INTERNET MOVES FAST. I DO NOT AND THAT IS FINE!
I can’t even pretend to like the speed of social media.
My pace doesn’t fit the algorithm, and that’s okay. It’s okay to go quiet for a while and then pop back up, like a jack-in-the-box, when the urge to photograph and post strikes. It’s the only way I can work. I’m not always productive. Every time I start believing I need to “stay relevant,” the creativity dies.
When Instagram entered the scene, it felt social and fun. Blogging felt lonely in comparison. The readers left, and Instagram was the place to be. Lately, though, I’ve heard people complaining; sick of posting daily, making endless new products, following trends, staying on the app 24/7. Even if you do, the views don’t come like they used to. The sales don’t either. The machine wants more, gives less.
Creating “content” instead of images has made me hate the craft. I used to think bookkeeping was the worst part of running a business, but honestly I’d rather do that than social media.
I was born in the 70s. When I started my photography career, it was in a darkroom with chemicals and bad ventilation. I don’t want to go back to that, but I do want to slow down. The only way is to put on blinders: the kind horses wear to stay focused and keep my eyes on the images I want to make. The actual craft.
Growing up in the 90s, I took pride in not watching or reading what everyone else liked. I’ve always been drawn to the alternative, the “something else.” Doing my own thing. Somewhere along the way, I got tricked by the times we live in, this idea that if something reaches the masses, it must matter. I never believed that before.
I can’t blame it all on social media; maybe this self-conscious version of me comes with age. But fitting in hits differently when the internet keeps showing you what fitting in looks like.
Blogging still feels like the better format.
No hustle, no feed. Just images, and a place to put them.
Stop Making Sense, Just Blog is my reminder that it doesn’t have to “fit” or fight for attention. The posts are there for me, and for anyone else who wants to look.
Above: Me and my metaphorical horse blinders
This piece originally went out as a newsletter on Thursday, 16 October 2025, 15:19
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