We are barely into the new year and a consistent theme that I see being shared everywhere online, is that 2026 is the year to be analog. At first, I didn’t think much of it but then I was seeing it on Substack, blog posts, social media, etc. What struck me as odd was that all of these declarations were being made through or using technology (as this article is also being shared in a digital format). How ironic.
I do not have scientific data to back this up, but being an artist and knowing so many artists, I am of the opinion, that is the true artist reflection anyways. We are analog beings to start with, all of us, BUT the artist is more likely to observe and honor that part of how they have been made. At the least, probably more aware when they feel off physically, mentally or creatively.
My non-scientific analysis of the situation is based upon my own experience living as an analog person in a non-analog world. My mind and body don’t feel good in a world that dishonors our natural rhythms. Fluorescent lights, being inside all of the time, eyes in front of a computer/phone/television most of the day, disconnected from nature, time to be quiet, live in silence, let your mind wander, or creating just for creating’s sake.
My children will be the last generation that spent part of their childhood without cell phones and portable computer devices. My generation grew up fully without them. So, my memories of what that period felt like is what pulls me back to what I know feels good, nurturing, restful, quiet, creative, connective and life giving.
Technology has allowed us to have an online business, listen to my vinyl collection on a record player through clear speakers, watch movies from the AFI top 100 list with a projector and screen. I FaceTime our children in Nashville and my heart feels at rest just seeing their faces. I can learn about anything at any time. Technology is not the problem. The problem is when we forget to put it away.
When I kept hearing that people wanted this year to be analog, I took it as a collective human cry, “I need rest. I want to breathe again. I want to think my own thoughts.” Everything is coming at us morning to night IF we allow it. We cannot cry that we deeply desire a more analog life and then spend hours drowning in the distraction.
The more tired and overwhelmed we become can also mean that when we are at our most exhausted, we turn to the one thing that is right in front of us and easy. We turn to the very thing that is overwhelming us, keeping us from quiet, rest, connection and creativity.
So, what does an analog life really look like in the midst of a world full of technology? Making analog choices in a world constantly fighting for your attention takes intention. The louder the world gets (and it will get louder) the more you will have to fight for quiet, rest, connection, and creativity.
Replacing what is easy with what is real, truly desired and needed will take effort. I can promise you that once you dip your toe into a more analog world, the more your body and mind will crave it. It is like when you start drinking more water. As you drink the water your body truly needs, you notice when you aren’t getting enough. Sometimes we are so depleted in an area that, until we are filled back up, we don’t even realize the impact it was having on our life, mind and body.
I had a traumatic brain injury my first year in college. It is not something I talk about often but it impacts me almost every day. I spent years in and out of hospitals and doctor’s offices trying to get help. The biggest healing I have seen in my day-to-day life (and this healing has been beautiful and extraordinary) started when I found a doctor that looked at my symptoms and then searched for the source of what was causing them. She didn’t try to mask the symptoms. Over the years I have had to take action in almost every area of my life to allow my brain to function well (or at least better). Sometimes I believe the car accident was a blessing in disguise because it wouldn’t allow the “normal” of this world to be acceptable to my function.
So much of what I’m sharing with you is because it truly makes me FEEL better. I am not choosing things out of nostalgia; I choose them because I live a better life. I am a better version of me when I acknowledge and honor that my brain can’t function in a busy/loud/technology heavy world. My brain will not allow my body to work the way the world may consider normal, so I don’t play along. I can’t. So, I would also acknowledge that I am years and years into living an analog life, but not because of some enlightenment, but because of necessity. I would also say that much of what society is now begging for is based on necessity too. The time has come for everyone to live a more analog life.
I would encourage you to find your own rhythm and slower practices that help your body, brain and creativity to function better. Your version does not need to look like mine. When I share some of my practices I also want to remind you, once again, that I had to be intentional with my daily choices or I don’t think I would have survived. I am not saying that lightly. My choices are years in the making. Start slowly and add more once new habits become lifestyle choices.
I have worked through what my brain and body needs starting from my first pregnancy all the way to the present. This more analog life has helped me in all stages of motherhood and womanhood. I get to bed early enough that I wake up naturally without an alarm and allow myself slow and intentional mornings. This looks like devotions, walking a few miles, coffee and connecting with Kelly. I do my Morning Pages when I am in a good rhythm and when I am my most intentional. It is important to me to make time to learn each day through reading. If the weather is beautiful, you will most likely find me sitting outside, probably with a book, with my feet to the ground. This allows my brain to slow down and rest from anything online that I have been doing. I am also a stickler for only doing one thing at a time. I do not even try to convince myself or others that I can multi-task. One tab is open on my computer at a time, I watch a movie with no phone, etc. My brain needs presence for each thing I do. A true limitation or side effect of my brain injury but a gift in hindsight.
One of the most wonderful decisions we have made as empty nesters is to make room for rest, creativity, learning and then actually planning for it. It is easy to fall into television or my phone at the end of the night without making room for, and planning the alternative. Each week we have scheduled a night to read, a night to listen to records together, and a night to watch a new movie from the AFI 100 list. Because these nights are on the calendar, we go into our day intentionally planning for it and being excited to pick our record, book or movie, etc. These are just the things we do, but you could plan anything. Something that invites you to slow down, be present and do more things you talk about wanting to do.
Over the past few years, I have been writing letters back and forth with a few friends. I find that I am more honest and/or vulnerable when I write my thoughts on paper. These letters also often include drawings, newspaper clippings, recipes etc. As soon as one of their letters arrive, I put it aside until I can sit down and slowly take in each word as a treasure. I don’t take it for granted that another person I love took the time to write to me.
Of all my little analog lifestyle changes over the years I would say one of the most impactful to my mind has been a Sabbath. One day a week (it can be any day) that I 100% do not work. I do not answer emails, don’t clean the house, don’t do yard work, don’t talk about work, don’t buy things, don’t do laundry…I don’t work or consume. I rest. Rest can look like hiking, reading, making art, gathering with friends, watching a documentary, talking on the phone with a friend or making a beautiful meal. A Sabbath. This is not only for those of faith but a call to everyone, no matter what they believe. It is an intentional choice to remind yourself that the world still spins without your pursuing/hustling. This was one of the hardest lifestyles changes we implemented a few years ago and it has been the most healing in my mindset. I don’t want to ever go back.
Many years ago, my brain and body broke and needed me to live differently than the rest of the world. That broken part of me put me on a food, creativity, and lifestyle journey that put me back together in one of the most intentional ways I can even imagine. The most wonderful part for you is that you are most likely not physically broken and get to say yes to a more analog life for all that it holds for you. I believe the most authentic parts of you will show up!
