Goodbye Instagram, hello Creativity? (+ Workshop Announcement)
When life gives you lemons, wear them on a headscarf, and delete your Instagram for a while 🍋
TL;DR - I like my life better without Instagram so I’m replacing it with Substack and I have my very first yoga + creativity workshop coming up in Paris! If you received this in your inbox it’s because you’ve been on my previous mailing list.
Exactly four years ago, in August 2020, I published a blog post titled “Kickstart your Creativity with an Instagram Break”. In it, I wrote about my experience of taking a two-month break off the app. To put it in a nutshell, I felt more in control of my time and I was creating again with no pressure, enjoying the creative process in itself rather than thinking about what to share online.
Taking a break then felt crucial. To paint you a bit of a picture of where I was at back then; I had just come back from a failed volunteer trip in Vietnam (a story for another time) and returned to Europe due to a certain virus that would then go on to hold our entire world and existence in its tight grip. Due to a series of events, my mental health was in shambles and I felt beyond overwhelmed.
What did I do?
I removed myself from all Social Media
I started writing and creating again
I read “The Body keeps the Score” (highly recommend!) and found safety in my body again
And, eventually, I moved to Paris.
Moving to Paris brought me healing in many ways. Naturally, it came with many ups and downs. To quote one of my friends, I managed to “live an entire lifetime” by the time I celebrated my first Parisversary. I turned a total of four apartments into my home, welcomed and said hello to a number of people - I just let myself fully live and experience human life the way one would.
I got to have three years in the city of light until new cycle of overwhelm and challenged mental health would restart. This time around it was a breakup (classic) that would flick over the first domino of many, followed by a chain of unfortunate events (to put it very nicely and keep it vague for the time being). One that would take its toll on my mental health in a very similar fashion as was the case a few years prior.
So, what did I do this time around?
I deactivated my main Instagram Account
I created, lots and lots. I picked up pen and paper (ok let’s be honest, I mainly used my notes app), often also my guitar or my camera
I took a break from teaching yoga and re-established my self-practice
And, I left and returned back to Paris many times.
In a certain way - same, same but different. I didn’t quite realise I was essentially taking the same actions until a later point. But one could say, this path was tried and trued and tested.
This time, my experience of taking time off Instagram came with three different lessons and realisations:
1) Instagram doesn’t want to let you go.
Instagram making it hard for you to leave is almost an understatement. Temporarily deactivating your account a few years ago was straightforward and easy. Turns out, not anymore. In their FAQs they tell you to deactivate your account via the Meta Account Centre. However, if you go this route, they'll automatically re-activate your account after 7 days and they only let you deactivate your account once a week.
What I’ve learned: If you ever want to deactivate your account, do it via the desktop version and go to https://www.instagram.com/accounts/remove/request/temporary/ (or search on Reddit for the back door link cause that's what I did and it might change again). Tell Instagram you don’t want your account to be automatically re-actived.
2) Some people may believe that the world and your actions revolve around them
Let me preface this by saying that I didn’t announce that I would take a break as I had sometimes done in the past. This time, I was pulling an emergency break. And I didn’t feel like I owed anyone an explanation. But doing it in this way comes with consequences. For instance, some people might make the assumption that you’ve blocked them. And possibly block you on all of your other accounts ‘in return’. Would I have done anything differently in hindsight? Honestly, no. After all, you cannot control how someone else thinks or feels, if they are willing to listen or not, if they are taking something personally that they shouldn’t. I’m sharing this purely as a little food for thought.
3) I’m craving a place to share my art with others that isn’t dictated by algorithms and trends.
I don’t want to crop my photos to a 4:5 ratio or shorten my writing so it fits into a caption. I don’t want to compete with sponsored posts for my content to be shown to people that want to see it. I don’t care about going viral. I simply want to create. And share. And hopefully inspire and plant a few seeds in people’s minds. Instagram just isn’t the place for that (anymore).
I admit, I have a funny relationship with Social Media. I’m a marketer by trade. I should know the ins-and-outs of Instagram, be aware of TikTok trends, be glued to my phone. From that perspective, I’m probably the worst person to be working in marketing. But creation and communication is where I shine. And for these next coming months, I want to commit myself to having a hand at as many forms of content creation as possible. But in my own way :)
Writing on Substack is the first one of those. I’m curious to see if it sticks, if it feels like the right place to share some of my personal art. If you’ve read this far, I congratulate you on your attention span :) And in case you would like to dive a bit deeper, I’m including some journaling prompts for you. And if you keep on scrolling until the end, you’ll find some information on a yoga + creativity workshop I will be hosting in Paris in September.
Journaling Prompts
What is my relationship with Social Media (privately and as a creative)?
What is my preferred way of sharing my art or my thoughts?
What are my default coping mechanisms in times of overwhelm?
Re:start Workshop in Paris
I don’t know about you, but September has always felt like a more potent new start to me than January ever has. Maybe it’s because of la rentrée, the back-to-school season. Maybe it’s because it happens to be Virgo season (take that with a grain of salt). Or maybe it’s because you can feel the end of summer and the change of season looming over you.
But if you’re anything like me, you find it challenging to get back into a routine after the summer. Maybe you crave some healthy balance again after giving yourself and your body a break and prioritising other forms of self-care. Maybe you find your mind lacks clarity over what exactly you want to achieve, what needs to be done, and how to get there!
So in order to help you (and me!) find your groove again and get back on track, I’ve been working on a very special offering - my very first in-person workshop!
During this 2-hour yoga + creativity workshop, we will be reconnecting not only with our body and breath but also with our intentions and (creative) goals for the upcoming weeks and months. Re:starting on the right foot!
If it’s been a little while since you’ve last moved your body - don’t fret. We will be keeping it gentle and take it back to the basics. Even if you’ve never done yoga before you’re welcome to come join this workshop!
All the Info at one glance
When? Sunday, 8th of September 2024, 14-16h
Where? The Space, Nation, Paris 12e
How much? Early Bird (sign up before the 18th of August): 35€; Regular price: 40€; Book two spots for you and a friend: 70€
What can you expect? A mindful and inspiring afternoon! There will be a vinyasa yoga flow, a guided meditation, chanting, pranayama, journaling exercises, and goal-setting in a safe and inclusive environment. My intention is for you to leave this workshop feeling refreshed and clear about what steps you want to take next.
For whom is this workshop? For beginner and experienced yogis alike who want to get back on track with their (creative) goals and practice. You do not need to have creative ambitions or consider yourself a creative to join and benefit from this workshop!
How can you sign up? Follow this link to sign up. Shortly after, you will receive an email with payment information.
How many spots are available? To keep this intimate and cosy, spots will be limited to 8!
I’m looking forward to flowing with you!
Jenny x
You go girl 💜 I’m proud of you and the person you have become.
Lots of love and hugs from Berlin,
Anna
Good for you! I don't even have instagram, I think it's awful.