About two weeks ago, I was sitting on my bed, mindlessly scrolling through Instagram. I was liking picture after picture and commenting on some. I realized in that moment that I was getting tired of doing this exact thing and that it was time for a break. That is when I decided to take a break from Instagram. Usually I would just head to my Instagram settings and temporarily disable my account, but this time I took it a step further. I deleted all the pictures on my Instagram profile. I deleted over 100 images of memories with friends, pictures with my prettiest outfits, and pictures of cool places I had been to. One by one, I sat there deleting all of my pictures without a second thought.
It’s been two weeks, and I still don’t regret doing this. I just wasn’t happy with the direction my photos were going or looking on my Instagram profile. I have always been interested in photography and I loved taking creative pictures, but I kind of felt like I was living a lie. I wasn’t posting the kind of content I really wanted to post. For that reason, I decided to start over. I am taking some months to really think about the direction I want my Instagram to go and the kind of followers I wanted to attract. I also want to experiment in taking various pictures that are a bit more edgy and daring. I never think anyone should play it safe with their craft and I realized that’s exactly what I was doing.
2022 will be the year that I become truly daring and push the envelope. I want people to look at my photography and stop and think about the photo. I want them to still be thinking about my photography weeks later. I want to create art that is true to who I really am despite what others might think. I don’t want to play it safe anymore.
MY SECOND REASON FOR TAKING A BREAK FROM INSTAGRAM
I have always been the type of person who listens to my body and how I am feeling. I was becoming overwhelmed and I seriously needed a break from it all. I was tired of trying to keep up with a schedule for when I should post content and what type of reels I should be posting. I remember when social media used to be fun and now there are so many rules you have to follow. I wanted to go back to making the whole experience of social media fun again. For me, that means getting off of it for a little bit and really thinking about how I can truly make this a great experience for myself and for others.
I no longer want to care about how many likes and followers I am getting. I don’t want to care about reviewing my stats every week to see how I can improve. I just want to have FUN with my content and leave the results to God. I don’t want to stress about it anymore and get frustrated with myself for not growing fast enough. It is what it is. At least I can say I am being my true authentic self and I am posting what I consider to by my best work. I want to finally take control of how I use my social media and inspire people to do the same along the way.
WHAT’S IN STORE?
I stopped seriously doing photography about two years ago, but I miss it terribly. It is one of my passions and I want to see how skilled I can get at it. I never really gave myself a chance to become a truly impressive photographer, but I am giving myself the time for that now. This break will help me to come into my own as a photographer and to really learn what I like and how I can translate it through photos. I am excited to share my work with you in a few months and I can only hope it is received well.
About The Author
I don’t blame you! I do the same thing and have been trying to get on the platform a lot less. Its good that you are listening to what your mind and body need!
Thank you! Yes, its definitely important to listen to what your body needs. Thanks for reading!