When I think back on trips of the past certain memories jump out, but the piece that stays more clear in my mind is the impression that was left.  The feeling that the sights, sounds and experiences leave on me as a whole seem to take more firm of a hold in my memory than the specifics.  For me, this ties into the reason I have a hard time conversing right after a long drive.  I need time to decompress and re-adjust.  I believe that happens because I’ve switched over to another part of my brain.  I seem to slip into my subconscious and go on auto-pilot.  I’m not saying that I’m some sort of zombie driver, rather that I use my collective driving knowledge to make decisions and perform basic functions so that my brain is free to wander elsewhere.  Just like we continue breathing as we perform various other tasks without specifically focusing on it.  Once that auto-pilot kicks in and my brain is free to wander elsewhere I become lost in scattered thought, often influenced by the sights and sounds blurring by my window.  The result of all of this leaves those little impressions and fleeting moments of inspiration free to bubble towards the surface of my experience.

_________________________________________________

David Walter Banks is a photographer who is based in Atlanta, Georgia. His column, “Transience” appears every other Friday. He is a Founding Member of LUCEO Images.

When I think back on trips of the past certain memories jump out, but the piece that stays more clear in my mind is the impression that was left.  The feeling that the sights, sounds and experiences leave on me as a whole seem to take more firm of a hold in my memory ...