CALENDAR JOURNEY: FROM CONCEPTION TO DELIVERY
A whirlwind of emotions stirred inside me when a chance comment got me thinking, “what will
you do with all these wildlife pictures?”. Although I have an Instagram account to showcase my
work to the world, I needed something more – something tangible. So, the wheels in my head
kept turning and turning.
My Eureka moment was not in the bath but was while chopping tomatoes. I just knew I had to
make a calendar. What better way to showcase my work and share it with my friends and family.
I turned to my daughter for the “how?”. We cleared the dinner table and got to work.
On the 3rd of November, 2022; in less than a week, our project was conceptualized, planned to
the last meticulous detail and ready to roll. I guess where there is a will, there is a way. There
was no stopping us now!
We put our plan into motion and thus began our journey to breathe life into our dreams.
But there’s no smooth sailing and we had our first hiccup with many more to follow. The project
was put on hold indefinitely and most times I would just sit and ponder if it would ever take off,
or if all this heartache was for nothing. But take off it did.
The later weeks of November were grueling from the word “Go”. From going to printers to
checking samples, and the works. It was tiring yet somehow fun. Unable to recall how many
brainstorming sessions were held in Starbucks where the main issue was choosing between
Pumpkin Spice Latte and Caramel Macchiato. We had our share of naysayers too, who typically
acted like the wet blanket. But a voice in my head kept repeating that “nothing ventured, nothing
gained.” So, we kept plodding on…
There were family and friends who wanted to know whether we were dead or alive because we
had practically gone underground working ourselves to the bone on this project. No one knew,
not even the little bird.
The day finally dawned – the 9th of December when our baby was finally going to be delivered
into our arms. There was so much excitement in the air that you could hear the air crackling.
The big bundle of calendars arrived which was so huge, the guy could barely walk carrying it. He
staggered and dumped the package onto the floor with a thud. We could barely contain our
excitement. Gingerly we opened the box and unwrapped the packet. The wind was knocked out
of us. The printer got the colour all wrong, all the pictures looking all washed out. It was so
painful to see. Then began another flurry of agitated back-and-forths; countless conversations,
and trips to Starbucks.
But finally after a week of hard labor, we received the box. Feeling extremely nervous, with a
sense of deja vu, we unboxed. The crackling excitement from last time was missing, and instead
were twice shy.
But lo and behold! I swear I could hear the Lion King’s background score when Simba was
introduced to the world by Rafiki. It was perfect; a labour of love. It was an unparalleled
moment of joy holding our baby, the 2023 Jungli Tails Wildlife Calendar in our hands.
Then did the celebrations begin