A case study on getting help with something I dread called Instagram (plus some tips for you)

I recently created a new inspiration page on my website which is an ever-growing list of resources that have fueled this venture and my creative journey overall. I hope you’ll check it out, get inspired, and send me suggestions!

But first, a little backstory on how it relates to a very important part of the creative process. 

I was SO excited about my new inspiration page that I decided to run on over to Instagram and share it with my whopping 291 followers ASAP. It was my fifth post in 2024.

Social media isn’t my strength. I long for the days it didn’t exist while knowing I need it to some extent with my new business. I also do sometimes like seeing what people all over the world care about and will admit that the validation dopamine rush does feel good. But add a dash of being cusp gen x/millennial and here I am in a weird place of judging it, not trusting it, and putting as little effort as possible into it, while simultaneously being stressed and pressured by it. Pretty awesome, thanks Zuck.

Turns out this directly relates to something I’ve done with teams for years and more recently with individual clients and in creativity workshops. It’s an exercise that helps you identify parts of your job, creative projects, or really anything in life that you: 

• Like doing and are good at

• Like doing and are bad at 

• Dread doing and are good at 

• Dread doing and are bad at 

Easier to comprehend this way: 

It’s super helpful for getting clarity on areas to keep doing, get help with, learn/practice, evolve from, begrudgingly push through when unavoidable, etc. Basically (of course there’s nuance when you dig in deeper):

No surprise, social media is deep in my dread/bad at quadrant. Since I know the power of this exercise, you’d think I’d get help with it. Nope. I was still in the part of dread/bad where I pretend it doesn’t exist and do as little as possible.

So enter my awesome new inspiration page which seemed Instagram worthy. I tossed together a post that I knew was halfass and blasted it off. 

An hour later, doubting my decision but not quite able to pinpoint why, I wrote to my incredibly social media savvy dear friend and longtime collaborator, Fhay Arceo, asking whether I should have tagged more people in my post. Yes, my initial thought was MORE PEOPLE NEED TO SEE THIS CRAPPY POST:

Turns out that was the least of my worries. Fhay graciously replied with all the ways my post was essentially a case study in what NOT to do on Instagram - paraphrasing:

• 16x9 photos are not ideal for this type of post - stick to 1x1 or 4x5

• The algorithm typically deprioritizes posts without humans

• I framed my first photo weirdly considering it was about books, not cute pottery and frames

• I had 2 slides instead of 3-7

• My second photo was completely illegible (which btw I knew but thought it conveyed, “Wow look there is so much here you can’t even read it!” Not kidding…)

• Consider a quote from one of the resources 

• Consider a call to action slide 

• No, don’t need to tag a bunch of strangers in it

She also kindly suggested I delete/archive the old one since I only had 11 likes AND took the time to mock up a way better post to inspire me. I ran with it and reposted - check it out here!

For reference, here is the first one that has been ceremoniously archived:

Now to be clear, I am not advocating for overthinking social media or being a perfectionist about posts.

Nothing detrimental happened after my first post that I know of. It did have my lowest engagement in years, but I don’t really care about that.

I can clearly see now though that asking for help first would have made the whole thing less dreadful for me. 

Some other reflections: 

• Sometimes sharing a flop as a learning is liberating and hopefully inspiring for others 

• Everyone needs a friend like Fhay who is willing and able to be honest AND helpful about your creative endeavors … in a shame-free way  

What’s in your dread/bad at quadrant that you could use a little help with?

I’ll probably do a future segment on the dread/good at quadrant since that’s the sneakiest one around…

What else I’ve been up to

It’s been a busy couple months - honestly the exact balance I’ve hoped for with this new venture. Here are some highlights - or what I like to call a “f*ck yeah!” list:

• Wrapping up an impactful consulting job with Uber’s Brand & Creative Team

• Facilitated an interactive talk for Women of InsideOut on not letting your career happen TO you (included the skills/preferences exercise above)

• Kicked off a new round of monthly creative passion projects workshops

• Finished a 16-week Advanced Creativity Coaching course

• Enjoying a mix of individual clients focused on their careers and creativity/side projects.

• Planning a talk and interactive gallery project on letting go of perfectionism for Above The Trees. Come to Ahwahnee (near Yosemite) Nov 8-11 if you can!

• Working with an amazing designer, Bryan “Peabe” Odiamar, on my logo/brand that I can’t wait to share with you!

• Wrapping my head around the Other People’s Passion Project Profile Project (working title?) I mentioned in a previous newsletter. Thinking Substack.

• Taking Autumn walks to clear my head as much as possible.

• And a trip to Ojai that included a thought-provoking tarot spread on the creative process. Too deep for a bullet point, but maybe more in a future newsletter. I highly recommend renting Cois Dara in Ojai to recharge and get inspired. The house, pool, yoga studio and gardens are all stunning.

Make yourself a “f*ck yeah” list too! Reviewing it every so often help with keeping/finding momentum.

Let’s work together! Simply reply to this email if you’re interested in any of the following:

• Improving your team collaborations

• Finding career clarity

• Prioritizing your personal creativity 

• Having me speak at your team event, conference or retreat

• Catching up or just saying hi!

And that concludes newsletter Vol 6, October 2024. Please share with others who may enjoy it! Anyone can sign up and read past newsletters here. Will I always end my newsletters this way? Only time will tell.

Go Guardians!

Kate