I have stopped posting photos on Instagram and Facebook and instead started sharing physical prints of my photos in the mail. Here is why.
A few months ago I started reading articles on how social media is killing our productivity – Simply, instead of getting hits of dopamine (our brain’s reward system) by achieving goals related to work, exercise etc, we instead have been triggering these hits of dopamine by getting likes, and scrolling endlessly in our feeds – and like many I was reaching for my phone first thing in the morning and last thing before bed.
I decided I needed a break, so I created a rule for myself that I would not use technology for the first and last hour of the day.
Sounds easy right?? Well, it wasn’t.
So, to make it easier, I deleted Facebook and Instagram off my phone and only then was I able to fall into a nice rhythm of reading books and writing in a journal for those first and last hours of the day. After a month, it realized that this was such a nice change that I just decided to ditch the social apps off my phone for good. Big win!
Well… not really
See, the problem here is that photography is my hobby and creative outlet and I get a great deal of joy from sharing my photos online with the folks who follow me online.
Without a place to share my work, I was simply not inspired to take as many photos and so I was stuck. How can I share my art with people who want to see it, while not getting sucked back into the dopamine fire hose of social feeds.
Why not send 4x6 prints to people in the post??
I thought, why not use the good old fashioned postal service! I started with a few friends, mailing them a couple photos along with a little note, and people really liked it, so then (and I know this is hypocritical) I posted a video on Instagram to see if others would like to receive a free print in the mail, and as it turned out a bunch of folks are into it and sent me their mailing address. I in turn have sent an initial batch of prints to everyone.
The Results
The response has been great and here is what I am learning:
- The process of choosing a photo, printing it, addressing envelopes etc feels really intentional and meaningful. It feels like I am gifting a little piece of myself to each person and I love it.
- Freedom from likes feels good. I can drop the envelopes in the post box and there is no expectation of feedback or social validation, it’s a gift for a gift’s sake.
- Sending a physical print makes me want to make better photos! Posting a digital version doesn’t mean anything, going through the effort to mail a print makes it special and so it needs to be great!
How long will I keep it up?
I would like to send a photo drop to my mailing list at least once a month. I have a budget in mind that I am willing to spend on this and so if the number of people exceeds that budget, I will just rotate through people and send a certain number each month. I hope to keep it up for as long as people want to receive them.
Want to get on the list for a print?
- Send me a DM at my instagram account: https://www.instagram.com/jasoncyr_photography/
- Sign up at: https://www.jasoncyr.ca/
