If you follow my instagram, you’ll know I’m not a personal photo poster. There’s a few reasons for this, mainly because I use my instagram as a promotional tool, so I really love to just post design work I do, just so potential clients can get an idea of my style and what we offer. But there’s another part to it as well.

There are a few things I regret as I’ve grown my business over these past 10 years, and one of them is not being more active on Instagram early in the game. I started blogging in 2009 which was when blogs were really not even that popular, so that was great for me, but the whole insta craze started around the same time that my first husband died. And ya’ll, I was so, so beat down. I felt like I couldn’t face life on my own, I was still really in a learning curve in my business and I was really scarred (I know that sounds dramatic but it’s true!) by some bad clients I shouldn’t have taken on from my early days (all new businesses do that, you feel like you have to say yes to everyone even when you know it’s going to be terrible and draining – don’t do that!). So I had zero desire to be sociable or engaged, or allow people to be able to find me. So I skipped it, I didn’t create an account even, I just, I wanted to be hidden and not interact.

And today, I really wish I had not let that fear get in the way of getting active on what was then a new technology! However, it is what it is, and I just accept it. But! I still kind of hate social media a lot (maybe you’ve noticed). What I dislike about it the most is the availability part of it. Because of Instagram and DMs, and unlike Facebook, the lack of real privacy filters on Instagram, I feel like people have access to you 24/7. Now, do you have to respond to comments and DMs? Of course not. But they’re there, lurking, and for someone who works at least 50 hours a week, even more obligations become a real drag. I just feel super exposed on Instagram, where I am, what I’m doing, and I don’t like it.

Also, I’m a big believer in privacy. Especially in this contentious age, like, I don’t want what I do or think or say to be associated with my public profile or business in any way. And it’s all above-board trust me I’m a woman of grace and dignity lol but like, what does what I ate for breakfast have to do with the quality of my work? Ha ha nada! So maybe I’m a little old-fashioned or behind the times but like, I kind of want my life to be private and anonymous. I do NOT put down others who choose to post a lot, I love to follow people’s lives! It’s exciting! I actually really wish I was one of those people. But is this just me?

So what about you? How you YOU feel about instagram and social media in general? I truly would love to hear.

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