At the start of this year, I tried to build a system. As I’ve honestly done a couple times before.. I didn’t want it to be complicated. Just structure.
So, Mondays became for partner work. Tuesdays and Thursdays for SHKR Club. Wednesdays for content. Fridays for art.Saturdays for partnerships. Sundays off. Sundays we chill.
Simple. Repeatable. Sustainable (sometimes). On paper, it looks like a recipe for success.
But this week it certainly fell apart.
When the System Breaks
Life doesn’t care about your schedule.
Monday got derailed. Tuesday, I hit a creative block. Wednesday spilled into Thursday. Friday disappeared completely. Suddenly everything I planned for the week got pushed into one day.
Saturday.
And Saturday happened to be Valentine’s Day.That’s where it gets real.Because now it’s not just about work.It’s about priorities.
Relationships.
Showing up for someone else while still showing up for yourself.
The Work Still Needs to Get Done
The goal was simple:
Shoot film. Shoot digital. Match the two.
I’m working on a new preset pack - Retrolux - and the idea is to replicate real film as closely as possible.
So I went out with a plan:
Shoot scenes on digital
Shoot the same scenes on film
Match the tonal qualities in post
Build something that actually feels like film, not just looks like it.
No Perfect Conditions
There was no perfect setup.
First location: a random bridge.A garbage truck rolls through - and somehow it works.
Second location: two women walking by.
I ask for a photo. They say yes.
It turns into one of the best frames of the day.
That’s the thing.You don’t need ideal conditions.
You need to be outside. Camera in hand. Paying attention.
Keeping Promises to Yourself
The real point of the day wasn’t the photos.
It was this: If you say you’re going to do something - do it.
Not when it’s convenient. Not when everything lines up. Not when you feel inspired.
Just… do it.
Even when:
the week didn’t go as planned
your energy is off
your time is limited
Because every time you don’t follow through, you teach yourself that your word doesn’t matter.
And every time you do, you build trust with yourself.
Work vs Life Isn’t the Tradeoff You Think
After shooting, I packed it up.
Went to get flowers. Went home. Spent the evening with my girlfriend - painting mugs, talking, just being present.
That mattered just as much as the work.
Maybe more.
Because the goal isn’t to choose between work and life. It’s to show up fully for both.
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The Takeaway
You don’t need a perfect system.You need a system you return to.You don’t need perfect conditions.You need to keep moving anyway.
