We grew up with the internet.
It's easy to talk with people, to know what's happening on the other side of the world, to shop and even to read a book.
But, for a long time, Internet has been dictated by social media platforms... So many!
There is always something that leads us to enter Facebook or Instagram to see what others are doing... and, in the end, everything comes down to this: whether it is Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter or Instagram, those are all just a big window to the lives and work of other people and to expose how we live, what we eat or where we are.
But don't judge me now, because I too often sit, comfortably, by this great window.
And this need is not just to see or to be seen, it is a need of anyone running a professional project involving other people. As a creative, photographer and entrepreneur, I am perfectly aware of this huge showcase and the visibility that a simple page or profile in any social network brings me.
Still, for some time now, although I didn't even expose 10% of my life, I felt that social media had become a hungry beast that needed to be fed and, at this point, I wanted to leave it with an empty belly starving for a few days.
Shouldn't we, for a while, leave it hungry for some time to feed ourselves, our lives, the things we like to do, away from social networks?
For a week I decided to leave aside Facebook and Instagram and focus on what seemed to require more energy and attention.
Yes, both Instagram and Facebook are the places where I get daily inquiries for shoots and even partnerships, but there is always a moment when the compass loses the north and we almost feel like going somewhere south, where the water is warmer, and we can re-orient the real life. It feels like close our eyes and wake up to a view like this:
I'm back to the blog and to social networks with the feeling that I have been here yesterday, but with the absolute certainty that this break will only make me more focused and inspired for what the future has in store for me.
I also decided to forget all the social networks that I could not feed (Google+, Twitter or Pinterest) and focus on the two that make me more productive and inspired, but that, mainly, bring me more return. No, no, forget the euros! I'm talking about the return of feeling closer to people, to meet new faces every day, to grow personally and professionally, to receive invitations to things that I didn't think I would one day be challenged to.
From now on, I'll be focusing here, on our blog, on our people, on our and on your history, on our Facebook page and on Instagram.
All of this combined with a new brand image. A new website. A new product line. Lots of stories to tell! Meetings in many different time zones. And the classes in a Marketing and Branding course that I'm doing and lo-ving and that, maybe, I could talk about later! Then... then there's life!
And that's it... consciously managing the fact that we only have 24 hours a day and to know how to turn a starving beast into a fun and inspiring friend, that helps and doesn't overwhelm us in the need of showing more and more and more.
I felt revitalized in this pause and I'm feeling energetic in the return and, therefore, I launch a new challenge:
Can you leave social networks, no matter what are the ones you use, for a week? The moment you pick up the phone to check what others are doing or how many likes you have on a photo, can you think of something else you can do in that same amount of time, but that makes you feel fulfilled, accomplished... or just inspired?
I'm talking about simple things like reading a book, water coloring, sitting in your house's garden giving shapes to clouds, anything!
Come back happier, revitalized, inspired and creative... and share your adventure with us, would you?
Leave us your profiles in the comments so that we can get to know each other better!
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10th April of 2017
