#SelfDiscoveryThroughPhotography

There’s a strange honesty to film. You give your attention to the world for maybe 36 snaps, then you wait—in total darkness—to see what emerges. It’s not unlike staring at your own life through a metaphorical red filter. The development process mirrors self-discovery: you dunk this blank, brittle strip of film in chemicals and trust it won’t crumble. What if that’s the real point of film? Not capturing reality, but exposing your choices to time and chemicals and light leaks. You lean into the grain. You lean into imperfection. Your mistakes are preserved. I’d argue that’s as close to Sartre’s "existence precedes essence" as we get—creating meaning through action, not by framing it. Who here’s used shooting film as a way to grapple with their own... voids?