I’m far too salty for someone who is under 30. Pessimism and being judgmental has been my M.O. since forever, so much so that as a young adult, a friend remarked, “You’ve been 40 since you were 17!” I can’t help it, though at times it would be nice if I could be less like Larry David and more like Mr. Bean. Perpetual frustration with most things is a difficult way to go about one’s day, it’s exhausting. And right as I had started to come around on all of this, finding a bit of stride in positivity and an up-beat outlook, I found myself backsliding into the deep end of “Bah Humbug”; I seem to ebb and flow like the tide, reasons unknown.

Disappointingly, I fall into the new trendy social description of “Millennial” – a vapid, lazy description of a generation equally lost in labels. We are the “Scroll/Like” types, the quick consumers of media, the forever wanting more, faster – though the Boomers are in fact more of a driving force, despite what they say…at any rate, I’m sat here thinking about how long-format, in-depth, and thoughtful journalism is fading into a forgotten time of ink, cellulose, and glue. The nostalgia of print and analogue is not what I’m interested in specifically, per se, I’m keen on the “slow food” version of this profession – not the in vogue “organic, gluten free” clickbait drivel.

This is a familiar line of discussion from me, and I worry that I sound like a jukebox with only one album from an obscure Indie Rock band. But, I’m pressing on in hopes that my words strike a chord with someone out in the ether who perhaps can be part of the change or become it. I have been on the side of producing content solely for marketing purposes, and while still fun, it wasn’t as fulfilling as expected. While I enjoy good paying work like anyone else, my soul yearns for richer ingredients in the final product… being an “Instagram photographer” sort of kills my spirit a little bit each day.

I don’t want my merit to be based on “likes” or the number of people who “follow” me. Validation feels good, I can’t deny that – and I genuinely enjoy sharing my stories, travels, and body of work with a large audience; spreading the stoke is important to me. But, I want to do it with more than just one image a day. I want to tell stories, and not those Long Format Brodowns as I once wrote. Uncovering new places and faces or ushering them out of obscurity is what I strive to do. The old ways of investigative journalism and research are wonderful parts of the bigger picture delivered to the public. Allowing history to thrive, open and baring its heart from the pages of a magazine is a waning beauty that I fear will be relegated into the niche of quarterlies or coffee table books.

Despite the rapid dissemination of information in the world of now and to come, I believe it is important to provide content which has richer ingredients: personality, tenacity, grit, discomfort, awe… to surprise or interest an audience now is to pull off a feat of near-magic. This isn’t about my ego or desire to be well-known, I am not caught up on the former and couldn’t care less about the latter. My aim is to keep the fire lit in readers through thought-provoking discussion and deep-diving into the world behind the curtain. Now that most “important” things happen in real time on social media, the true heart of the sport can shine through in the world of word count, paragraphs, and [hopefully] good grammar.

I grew up riding the cusp of the digital age, which means I still have stacks of old magazines in my room like any core rider worth their salt. The advent of being able to share every living moment of one’s life, while interesting from an anthropological standpoint, is massively destructive to the lives being lived, as they seem to happen through portable screens more so than actual eyes. I know people probably think I yell at kids to get off my lawn, but those are the people missing the point:  we are rocketing through our day, scrolling, liking, commenting, sharing… but none of that allows for time to think, process, consider, opinionate… it’s just a cycle of hollow participation in a constructed false reality.

Book sales have risen in recent times, which bodes well for the future. Now, this industry in which we all participate needs to start backing content with depth. It can be print or digital, I am not taking sides, I just dearly want to see people taking time to consider the goings-on of our daily existence and give it some special treatment. Not everything has to be unique, but like comedy, the key is making some ordinary, extraordinary. The details are where nuance and intrigue hide, and so I think we need to once again start painting with a finer brush. The arts are where the soul of society flourishes, and if we don’t have that, we have nothing at all.