I hate New Year Resolutions. They always seem too grand, too vague, or just... weird to me. So imagine my surprise when I kickstarted a new project in December of 2024 that suddenly shaped into a resolution or theme for 2025.
Just over a year ago, I bought a Chevy Bolt EV and have been taking it road tripping—which is, frankly, a terrible idea. It's a first-generation EV that charges slower than a glacier taking a coffee break. Unlike modern EVs, in the Bolt you drive for 2.5 hours, then charge for 20-45 minutes. It charges even slower in the winter, yet despite this limitation, I've covered several thousand miles over various road trips these past twelve months. Then, this month, after four years of "window shopping" on eBay, I finally took the plunge into medium format film cameras and bought a 1954 Yashicaflex A2 film camera.
Both the slow-charging EV and the camera pictured above reflect a concept I've been gradually embracing over the past 12 months—one I only recognized this week: I enjoy being more deliberate and more aware.
My last road trip was only about 160 miles away, but took almost four hours each way, thanks to winter temperatures and tires reducing my range and slowing my charge rate. My first twelve shots ever on the Yashicaflex were with black and white film and they each took me 5-10 minutes to calculate exposure, apply the settings to the camera, compose, and wait for the right moment to snap the shutter. I won't get the shots back from the film development lab for at least another week, and I have no idea if they turned out well.
It seems that even though I didn't pick a resolution or theme for 2025, my interests have chosen it for me. Here's to designing intentional slow downs in life, and paying attention to what is around us as we move through the arrow of time. 🥂
