Thoughts on Social Media & Storytelling
First week of July I took a short break from social media that somehow turned into a month in the blink of an eye...I tied up loose ends, worked on commissions, learned new materials and planned out how the rest of the year will look for the studio.
Those that know me know that I value my privacy, peace and quiet above anything else, so going’ off grid a few times a year by now is pretty essential to my existence - especially when it comes to focusing on my work and the direction it’s going. The more I do it though, the harder and harder I find it to come back to social media.
While I love that space for sharing work and connecting with so many awesome people, I also despise the content rat race it’s become. The algorithm only makes you relevant if you conform to its hungry needs, ads barrage you every few seconds and new censorship guidelines are slowly eroding our freedom of speech. The place I once loved for beautiful stories and honest, longer form captions has turned into a fast paced cesspool of ads and politics.
Admittedly I’m lost in this world, cause it’s one I never fit into to start with. As someone who is very careful with what they allow in their life, I don’t appreciate having ads for things I don’t need or influencers hawking the same bullshit shoved down my throat every three stories or posts. That ain’t why I’m there or why I started this in the first place.
My life and my work are simple. It’s my story and the story of the land I love. It’s dust and dirt…born of the earth and rooted in real. As a documenter and observer I realize there are images that need to live lives larger than that moment, because they stand to mean something to someone. That’s the whole reason I’ve chosen to be an artist and storyteller - to connect with others, challenge the norm and give people a small glimpse of the immense possibility that lies in places often overlooked. That’s why I started sharing my work online in the first place.
Unfortunately these things aren’t valued much with social media anymore, because they aren’t expensive, flashy or making some tech big wig a dollar. That’s why I think this superficial realm of the internet bothers me so much, it’s devoid of real. It only exists to show you the things you want to see or what someone else wants to show you...which is a very dangerous game if you let it have too much power over your life, thoughts and actions.
With that being said, as of now I’m officially back online, sharing bits and pieces of life as and when I please from here on out. Posting might be a little more sporadic, but I’ll be here and wanted to leave these thoughts as a reminder that the world you build around you should always be your primary focus - be protective of what you let into it and how much time you spend on things that aren’t real.
P.S. - I’m still loving North Dakota and have been endlessly inspired by the beautiful landscapes, flora and fauna that reside here - including this super gnarly pike head in progress. This right here is the kinda shit I live for.