An Adjunct To Your Memory

I stumbled across this old speech by the guy who invented the Polaroid camera, Edwin Land. The speech itself is rather bland, considering it was originally given to investors, but toward the end he says something quite significant:

"...a kind of photography that would become part of the human being, an adjunct to your memory, something that was always with you so that when you looked at something you could, in effect, press a button and have a record of it in its accuracy, its intricacy, its beauty, and have that forever."

-> listen here

We all know how much Analog Sunday loves Polaroid pictures, but this quote got me thinking. That same explanation for his camera could almost be cut, copied, and pasted for the camera device you're probably holding at this exact moment.

For me, the question isn't which camera is better. That's obvious (looking at you, Polaroid). The question is: what "adjunct" tool actually serves our memory best?

An adjunct is something added to a larger, more important thing, but not considered essential to it.

Kind of crazy that the inventor of one of history's most iconic cameras described his own invention as an adjunct. Intentionally or not, he admitted that his tool, at its core, wasn't essential to our memories.

I agree with him.

Sure, his camera helped preserve memories, but he also understood that before the camera, there was simply... memory.

Which is better? One hundred and seven pictures of a sunset on our phone, or one imperfect one?

Maybe the answer doesn't even matter.

Did you actually marvel at that sunset and savor the moment? Were you fully present, taking it in with all your senses alongside the people standing next to you as the day quietly came to an end?

That... that right there is living.

Cameras are tools. Okay, maybe they can be pretty cool tools.

But something tells me life isn't made up of the number of pictures you took in the moment. It's made up of the memories burned deep into your soul.

That's what we're on the hunt for.

Food For Thought

What is the last good memory that comes to mind that you didn't take a picture of?

You do not need a digital detox.

You just need a day (a week).

Get a life,

Analog Sunday

The Rhythm

Every Analog Sunday is built around five simple practices:

Eat something made with care.
Play without keeping score.
Make something with your hands.
Read something that expands your mind.
Rest without feeling guilty.