#25 – How Instagram changed my life

Love-hate relationship with social media

I recently hit 10k on instagram and I won’t lie, the idea of a community of 10,000 was a bit unreal because I never thought I would have 10,000 people interested in what I do,which is why it’s so special. 

I know everytime we talk about instagram, it usually starts with negative thoughts followed by a few good things. 

Social media and the evil it is, is not new to us but today I really want to bring to you the other side of it because that evil changed my life.

I know there’s so much discussion about how numbers don’t matter, which is true. Those numbers are evil if we take them that way…

If there was no instagram, there would be no My food lens, there would be no photography for me, I would still be in architecture and my life would look very different. Instagram helped me find my calling and I want to share with you everything that it gave me so that it can help you navigate through it positively and use it to your advantage vs. the other way round.

1. A platform to showcase our work

Honestly, instagram gave my work visibility and me as an individual too. 

Imagine our parents’ era. If you were creating any sort of art, how tough it was to get the word out there. Today, posts go viral. We are lucky to be living in a time where we have a platform where we put out our work and anyone in any part of the world can see it. That’s pretty awesome. 

Instagram became a platform for me to put out my work and think about what was working, what was standing out and what about it was making me excited? 

What started as a hobby turned into a business within a span of a year because the platform showcased my work, it reached the right people, it inspired me to work on my skills and because it was reaching people locally and globally, there was a prospect to do it professionally. 

I used it as my portfolio and started creating content that I wanted to reach a particular audience or potential clients. 

When I took the leap of registering my business in 2018, it was the wildest thing to do and yet there was a feeling in my gut and even though a lot of people warned me against it, I did bank on instagram for inspiration and for turning photography into a commercial business. 

Instagram gave me a dream and turned it into a reality because that platform has a reach like none other and if we create with intention, WHICH IS KEY, that platform can change our lives. 

Was it not for instagram, I would still be an architect and completely ignore my calling. Instagram gave me a platform to showcase my work, it gave me hints on where I could take it, I took the hint and acted on it.  

This might look different for you because our paths in life are different but if we can figure out what to seek from the platform, it makes it easier for us to navigate our path.

2. A community that shares a common passion

Having access to a community that not only understands and speaks your language but also gives you the strength to push through creative struggles, cheers for you when you reach a milestone, shares your failures and jumps out to help if you’re stuck – it is priceless. 

I consider it a blessing to be part of a community on instagram that shares my passion. To be around those who get you, no matter how many, even a handful of people who get you is everything. Where would you get that?

My heart is where my Instagram community is. The community has given me inspiration, encouragement, made me understand who I am, and also given me the opportunity to have heartfelt conversations with so many. Being a solopreneur can get lonely, which is why the community we create for ourselves on social media is downright precious! 

Imagine not having it.. Right? 

3. Establish discipline and improve photography skills 

The third way Instagram changed my life was by bringing discipline. 

Now this is big, this is where I mean that we have to use it to our advantage and not the other way round. 

Right when I started, I created a posting schedule for myself.  It was twice a week and in all these years, that’s what I’ve done. I made that commitment and began creating content to be able to post 2 times.

In the process, I began practicing like crazy. I began shooting different subjects, in different kinds of light and understanding gear. I began improving my photography skills. 

Such a win-win. 

Instagram made me disciplined about taking photos, shooting twice or thrice a week, so much that it became a habit. 

I did not give into the pressure of posting more frequently. There were times when I couldn’t post for an entire month and that was okay because I used Instagram to my advantage to bring discipline vs. falling into pressure. 

Instagram helped me hone my skills, made photography a habit and you know how difficult it is to form habits. What started as a schedule to create content for social media, became a healthy habit to learn new skills, practice and get better at my craft.

4. Industry education

While Instagram gave my work visibility, it also made others work visible to me. I was exposed to the most marvelous of photographers, the most fantastic food photos from around the world. It gave me real insight into where the world was in food photography. As an architect I had no clue but now I could see the work commercial photographers were producing, what restaurants were looking for, what were chefs wanting for their cookbooks, the exposure opened my eyes and also set benchmarks.

All this observing did come with comparison, the feeling of I’m not good enough, thinking I’ll never be able to photograph like them  esp. on bad days. If we can remind ourselves that we have to use Instagram to our advantage and use those photos to learn, find inspiration and educate ourselves about the industry, then we’ve found a way around the evilness of the platform. 

As someone who was completely alien to the world of social media, joined the party late, Instagram gave me an overview of the food photography industry and that’s how I used it, learning and finding inspiration on it everyday.

What you seek is what finds you 

Instagram has been pivotal in my creative journey. I don’t create the way I used to and honestly, I’m not even the same person I used to be 4 years ago. I’m pretty sure you’d say the same. 

It’s easy to focus on the negatives because social media does test us in the most crazy way but it’s critical to check ourselves and come back to why we are there. 

We can choose to focus on what we seek from the platform. If we seek what is within our control, it can bring a real difference to our creative journey whether it’s a business or hobby.

I would not be where I am today had it not been for instagram and when I say instagram, I also mean you. You’re the community, you’re the inspiration. So, thank you for changing my life by being on the platform.

I hope that this episode leaves you with a little positivity towards the love-hate relationship we have with Instagram and allows you to establish what you seek from it. 

If it ruffled your feathers, let me know. If it left you with food for thought, also let me know. Either way I would love to hear from you.