Today I wrote the words below as my final Instagram post for the foreseeable future…
As a photographer, people often ask for your Insta before even considering that a website or other platform might even exist. Intentionally leaving is legit kinda scary as a professional artist trying to figure out how to get to next month’s rent.
When expressing frustration with social apps of the moment, I’m often refuted with what might be most modern artists’ greatest fear. It is suggested that I’ll be left behind as the new world arrises and passes me by.
The apps, struggles and tools change every couple of years but the underlying fear is probably the same as it’s always been: That we will become old and our work passé.
That when film turns to JPEG, vinyl makes way for digital beat-matching and illustration software is left in the dust by AI, we’ll be left used, irrelevant and voiceless. That we did all this work, cried all these tears, missed all these family events, sacrificed all those vacations and blew our chances at stable romantic partnerships and retirements… All for nothing.
That if I’m not available to respond to the hot young influencer with the 100k followers on Insta and not ready to capitalize on that momentum by doing a dance on TikTok while cross promoting that with a Snap, I’ll miss my big chance and I’ll find myself sitting at a bar and drinking myself into a stupor, reflecting on a life that might’ve been.
Yes, it’s just a tool. We get to choose how we utilize it. I’m not speaking on all of the tools, at this exact moment. I am finding myself having very strong feelings about Instagram and my journey as a photographer, specifically. Instagram has not served my creative development in quite some time.
This account will continue to exist as a digital window display of sorts but I am, for the foreseeable future, electing to no longer actively be on the platform.
If you want to stay in touch on a much more intentional level, I send out a very personal email maybe once a month. Sign for that at mrarash.com/society.
🗡