#blipfuture

I started my blipfoto journal just over eight years ago and now, 2205 entries later, I think it's safe to say that blip is a big part of my life. More than anything, blip has been an amazing way of storing memories. Sometimes it's hard to remember all the experiences and events over such a long period of time but thankfully, a brief meander through journal entries soon brings it all back. And the beauty of blip is that, alongside an image of the event, there is usually a pretty accurate description of the thoughts, feelings and emotions that accompanied it.  

For me, my blip journal has, most notably, brought together some hobbies and passions of mine over the last eight years: travel, running, reading and photography. 

I've been fortunate to blip my way across continents: my first blipped trip was Berlin, then Malawi, onto Barbados quickly followed by the amazing New York City, onto stunning Marrakesh. I took the train through Tanzania to the beautiful island of Zanzibar, and later, back to Malawi. I had the joy of taking my parents on safari in Botswana and then mum returned the favour by taking me to Paris. Then there was the fun family holiday we took in France, that little weekend wedding trip to South Carolina, eating pizza in Pisa with Katie Sales and Geneva with Sprout. And, most importantly, those three amazing years in Zambia!

My on/off love affair with running started at around the same time that I started blipping. I got a new pair of running shoes in January 2008 and have run, on and off, since then. I ran my first 10km race later that year, closely followed by another. Sometimes, on winter training runs I had the company of mum (on the bike) and Moss dog but mostly it's been a wonderful way to get out on my own. In 2009 I ran my first ever Half Marathon but then I took a few years off whilst living abroad, apart from the early morning Kaniki runs. Since moving back, I've mostly kept my running to the occasional Park Run but it's only in the last few months that I've really got my mojo back, running the Birmingham Half Marathon in October 2015.

I've loved reading since I was a child, but blipfoto has been a good way to record some of the books that I've read along the way.

And, obviously, there's photography! I started this journal with a little Canon point and shoot, gradually worked my way up to my first ever SLR and finally, when I started taking things a bit more seriously, my beautiful 5D. Whenever I do my blip-evangelist talk and try to convince someone else to join, I always tell them that the habit of taking a photo (nearly) daily is a great way to become a better photographer. I've gone from my rubbish first ever blip, and have now actually been paid to take pictures of people's beautiful weddings, children, families and portraits. I even made a video!

There are so many other memories I could share: friends, new babies, countless weddings and other celebrations but it would take me days to do. 

If Joe Tree ever stumbled across this blip then I would like to say a huge 'Thank You' to him and the gang for getting this wonderful site off the ground. It's given me, and so many others, an incredible way of storing moments and memories. It's down to Joe, G and the gang that we have such an incredible community.

But now it's down to us. It's now our turn to get involved, dig deep and keep this incredible community going. It's time for us to #pledgeblipfoto at blipfuture.com and keep blipfoto as a part of our lives. Thanks to the new team for getting this project going. We're cheering you on!