Beyond the Noise: Create, Don’t Just Consume
The Social Media Trap
Social media is both a gift and a curse. It’s a tool that allows us to connect, to learn, and to be inspired. But it’s also a vortex—one that can pull creatives into a cycle of distraction rather than action. If you’re a photographer, you’ve probably seen it firsthand. The endless debates about gear, the obsession with presets, the constant focus on who’s working with who rather than who’s doing the work.
It’s easy to get caught up in the noise. But here’s the truth: none of it makes you better. None of it sharpens your skills, refines your eye, or pushes you towards mastery. And if you’ve chosen to walk the path of the arts, then why spend more time talking about it than actually doing it?
The Call to Action: Practice Your Practice
"I’m constantly on social media yet all I read is waffle about this kit, that person, presets and tricks. You’ve chosen the arts, but instead of doing the work, we’re just talking about practice? GO AND PRACTICE YOUR PRACTICE."
This isn’t just frustration—it’s a wake-up call. Every minute spent scrolling through discussions about the ‘best’ way to do something is a minute you could have spent actually doing it. The best photographers—whether in portraiture, photojournalism, or music photography—aren’t just talking about what they could do. They’re out there doing it. They’re testing, refining, failing, learning, and repeating the process over and over again.
Mastery doesn’t come from consuming content. It comes from creating relentlessly. The only way to develop a unique photographic voice is by shooting—constantly, obsessively, and without apology.
The Creative Rut: Break It Before It Breaks You
One of the biggest threats to creativity is repetition. Yes, repetition is essential to mastery, but when it becomes mechanical, it can also be the very thing that kills inspiration. The moment everything feels predictable—the moment your work starts to feel like a formula rather than an exploration—is the moment you need to shake things up.
Challenge yourself. Do something different, even if it scares you.
If you always shoot portraits, spend a week shooting only abstract details.
If you always shoot with natural light, force yourself to learn off-camera flash.
If you never experiment with film, pick up a 35mm camera and see how it changes your approach.
Most importantly, push others too. Photography doesn’t have to be a solitary pursuit. The best artists don’t just evolve on their own—they grow alongside a community that challenges and inspires them. Surround yourself with people who are also trying to be exceptional, not just popular.
The Social Media Illusion: Create, Don’t Compete
One of the biggest traps creatives fall into is the comparison game. It happens subtly. You see someone with more followers, more engagement, or more recognition, and suddenly, your own work feels less than. Social media turns creativity into a numbers game, but here’s the thing: numbers don’t mean impact.
The best photographers aren’t always the ones with the biggest following. They’re the ones who make you feel something. The ones whose images stick with you long after you’ve seen them. The ones who tell stories, shift perspectives, and document life in a way that matters.
The focus should never be on being the most followed—it should be on being the most impactful. And that impact starts when you stop worrying about what others are doing and start focusing on your own craft.
Photography Should Be Fun—So Let It Be
Let’s not forget why we started this in the first place. Photography wasn’t supposed to be about chasing validation or getting caught up in online discourse. We chose it because it excited us. Because it was fun. Because it made us see the world differently.
So make it fun again. Experiment. Play. Chase the things that excite you. Let your passion dictate your work—not trends, not algorithms, not external validation.
Photography is an extension of your vision, your joy, your curiosity. If it stops being fun, ask yourself: What changed? And more importantly—how do I take it back?
Step Out of the Bubble
This bubble—this cycle of gossip, competition, and distraction—it’s not real. It doesn’t define your work, and it certainly doesn’t define you. Step out of it. Do something important—for yourself, for others, for the world.
Take your camera, step outside, and remind yourself why you fell in love with this craft in the first place. Because in the end, that’s all that really matters.