“An unintentional life accepts everything and does nothing. An intentional life embraces only the things that will add to the mission of significance.” My Creative RoadblockI have had a passion for photography since I was in high school. In the past 4 years I have really taken it more seriously and started to consider what my role was as a photographer. In the photography community it is very uncommon to not be on Instagram. The first thing someone asks me when I say I am a photographer is either, “I would love to see your work” which is usually followed by, “What is your Instagram?” After a while, I bought into this as a creative and believed I needed to be on Instagram in order to be considered legitimate. The one question that kept swimming in my brain all these years, the one thing that has kept me anchored to the platform was: “How will the world see my work if I'm not on Instagram?” This sounds fairly reasonable right? Everyone and their dog (literally) are on Instagram and it only seems fair that I should be too so that others can “discover” my talent and enjoy and support my work. After all, Instagram seems to be centered around photography and promoting the work of great photographers and artists, it seems like the perfect platform to do so. But this certainly is not true, years before Instagram was launched, great photographers and artists were creating beautiful work and sharing it with the world. Instagram simply cannot be the one and only answer to sharing meaningful work. The Problem with Instagram While Instagram is not all bad, there was just one primary issue for me. I felt that Instagram prevented me from moving forward as an artist. This may sound extreme and that I am just placing blame on something else for not improving in my craft, let me explain. I was comparing myself to other photographers.
I was not teaching myself how to “curate” a collection of photos to tell a larger story.
What Matters Most Recently in my life I have had some time off from work as we welcomed our son into the world. This was a wonderful time to reconsider what in our lives really matter. When we get busy with work, creative hobbies, and running errands, it can be easy to use a platform like social media to “relax” or tune out for a moment from life.
But what if we didn’t tune out? What if we fully embraced every moment of our lives with all of our senses. Feel the wind brush past our face, taste the crisp morning air, hear the faint whistle of a bird, or watch a sunrise to start our day. All of this, not interrupted with the worries of life or the distraction of a screen or notification. After this time being away from my Monday though Friday work week, I decided I wanted to change things, I wanted to be more present with my kids, my wife, and myself. To really feel what life was like rather than pass through it numbed by worrying or scrolling through a feed. To make every effort to be present in the moment I am in here and now. I have made various changes to my day, my phone, and even my photography by switching mainly to film. But the one choice I made that I believe will change my mindset for good, is to sign off Instagram, put my phone down, and live with intention. I challenge you to do the same. What matters most to you?
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