It’s late in the evening on June 1, 2018, and I’ve just logged off from all the social media platforms I usually use – for a whole year. I feel a mix of relief, curiosity and trepidation about what this change will mean for my everyday life. I’ve formulated a few rules I should follow for the next 365 days. First and foremost: Every time I sense the urge to shift my attention to the parallel universe of social media or browse the internet on my phone, I should pause, look around, and take a picture of something in my immediate vicinity. Something I would fail to notice if I were staring at my phone.

Over the coming year, I hope to achieve an undivided experience of the world of my senses. I hope to find greater continuity in everyday life, without constantly teleporting my consciousness away into a variety of different social settings and conversations. I hope it will be possible to convert the time, energy and focus I spend on my phone into creative time. Photographs that tell us something about being in the world with fewer impressions and self-inflicted interruptions.

What is it I’m afraid of?