were doing and stick my nose into another world. More recently I've read quite a few photographic books and have really enjoyed some of them! A couple friends once said they believed I could achieve that so why not share their belief aye?

As well as encouraging you to make lists once in a while, I want to encourage your own hopes and dreams for yourself. From owning particular books or buildings to going on an adventure or becoming a household name, you are allowed to dream and to want to tick them off when they've become reality. So, make a cheeky bucket list now and take yourself to your goals, and happily cross off reading your favourite bloggers post for the week while you're at it ;)

Hello folks, I hope you are all well and a merry February to you! A new load of work has been set at uni and I'm getting my research and preparation for creativity on, but at the same time, I have been dreaming a lot. I've spoken about dreaming before and how I like to keep a track of them, but I haven't found the time to write them up in my notebook of dreams, so I'm left with weeks and weeks worth of bizarreness on my phone. Dreams are always so vivid and so crazy that sometimes I know I'm in a dream but the weirdness just carries on like a film in my head.

 One of my new years resolutions was to keep up with writing journals, from my dream journal to starting the notebooks I've been saving for starting a travel journal and my own personal archive of photographers that really get my creative juices flowing. Nevertheless, the need for more hours in the day never goes away, I just have so much that I want to do and everything gets prioritised over my need to write. I'm pretty good at keeping up blog writing (do you want me to do more written posts or is my excessive level of photography posts acceptable? Do let me know) but I also want to use the lovely Paperchase stationary *heart eyes* the mothership of all stationary shops.

I have always been a bit of a book worm, and although lately my book choice has been photography based I love a good fiction novel and have always wanted to write one myself, again, where is the time? A couple bloggers slash youtubers I follow are currently writing and it makes me want to be (cue singing) part of their world. I just want to make stuff, from photos to books and hey why not a photography book while I'm at it? It's always good to dream, even when you;re awake and setting life goals. I guess being a published author is one of my longer term life goals but for this year I really want to work on my own private hardbacks and write about the crazy adventures of sleeping Beky (last night I dreamt my lecturer tried to make me flinch but I saw it coming and then everyone thought I was an invincible force to be reckoned with).

Is there anything you keep track of by writing it down? We're all partial to a selfie, snapchat or instagram to document our daily lives and I'm not one to diss photographic documentation of course, but has the fun of sitting down and using pen and paper died completely? Oh the amount of times I tried to keep a super secret private diary as a kid...

Why not do a little writing this year, it's never to late to start a resolution! Maybe do something as simple as writing moments of the day or week that made your heart smile and keep them in a jar, when the year is through, open it up and read all the best moments of your year. Have fun!

How many of you burst into song at the title? Well, I have finished my A Level exams and have prom next week and then I'm free, other than results day in August. For a short while in my early teens I really couldn't imagine myself getting this far, it still seems strange to wrap my head around - I'm no longer a student. School was quite the struggle for me and I hate how it was only in the last stretch I found the greatest friends that would get me through it, and I to them in return. I only hope it all pays off when I open the dreaded envelope and say goodbye to that place for the very last time.

The world is my oyster and I have no idea what to do. First I plan to tidy up the aftermath that A Levels have made to the dining room, which became my working space. Oh my oh my is it a mess in there! I really agree with the phrase "tidy house means a tidy mind" I just can't think with all the mess around. Then once we've recovered the room I shall start all over again and work hard on finding a decent job - with the help of my dad constantly pressuring me into something that's not "flipping burgers".

Dad keeps mentioning doing a photography course at another college which would be nice except I have waited all this time and struggled through the education system and I'm really not willing to step back in the second I get out. Whatever I do I'm definitely going to be focusing on my newfound passion. I only hope it doesn't stay too hard to find.

I also hope to be able to drive by the end of the year, or at least be pretty close to taking the test - the only other test I hope to ever take. And then once I am driving in my own car I can visit my friends in uni around the country, or drive the friends staying in Brum with me for a fun, mini squad day out. Perhaps I could even take them to a pretty location for an impromptu photoshoot for no reason at all - the campfire evening went well so I'd love to do more things with my friends and camera. Hey I could even take myself up to Tip Top for one of those lovely workshops.

I have quite ordinary goals for life, good job, a working car and hopefully a house of my own, although it would be quite exceptional to see my blog grow or my photography be appreciated by many. Never the less I'm welcoming this new beginning of adulthood and the "real world" with all these hopes I've listed, it's certainly going to have a slow start and I know I need to push myself for greatness early on but either way, I know I want that greatness.

And so I encourage you, if you're going to university or finishing it, looking for a job or leaving one, or even just leaving school heading for the unknown, you CAN achieve your life goals no matter how simple or extraordinary and you do deserve appreciation for any achievement. *cheers* go you!

Worry not, I shall update you if and when I have each new beginning I hoped for here, my blog isn't going anywhere ;)

I have always wanted to venture out into the world and see all the different ways the world works. Now I've gotten into photography and have my own camera I want to take it with me and take pictures of anything and everything. However I've become something of a home bird since my mom passed away. I've always wanted to stay close to home but now, I couldn't bear moving away too far from dad, especially when me and my brother both move out he will be on his own and I want to be there for him.

I try and let myself be more spontaneous and adventurous when outings come to light to get more used to stepping out of my comfort zone and experiencing different kinds of fun. I'm yet to get a full taste of true adventure that leaves me dying to quench the thirst of travelling all over. Just scarpering off to another city or even country, camera in hand, ready to see the beauty and fun of new places.

Perhaps a gap year to each continent isn't quite an option, I'm such a realist when it comes to finances and know that the complications of funding will prevent opportunities sometimes. But I think I'll just slowly work my way around. Planning holidays with friends who have much more wanderlust than I do seems like a more feasible option. I could take maybe one day out just to meander around and take photos, leaving the rest for the fun and games and sightseeing.

Me and my best friend Gemma often speak of travelling the world together, seeing a handful of places in each continent together. It does make me sad when she dreams big and wants to live in beautiful places with her other best friends but I trust that despite wherever she chooses her home to sit, we will someday meet at another airport and have our adventures throughout our life. Gives us something to look forward to each year aye?

Nevertheless, whatever I might see, I hope I'll be able to take some photos to go along with the adventures to help preserve the memories.

Tell me, where in the world would be top of your list of places to visit? I think Hawaii for me :)

Ideally, I would love to become a professional photographer of anything and everything. I found a couple years ago that I quite liked to take pictures and began taking ones from different perspectives and angles, starting with my iPod, then my mom's digital camera, then mu iPhone and now my very own DSLR. The fact that I now have my own proper camera makes me want to be a photographer even more. I love taking creative photos and editing the colours and showing friends and family and hearing them admire and appreciate the moment I've captured. I'm fascinated by photography. How cameras work and how printed photographs hold a memory for a life time. There's nothing that I don't enjoy about photography, except maybe when I can't figure out which setting is best or the image is blurred/out of focus.

My college know I enjoy photography so recently asked me to take some photos of a senior tea party, a little event for a small group of elderly people who we entertain for an hour or two. The head of sixth form and the teacher running the "party" said that the past few times the photos have been bad so no pressure. I still enjoyed it anyway, though I wasn't too confident with a different camera and people watching me, both my own age and older, there was a bit of pressure but I feel some photos I took were alright.

Work experience is coming up soon and I'm so nervous about meeting new people and interacting with them, I'm keen to learn the ropes on a professional level. I don't know much about manual photography either so hopefully I will learn so much about my camera and others while I'm at my placement in town. I have no idea how I'm going to get there or what to wear or what to say or what to do but I hope that I will quickly become relaxed and friendly with the team there so that I can show them my potential and passion for photography. Who knows, they may even welcome me back after I've secured my creative A levels for a paid job. My sixth form doesn't host photography as an A level and me being socially awkward and anxious I didn't want to venture out to another sixth form/college to learn photography and make new friends - turns out the greatest friends I'd ever know were right where I am now.

I don't quite know how I'm going to become a successful photographer but I know that I really want to achieve that, so I will try at anything. I will venture out of my comfort zone with camera in hand if that's what it takes. I study media and art so I'm sure that will come in handy for photography as I'm aware that it's not just about taking snaps of pretty moments, there's set ups to deal with in order to take the pretty picture and marketing to let people know that you take pretty pictures so they can pay you to take more. Maybe English literature will help too.

I know that I wouldn't like a desk job. I mean I'd love a desk to work on at home but I would not like to be sat doing meaningless tasks for a living. I want to explore and take interesting photos and earn my money for stepping outside. Something I was known for not doing as a child. I'm not too keen on the idea of university either. Living in a hall fending for yourself and going to long lectures about subjects isn't appealing to me, though I understand it's an "experience", I'm not sure it's one I would like to try, and I don't want to force it and have to drop out. I'd love to have a creative job because I'm a creative person, I always have been. I'm not good at maths or science or anything relative to that, I just don't understand it even when I'm getting it right, I don't know what I'm doing. Creativity comes naturally to me and you don't necessarily have to understand all the cogs within it.

I'm not a confident socialite, but I'm reminding myself that this work experience placement may help me massively so that I can make something out of this hobby. My mom taught me since forever that it's important to do a job you love because then it's worth it in the end and you don't mind when things go wrong because you can make up for it tomorrow, and you will want to go again tomorrow after a bad day because you love what you do. "If you do a job you love, you'll never have to work a day in your life". It's taken me years to find a hobby that I adore, and one that could make me an income is exciting.