Raw Image

You know how when you take a photo on your phone, the software automatically fixes it? It smooths out the skin, brightens the colors, and makes everything look 'nice' and easy to share.

For the longest time, I was trying to be that version of myself. The 'Auto-Fix' version.

I compressed myself to fit in. I tried to be the 'easy' friend, the 'successful' student, the guy who never had too much baggage because I didn't want to be a heavy file to carry. I deleted the parts of me that were sad or confusing just so I would be easier to upload into everyone else's lives.

But I’m done with the edit.

This episode is about being the Raw Image. And if you know anything about raw files, you know they are messy. They are huge. They take up a lot of space. They aren't polished.

That’s where I’m at now. I’ve got grain. I’ve got bad lighting. I’ve got shadows where I was lonely and blown-out highlights where I tried too hard. It’s not the pretty, Instagram-ready version of me. It’s heavy and it’s unpolished. But for the first time in my life? It’s actually real.