Black White Sepia
A creative invitation to co-curate the past—and imagine what’s next.
Courage starts with action, and confidence grows from doing. The hard parts teach us what we need to master. -
Good morning, folks. Welcome back to The Year I Became. Today is a special kind of day.
I’m currently sitting in the middle of my living room, surrounded by stacks of movies—piles I need to find space for on my shelves. It’s a bit cloudy outside (watch out for those UV rays), but it feels like the perfect moment to begin something new. Or, rather, to revisit something old in a new light.
Lately, I’ve been studying a couple of books—one by Peter Bosma on film curating for cinemas and festivals, and another on the art of film projection for beginners. Both have inspired me to look back through my old creative work with fresh eyes: videos I posted on YouTube 10 to 14 years ago, photos I took on early iPhones, music I composed, and more.
Here’s the idea: instead of doing a private retrospective, I want to make this a shared experience.
A Retrospective—But Make It Collaborative
This morning, after getting home from work around 6:45 AM, I had a thought:
What if I published a weekly primer—a short post with a photo series, song, or video from my creative archive—and asked you to help uncover the meaning and memories behind it?
Each weekend, I’ll share a small creative work with little or no context—just a short voice memo like this one. Then in the comments, I’d love for you to drop a question or reflection. Ask me anything that comes to mind:
What inspired this?
How did you make it?
What were you feeling back then?
What did you learn from it?
The following week, I’ll respond to your questions in a Q&A-style follow-up. Together, we’ll create a layered, living retrospective—your questions helping me pull out the hidden lessons and threads that connect my past work to my creative life today.
This Week’s Entry: Black, White, and Sepia
To kick off the series, I’m sharing a short photo montage from about 14 years ago—taken when I first got into photography. Back then, I was using a refurbished iPhone 3G (or maybe a 3GS), and experimenting with editing apps that were just emerging at the time. Instagram hadn’t taken off yet, but there was a whole community of so-called “iPhonographers” sharing tips, apps, and photo walks—some even virtual.
These images were shot on that early iPhone and edited entirely within the phone’s limited software. I was just beginning to understand things like composition, light, and storytelling through images. The video montage includes a soundtrack I also composed myself—back when I was exploring the idea of scoring films and TV.
The piece is called Black, White, and Sepia, and I hope it sparks something in you, too.
Why This Matters
Looking back, I see how those early photos and experiments still echo in the creative work I do now. But when you’re too close to the work, you can’t always see the forest for the trees. That’s where you come in.
With your questions, insights, and curiosity, we can co-curate this journey—together.
Thank you to the 54 of you currently subscribed (and especially to the newcomers this past month). This community is still small, but it’s growing. Let’s build something thoughtful, poetic, and collaborative—one memory at a time.
Until next time,
Stay inspired.
Stay poetic.
Stay bold.
And have a wonderful weekend.
—E. A. Bland
June 28, 2025
