I just got some great news, and I’m celebrating with a burrito. Because sometimes you just have to splurge.

I got an email this morning from the curator at the Farmington Museum, where this image, Winter Lifeguard, was featured in the show that opened Saturday. It won Best in Show. As in First Place, with a $1,000 cash prize. Hence the celebratory burrito.

It’s satisfying enough to get into juried shows but, spoiler alert, winning a prize is pretty nice. I’m grateful to the folks at the Farmington Museum and the guest curator for choosing this image, and now I’m even more motivated to keep trying for the best work I can.

Not that prizes equal good work, but they do mean someone else thinks it’s good, and since I already liked this image enough to submit it, it’s a satisfying synchronicity.

So I’m going to savor my burrito, then get back to work. It really is about the journey, but once in awhile some recognition makes it that much sweeter.

Lake Santa Rosa, New Mexico

I made this image in December at Lake Santa Rosa, New Mexico.

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