At the start of the year, I had this idea: post a picture a day for 365 days. Simple, right? A way to push my creativity, refine my editing, and maybe even build a little community around the process. What I didn’t expect was how quickly it would change the way I saw both photography and social media itself.
At first, it was fun. A little challenge to keep me engaged. Some days, I’d post something I really loved—something that felt like me—and it would barely get noticed. Other days, I’d throw up a shot I almost didn’t even care about, and it would get way more attention. The algorithm’s taste was random. But the bigger realization was that none of it really mattered.
Social media is supposed to be social. But it’s not. It’s not people hanging out, having a conversation, or sharing ideas in any real way. It’s a stage, and everyone’s yelling Look at me. No one’s actually listening.
I started to notice how it made me feel. How much time I spent thinking about what to post, how it would fit into my feed, if it was “worthy.” It wasn’t just about photography anymore. It was about playing a game I didn’t even like. And for what? Some numbers on a screen?
Then one day, I just stopped.
Not on purpose. I missed a post. Then another. And instead of scrambling to catch up, I realized I didn’t want to. The pressure to keep up with something that wasn’t making me happy just wasn’t worth it. So I let it go.
I still take photos every day. I still edit, still chase that perfect color grade, still try to capture a feeling in an image. But I’m done with the social part of social media. I’d rather create for myself, share when and how I actually want to, and keep the process pure.
Maybe that’s failure. Or maybe it’s just choosing to be free.
uncommonsight 