6 Blessings After Leaving Instagram
Hello Artists,
4 months ago I consciously decided to leave Instagram. I didn't delete my account, but after 10 years of working my ass off to build my Instagram following, and successfully getting it to over 90K, I decided to take a hiatus.
I deleted the app from my phone. I stopped making new content. And I took the large amounts of energy, resources and money I spent on building my Instagram following and placed them elsewhere.
In May I shared a post on Substack about this decision and received a lot of replies and feedback from my community that clearly showed me I was not the only one having a hard time with the new Instagram.
This was helpful because, honestly, it felt pretty scary to leave this platform I had spent so much of my creative energy on.
In the last 10 years, Instagram has played a big role in helping me grow my photography business into a multiple-six-figure organization. A part of me was really scared that I would lose everything I've built up to this point.
In addition to losing income, there was a fear I would be left behind.
It sort of felt like there was this really amazing party, everyone was there and there was all of this excitement and opportunities, and for whatever reason I was no longer feeling aligned with it.
So I decided to leave the party, with all its excitement, and step into something unknown.
Today, I am here to report back on what I have learned 4 months after making that decision.
Yes, there are many ways my life has been blessed since leaving.
AND, there is ONE really big challenge with this approach.
In today's very real and raw conversation, I outline how I intend to reconcile the 6 blessings with the 1 big challenge.
6 Blessings After Leaving Instagram
I discovered an unhealthy codependency and was able to clear and heal it.
I was able to recalibrate success metrics and how I perceived numbers. This exploded the joy in my life, which then exploded the output too.
I reconnected to bigger legacy projects. I am working on my first book now and have a library of longer-format online classes that are growing weekly.
I had way more time for family and friends because I was having a lot fewer conversations with strangers online.
Emotionally, I feel better than I have in years!! My nervous system feels more resourced and regulated and this trickles into every aspect of my life.
The space away from current events and pop culture allowed me to realize how many things I no longer cared about. This allowed me to consciously let go of a lot of topics and subject matter that were eating up my attention and mind power.
Now for the one BIG challenge of leaving Instagram…
My photography business definitely received fewer inquiries. I didn’t post anything for 4 months and the only referrals I received were from past clients. Thankfully there were many referrals, but it’s never smart to rely on only one form of marketing.
So, what do I do now!?
There are clearly so many benefits to removing my energy from Instagram and social media, but I also have over 350K followers across Instagram, TikTok and Facebook.
Listen to the audio below for my full recap of the last 4 months without Instagram and how I intend to reconcile the 6 blessings with the one challenge listed above.
I hope you enjoyed our class today.
If you are open to it, reply in Signal or comment below and share what your current relationship with Instagram is and how you feel about it.
Does it serve you?
Do you feel energized?
Does it help you grow your business?
Does it help you make more art with the world in a sustainable way?
Does it bring joy into your life?
Big love,
D
