Analog

Bellamy Shoffner
Aug 9, 2017 · 2 min read

I am analog. I like my clocks with faces, my books on paper, and the feeling of a pen in my hand. I love the smell of bookstores, to walk instead of ride, my soul feels better when I talk instead of text. I even get my photos printed. However, I am not quite a Luddite, I built my first website when I was about thirteen and later I had one of the original Nokia cellphones with a sweet translucent aqua blue cover. I see the value in technology and get the wonder, who knows maybe someday I’ll own a robot. But deep down, and sometimes very clearly on the surface, I am analog.

When I was a kid, I dreamed of having my own magazine one day. I wrote articles, music reviews, and even dove into the moral gray area of an astrological novice teen writing pseudo-horoscopes. I grew older but the dream never changed, my content got more substantial, I tackled GMOs and race relations. I began to see a magazine as a chance to help myself think outside my norm while also encouraging and inspiring its readers. A magazine, with its tidbits and cute notations, with its mixture of essays and interviews, products and productivity tips, a sign that we all have some commonalities and can relate to something among its pages.

You might ask, how about a blog? Blogs are popular and even free or cheap.

But, remember, I am analog.

Words on paper in black and white, vibrant photography that you can hold in your hand. I tried a blog, and another, and another… and they’ve never felt like the self-made newspapers I’ve held in my hands. There is nothing like seeing your work in print. Blogs are not substantial enough for that kid I used to be who longed to see her name in print. Nor are they personal enough. Connecting with readers via the Internet can be fun and engaging but it also opens a writer up to a world of hatred and personal criticism that is far too invasive. Print wins. Layouts and copy. Pen on paper. Genuine interest in the story being told and not how many views or likes it gets. Print wins for me every time.

Print is powerful.

Print is peaceful.

Print is a reminder that being analog, taking a step back from digital life, is fine and even soothing and bold. In a time when we can all share our thoughts and images with a tap to our phones, print is a work of passion.

And print is my first real love.

The shirt says it all.
Bellamy Shoffner

Written by

Held up by the good graces of chai tea and phenomenal friends. Editor at Hold the Line.

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