12/03/2025
Photography is something I haven’t been able to shake since I was young. I remember my first camera, a gift from Santa, and how I would run outside and take photos all the time. I’m always battling this feeling of not wanting to clutter the world with more content while also not being able to stop capturing images and videos of everything I do.
I’ve always had a complicated relationship with social media. As someone who values honesty and real relationships, it often feels unauthentic to have these online connections with strangers. I don’t feel genuine if I’m just liking and commenting when I don’t even know you. I don’t know your values, your personality, or how you treat people. It’s easy to make life look perfect or beautiful online, but it takes real work to actually feel that way in real life.
Sometimes I want to post beautiful images simply because I love how they look and think they deserve to be seen. But sometimes I feel inauthentic because people don’t know the full story behind a photo. In this one, I was on a wonderful date night with my boyfriend. He thought I looked cute in my flowy dress and took a few pictures with my camera. I’ve gone back and forth on whether I should share it. Most people won’t think this deeply about it and will scroll past in a millisecond, but I’m still here trying to find my balance with social media while staying authentic and present in real life.
I’m not an influencer, but I work in social media. Every day I’m posting, capturing content, working with influencers, consuming, and trying to do a good job. It’s impossible for me to run away from it, not only because it pays my bills, but because I have a genuine curiosity about where I fit in and how my creative work can evolve. As a creative, it feels impossible to drift away from the craft for too long. So here I am, sharing these photos because it feels like scratching an itch. And honestly, the best part is that I don’t really care about likes or follows. I just want to be me.
