Off The Grid - Thinking About Leaving Social Media Behind

I’ve been on a podcast listening marathon and started listening to the Off the Grid podcast this winter. I found it inadvertently when I was listening to The Baggage Reclaim podcast that I’ve been loyally listening to for years, that took me to another podcast, which then led to this! All of this knowledge, but especially Off the Grid has been exactly what my soul has needed. It’s about leaving social media behind, without losing clients/friends/contacts, and phew it’s hitting home. With the state of the country, all of the natural disasters from climate change, wars and all else that’s going on personally, social media in general has been leaving me feeling SO anxious and empty for a long time now. I left Facebook several years ago and was gone for years but I ended up back on after my dad died in 2023. But I just can’t do it anymore. I want to focus on real-life relationships; both business and personal.

Giving up Facebook wasn’t actually difficult. But Instagram is where I share images and take part in seeing other’s images and is where I spend most of my social media time. Spending hours doom-scrolling on Instagram leaves me feeling depleted beyond belief. But the thought of missing someone’s birth announcement, a friend’s promotion news or engagement announcement leaves me reeling. It’s truly an addiction. But the thought of deleting it from my phone gives me crippling anxiety. The thought of deleting the account all together - just sends me spiraling. But staying keeps me spiraling more! I also don’t want to support anymore of the broligarchy. So for now, my solution is to have extremely limited IG time and this blog and my newsletter will be my main way of sharing images, tips and announcements. My terms, my way. No algorithms or nonsense.

I started a project at the beginning of the year inspired by the Wonder Habit. I see little moments each day that inspire me and take a photo to document it. The author of this original project is a watercolor artist/painter and I am NOT that, despite my attempts! I wanted to do a version of this, but with photography. I’ve never done a 365 project before but so far I’m loving it. My friends used to tell me that one of my “superpowers” was the ability to find beauty and magic anywhere, especially in the mundane. After Dad died, I feel like that died also and I’ve been struggling to find joy and beauty like I used to. This project has helped bring me back to a part of my “old” self, after I thought my entire old self had died also. I’m doing this project with my phone, because I didn’t want to add stress to the project by having to lug out my “real” camera. And usually when I’m inspired by these moments, I’m nowhere near my camera and I wanted to be able to document them spontaneously. Since my phone is never far away (hello, addiction and dopamine seeking…) I thought committing to this project would be more feasible with that. I hope it inspires you to find the beautiful moments in your every day life.

I’m also relishing in the slowness of the winter and soaking up time with my Emmie Lou. The 365 project then inspired me to take a photo of Emmie every day also. (Not that I don’t have at least 100 images from her each day anyway!!) My goose is 18.5 and NOW is the year I decide to document her daily life. I think I’m realizing that I don’t have much time left with her and I’m trying to soak as much in as possible, and document all of the silly things she does. She mostly just sleeps a lot now, but I’ve been able to catch some of her spunky moments :) Here are a few snippets from my winter so far.

If you’re here with me, and read this far, thank you for being here! I’ll be sharing more professional and personal work soon. I hope you’re taking some time to slow down and appreciate the world and all of its wonder this winter, even when it feels impossibly dark. I appreciate you. Sending lots of love, light and wonder.

Things I’ve Done to Slow Down

• Watched as many sunrises and sunsets as possible

• Rented a book from the library

• Snuggles every day with Emmie Lou

• Made Fire Cider

• Took a bath. Once is all I need. I’m so not a bath person.

• Met a friend for dinner on a freezing cold night

• Started meal-prepping again: made an incredible chicken artichoke dinner, a great curry, a delicious frozen raspberry yogurt treat, made the most amazing pea soup, a delicious cookie bark, key lime chia pudding and a ton of breakfast egg muffins. Yum!

• Walked long walks almost every day this winter. Even when the real-feel is -20!

• Devoured podcast after podcast, sometimes on my walks

• Mini-walks with Lou; she can’t walk far anymore. But sometimes I’ll bring her in her stroller if it’s not extremely cold.

• Made beeswax wraps with some of my dad’s old shirts

• Homemade iced lattes at home with my new espresso machine

• Started a nightly gratitude journal

• The Wonder/365 Project, of course

• Watched the snow (finally) fall for days, while curled up under a blanket near the fireplace

• Shoveled said snow! Used the snowblower on the heaviest day and pretended my Dad wasn’t laughing at, from the afterlife, the way I cleared the driveway since this was his area of expertise.

Lucy the Great - Cavalier King Charles Memorial Session at AIDS Garden (Belmont Harbor, Chicago)

Lucy, oh sweet Lucy. I am so honored I was able to create these love-filled photos for Lucy and her mama at the beautiful AIDS Garden in Belmont Harbor. Gorgeous Lucy has since crossed the Rainbow Bridge but her mom got these photos in last fall while Lucy was still in good spirits. I have such a soft spot for these old pups, the sweetest souls.

When I say photography is all about relationships to me, this is what I mean. The bond between these two, as well as the love, is so evident and that’s all that matters to me. Photos of your dog on their own are great, of course & I’ll take those too, but make sure you’re in the photos as well.

You are so loved, sweet girl and I know your mama misses you so much. Until you meet again, I’m so glad she has these photos to cherish and hold onto along with all of the memories you made together.

How do I prepare my home for my newborn photo session?

A question I’m often asked before a newborn session is “How do I prepare my home for my newborn session?” Here are my tips.

Living room, Bedroom & Nursery (or any room we’ll be photographing in)

• Raise up your blinds and/or open up curtains. If there’s too much sun, depending on if it’s a South, West, or Eastern exposure and time of day, I may close a bit but I generally prefer as much natural light as possible.

• Turn off the lights in the rooms we’ll be photographing in! Sounds wrong but trust me. Unless it’s a room with no natural light, or an incredibly dark day, I usually turn off all lights in the room we’re photographing in. They can create color casts or affect the white balance of the photos. It’s usually best to not mix different light sources. And if you don’t have a lot of natural light, no worries. I bring light with me!

• Clear away any clutter from coffee tables and side tables in living rooms and your bedroom, if we’re photographing in them. No judgement here on any messes, you’ve just had a huge life change after all and are keeping a tiny human alive! But you’ll likely not want to see piles of papers or books, phone chargers or tissue boxes in your photos. It also helps to hide any cords, if possible.

• Put the crib sheet on your baby’s crib mattress. I know the chances of them sleeping in there right away are slim, but if you have a nursery & want photos, we’ll document the space you put so much time and thought into. This room is often the most put-together room in the house because you’re so excited! And usually the least used with not a lot of excess stuff in it. Even if the only thing ready in the nursery is the crib, I can still get some adorable photos in there!

• Before I arrive, turn up the heat in winter. Turn the A/C temp up in summer so it doesn’t run as often during the session. Babies like to be warm and cozy!

• Not necessarily a home-prep tip, but if you have pets that shed and you’re wearing darker clothing - grab a lint roller!

• Don’t stress! Even if you do have some dog toys laying around, the toddler’s snack from yesterday afternoon on the coffee table or a pile of laundry hanging out in the dining room, it will all be ok. It’s real life, after all. I can easily move things, or try to place you in spots to hide things. Life is messy, especially when you bring a newborn home!

It’s true what they say - this time goes by so quickly! You’ll want to look back on these photos often so the only thing that truly matters is that you take the photos. And that you’re in some of them. I’m looking at you, mama. Your baby is going to treasure the photos of you with them someday. Make sure you’re in the photos too!