At the beginning of the year, I decided to travel more and explore the U.S. to improve my mental health, visit more friends, and create more memories with my film camera. Knowing myself and as most resolutions go, I made the beginning plans but didn’t make any genuine effort to get from Point A to Point B. I overthought everything. My once firm resolution slowly started to turn into daydreaming. Lucky enough for me, one of my best friends, Bre (photographed heavily in this post), lives in Tennessee and just so happened to have a free pass and a plus one for a local concert. I, of course, said yes! I now had roughly five days to get my life together and to get my butt down to Tennessee. So I packed my suitcase, loaded up my car, updated my playlist, and embarked on a grueling yet exciting 8-hour drive down to good ole Tennessee.

Little did I know that my trip would result in a major snowstorm, a damaged car, meeting wonderful people, and shooting lots and lots of film.

The Parthenon- Nashville, TN

Tennessee, being one of the music capitals, made it impossible to resist a free concert. I love music. I rely on it to get through my day and to be honest, I need it to function. If there is no music playing, I'm singing. If I am not singing, I'll stop everything to play music. Is that healthy? Eh, it’s fine. Music was one of the reasons Bre and I became so close, and I couldn't wait to share this moment with her after so long. On my second night out on the town, we dressed to the nines and went to an Allison Russell concert. I have to say it was one of the best concerts I’ve been to. Russell's experimental sound, unique voice, and powerful lyrics were incredible. I was grateful that I didn't miss that moment. Fortunately, this happened earlier in the week since that snowstorm decided to hit the night after.

Now I will say, I was fully prepared for a fun little snow sprinkle, a little light coating, if you will. It is worth noting that snow is a rare weather occurrence in Savannah. If we hear anything about it, it’s a rumor, rain, hardly a sprinkle, and nothing like what I experienced in Tennessee. It was a full-on two days of nonstop snow, 9-degree weather, and five layers of clothing. Nevertheless, as I said, I was prepared...with film that is. I had rolls to burn and this snowstorm was the perfect opportunity. I couldn’t have asked for a better chance to capture a winter wonderland and show all of my, hopefully, good pictures on the internet, just like everyone else on Instagram with their buckets and buckets of snow and aesthetically pleasing winter escapades.

I was strapped with my Pentax 645, Minolta XG7, and Nikon N55. That's right! Three! I was ready to go. Cinestill 800T in one, Ilford HP5 Plus in the other, I'm pretty sure Fujifilm was used, truly it’s all a blur or my imagination. I took this opportunity to use more Cinestill and Ilford B&W stocks as a practice to see if I could get some fun photos. Boy did I get some interesting ones! When I say interesting, I mean my Minolta lost its mind and the shutter release was so cold that I lost more than half of my 36 exposure roll. Huh?! Frustrating, disrespectful even. I kept pushing through. I had a vision and I did whatever I could to get what I wanted. So all good things! I’ve learned to embrace some of my unappealing photos, the ones that showed up anyway. I always remember that not only am I trying to make photography my career, but it’s also about the memories. Especially for me, a woman who sometimes experiences short-term memory, these photos help me relive every moment in my life that I seem to forget. Good and bad.

As the trip came to an end, I felt grateful for everything that happened. My hopes for a scenic hike, bar hopping, and driving through the streets of Tennessee turned into cozy nights making dinner and cookies with Bre, snuggling with the cats, playing in the snow, making new friends, and savoring memories. I couldn’t have asked for a better start to the new year, but maybe no more trips until I get a new car.

See more of my trip below :)