Yes yes YES! I've shut down and deleted all social channels, and I just have this Substack, and my website. I used to play the game of posting on Twitter and Instagram to GET PEOPLE TO SUBSCRIBE to my Substack, but finally I was just like, eh... I just didn't have the energy for all that work with so little results!
Yes Seth! I’m the same I’ve been putting lots of effort into my website lately and it’s paying off with booking clients and making sales and it’s fully my own! It’s so liberating. I have been enjoying your content so much too and can’t wait to dive in more. Glad to have found you and keep it up 👍🏻
I have multiple sites to Seth, maybe I should shut them down I'm not winning any popularity contest. How ever I did find one thing interesting. I would get so many different reactions to one photo. Depending where i posted it would depend on if i got one like or if i just didn't get seen at all. What i did learn was finding your kind of people is important to how you get seen. Make sure you Rember your work never sucks its just in the wrong place. Its like a pair of too small pants, its not the design it's just the wrong pair of legs.
WRONG PAIR OF LEGS, oh my! Like for running - there's no bad weather, there's just bad equipment. I have a Patagonia rain jacket I bought years ago. I LOVE RUNNING IN THE RAIN now, because I have the equipment to do it!
Honestly this just makes sense. Splitting oneself across so many platforms just becomes exhausting and makes you want to stop it all and go live on a mountaintop in a cave or something.
I've been trying for months now to figure this out, all while juggling my photography hobby, day job, home life and finding myself increasingly interested in making video content related to my photography, and damn, it gets old in a hurry.
Posting to my website and then posting to several social platforms to try to drive traffic to where I want it to go seemed like a sane idea back in January. But I've ended up dropping *all* the balls instead.
I enjoy creating stuff. I don't enjoy the part where I figure out where to post it. I still feel like my website should be primary, with Substack and possibly YouTube creeping in as appropriate if the whole video thing gets some momentum. I just want to create things, dammit!
Totally agree! You should follow along my podcast/second YouTube channel for more advice on building up your channels in a realistic way. I totally hear you though it’s very exhausting and best to focus on one or two things max and yes your website should be paramount and driving traffic to things you own like here on substack via email subscribers who you then own!
I'm currently overdosing on substack and starting to worry. I'm glad I'm "forced" to do other things. I could never sustain the level of engagement you and others seem to have. So I'm glad for your success. I hope you enjoy more quality time with your child than with us.
Exactly I’ve just noticed how social media aside from it being a burden to attend to, affects our mood on a daily basis the constant exposure to hate as it is normalised apparently we’ve come to a time where people who’d like to protect their peace would drop social media in a heartbeat because of the fact that it has become so toxic to bear and live peacefully emotionally and mentally.
God, I think about all those old GaryV videos and bits of advice regarding content more than I should. He was right then, he's still right... but maybe less so than he was. I'm curious about your video, so I'll have to check it out sometime.
I was happy to delete a few social media presences last year and change how I deal with Instagram. Good stuff.
Great read Lucy! I was falling into this trap where I felt like I needed to be everywhere and it started to take its toll for sure. I'm focusing on substack for now with a hope to start youtube once I figure out how I want to share on the platform.
Im making the too many posts mistake. I figured if i posted more, more people see me and i can grow from there. Thank you so much Lucy for posting this. Ill now fix my mistake.
Nailed it! I’ve concentrated all my efforts here, but they are less in the “growing” space and more in the “being happy” space. I was at one point attempting growth on Insta but gave up (as evidenced in my mega-note yesterday), it felt futile. I feel that even a tiny effort here has paid dividends and while I still hang out on Insta due to the friends and acquaintances I’ve met there, I put no effort into it and I’m way happier because of that. Everything I’ve done here has genuinely made me happy and the conversations have kind of restored my faith that not everyone has been rendered dead inside due to the state of social media. It’s nice, and as I approach 100 subs by doing only what I want to do, on my schedule no less, well that feels pretty great. Honestly, I’ve said it before but I have you to thank for introducing me to this. Thanks, buddy!
We are trained to follow the algorithm of posting everyday and chase views and likes, when in essence it all gets lost in the mix anyways. For those of us not making money on these platforms, it is futile, like WHY? why do we torture ourselves?
2025 for me started ditching IG, X, FB for that [and other toxic] reason[s]. Getting to know my new platforms (Substack and Bluesky) is taking some time and what I want to post going forward and how it will benefit me and my photography.
I feel integrating platforms strategically is a benefit and will keep online life smooth and fun... Quality over Quantity is always what I believe in when it comes to ones true art.
Yes, absolutely. I always find quite confusing that advice found everywhere, "Oh, want to grow in YouTube? Go post horribly crippled versions of your content somewhere else, that works!".
Yes yes YES! I've shut down and deleted all social channels, and I just have this Substack, and my website. I used to play the game of posting on Twitter and Instagram to GET PEOPLE TO SUBSCRIBE to my Substack, but finally I was just like, eh... I just didn't have the energy for all that work with so little results!
Yes Seth! I’m the same I’ve been putting lots of effort into my website lately and it’s paying off with booking clients and making sales and it’s fully my own! It’s so liberating. I have been enjoying your content so much too and can’t wait to dive in more. Glad to have found you and keep it up 👍🏻
I have multiple sites to Seth, maybe I should shut them down I'm not winning any popularity contest. How ever I did find one thing interesting. I would get so many different reactions to one photo. Depending where i posted it would depend on if i got one like or if i just didn't get seen at all. What i did learn was finding your kind of people is important to how you get seen. Make sure you Rember your work never sucks its just in the wrong place. Its like a pair of too small pants, its not the design it's just the wrong pair of legs.
WRONG PAIR OF LEGS, oh my! Like for running - there's no bad weather, there's just bad equipment. I have a Patagonia rain jacket I bought years ago. I LOVE RUNNING IN THE RAIN now, because I have the equipment to do it!
I should do that this winter.
Honestly this just makes sense. Splitting oneself across so many platforms just becomes exhausting and makes you want to stop it all and go live on a mountaintop in a cave or something.
I've been trying for months now to figure this out, all while juggling my photography hobby, day job, home life and finding myself increasingly interested in making video content related to my photography, and damn, it gets old in a hurry.
Posting to my website and then posting to several social platforms to try to drive traffic to where I want it to go seemed like a sane idea back in January. But I've ended up dropping *all* the balls instead.
I enjoy creating stuff. I don't enjoy the part where I figure out where to post it. I still feel like my website should be primary, with Substack and possibly YouTube creeping in as appropriate if the whole video thing gets some momentum. I just want to create things, dammit!
Totally agree! You should follow along my podcast/second YouTube channel for more advice on building up your channels in a realistic way. I totally hear you though it’s very exhausting and best to focus on one or two things max and yes your website should be paramount and driving traffic to things you own like here on substack via email subscribers who you then own!
Duly followed :)
I'm currently overdosing on substack and starting to worry. I'm glad I'm "forced" to do other things. I could never sustain the level of engagement you and others seem to have. So I'm glad for your success. I hope you enjoy more quality time with your child than with us.
Exactly I’ve just noticed how social media aside from it being a burden to attend to, affects our mood on a daily basis the constant exposure to hate as it is normalised apparently we’ve come to a time where people who’d like to protect their peace would drop social media in a heartbeat because of the fact that it has become so toxic to bear and live peacefully emotionally and mentally.
God, I think about all those old GaryV videos and bits of advice regarding content more than I should. He was right then, he's still right... but maybe less so than he was. I'm curious about your video, so I'll have to check it out sometime.
I was happy to delete a few social media presences last year and change how I deal with Instagram. Good stuff.
Great read Lucy! I was falling into this trap where I felt like I needed to be everywhere and it started to take its toll for sure. I'm focusing on substack for now with a hope to start youtube once I figure out how I want to share on the platform.
Always happy to read you stay true to yourself Lucy. 🖤
thank you for saying what needs to be said. our time is our own—and not at the mercy of social media or the internet in general.
Im making the too many posts mistake. I figured if i posted more, more people see me and i can grow from there. Thank you so much Lucy for posting this. Ill now fix my mistake.
Thank you for sharing this! This is what I needed to read today in the morning after writing my morning pages❤️
This year has also been the year to decide where I feel comfortable online and find new platforms and ways to stay motivated and feeling creative:)
Nailed it! I’ve concentrated all my efforts here, but they are less in the “growing” space and more in the “being happy” space. I was at one point attempting growth on Insta but gave up (as evidenced in my mega-note yesterday), it felt futile. I feel that even a tiny effort here has paid dividends and while I still hang out on Insta due to the friends and acquaintances I’ve met there, I put no effort into it and I’m way happier because of that. Everything I’ve done here has genuinely made me happy and the conversations have kind of restored my faith that not everyone has been rendered dead inside due to the state of social media. It’s nice, and as I approach 100 subs by doing only what I want to do, on my schedule no less, well that feels pretty great. Honestly, I’ve said it before but I have you to thank for introducing me to this. Thanks, buddy!
We are trained to follow the algorithm of posting everyday and chase views and likes, when in essence it all gets lost in the mix anyways. For those of us not making money on these platforms, it is futile, like WHY? why do we torture ourselves?
2025 for me started ditching IG, X, FB for that [and other toxic] reason[s]. Getting to know my new platforms (Substack and Bluesky) is taking some time and what I want to post going forward and how it will benefit me and my photography.
I feel integrating platforms strategically is a benefit and will keep online life smooth and fun... Quality over Quantity is always what I believe in when it comes to ones true art.
Yes, absolutely. I always find quite confusing that advice found everywhere, "Oh, want to grow in YouTube? Go post horribly crippled versions of your content somewhere else, that works!".