Next time you're cleaning out your phone and you see a file like , don't just look at the thumbnail. Watch it. Listen to the background noise. Remember where you were and who you were with.
Watching this 14-second MOV file made me think about how much I miss when I’m looking for the "perfect" shot instead of the "real" one. It's easy to feel like our days are repetitive—laundry, emails, dishes, repeat. But as the folks over at A Growing Obsession show through their garden journals, there is a quiet, rhythmic beauty in watching things grow, even on the days when "nothing is happening." The Challenge: Don't Delete It Just Yet IMG_1587.MOV
I found it last night while trying to clear out some storage. It’s only 14 seconds long. It hasn't been edited, it hasn't been filtered, and it certainly wasn't "content" meant for the grid. But as I watched it, I realized it captured the exact thing I’ve been trying to put into words for months. The Beauty of the Uncurated Next time you're cleaning out your phone and
The camera is shaky. You can hear the wind whipping against the microphone—that distorted, crackling sound that usually makes you hit "delete." But in the center of the frame is a moment of pure, unadulterated joy. It’s a shot of [Insert your memory here: a toddler finally balancing on a scooter, a sunset over a messy backyard, or a dog chasing its own shadow]. Remember where you were and who you were with
It reminds me of a post I read recently on Alicia Bruxvoort's blog about how the "small stuff" is often where the most significant lessons are hidden. We spend our lives waiting for the "Feature Film" moments—the weddings, the promotions, the big trips—but our lives are actually built out of 14-second clips. Why We Should Keep the "Bad" Shots
We all have them. That digital graveyard on our phones, filled with files named "IMG_something-something." Most of the time, they are accidental pocket photos or blurry shots of a grocery list. but then there’s .
If I had been "producing" this video, I would have stopped recording. I would have said, "Wait, let’s do that again when the light is better." But if I had, I would have lost the authenticity.