Oh the lion that is called “social media.’ All seemingly fluffy and fascinating from a distance but can totally bite your head off at a closer view. ;-)
Truth be told, the vast majority find me through those Instagram hashtags everyone makes fun of. I actually shoot more families from out of town than local. They use them just like a google search and find my photos along the line up. And you guys, I have met the BEST PEOPLE, from all over the country, and even the world. We have the original DisneyLand right here that brings in people from all over, and what better way to top off your family memories than some photos along the coast? It has kept me busy even in the typical “slow season” when the locals consider it too cold to go outside. I’ll get people visiting from the East Coast who will even get soaked in that freezing water. Because seriously, when your coming from a blizzard, 60 degrees really does feel like paradise. ;-) And so I am in fact indebted to social media that has very quickly created this booming business for me that would have taken years and years to grow without it. It’s kind of mind blowing when I really think about it.
That said, there is a side of the gram that forever eats at me. That whole constant fight at trying not to compare myself with others, with styles, with “popular.” To not base my own love for a photo on how many “likes” or “comments” it received. It sounds so petty, so easy to do, but I will admit its not always so. The algorithm is a beast, and it seems like each day it is making it harder and harder for my work to be seen. But as much as I would love to throw in the towel some days, to push delete on all of it and simply be present in the moment… well, I still need it. And somehow people are still finding me. Beautiful families who make it all worth it. And so I keep posting, trying to remain true to who I am. To enjoy it for all its confusing self.
“An artist should never be a prisoner of himself, prisoner of style, prisoner of reputation, prisoner of success.” ~Henry Matisse
And I think if alive today he would have added right in there ‘prisoner of the phone.’
