LAURA E. PARTAIN | Journal Entry #27 | The Practice of Pivoting: Making tough choices in order to grow.

The Practice of Pivoting: Making tough choices in order to grow.

Self Portrait | Feb 2024 | Nashville, TN

A few days ago, my instagram layout changed. You may be wondering how the obvious, change, could shift me away from the platform that transformed my career. That’s just it. I chose to pivot. Instead of feeling sad that instagram was getting further and further away from it’s roots as a photo sharing app, I decided to archive 12 years worth of posts, and move on.

Will I lose followers, even some of my favorite ones? Perhaps. Will I lose work? Perhaps. Am I risking anything by not sharing my work on the app the way I have in the past. Definitely.

But I have to pivot. I have to change. Instagram no longer shares images the way it used to. What’s more, is that using Meta products (FB and Insta as examples) effectively allows AI bots to steal from your artwork. I was also not okay with that.

While I look into new ways to share my work on non Meta social media, I wanted to return to my website and share work here instead.

New work for Abigail Washburn | January 2024 | Nashville TN

As I ponder the future of online sharing and networking, one thing stands out brilliantly to me - I am going to have more time to create, and create not for the generation of content, but create and do so at the best of my abilities. I am going to have more time to practice my craft and get better at it. Less screen time = more time to focus my talents. I am going to create and work as a photographer without the low hum of compulsion that I must post photos in order to stay in people’s feeds. Already, my shoulder feel relaxed as I write this. It was a painful choice to begin parting ways with social media, but I feel the reclamation of my time and creativity will forever be more valuable than being a slave to Meta’s apps and impossibly frustrating algorithms. No more posting just to post - I want to work hard at improving my work, get better, and get my work out there in more natural and organic ways. Instagram may have been a productive and fun way to grow my work at first, but the last few years it has been more of a hinderence to my growth than a help.

In 2024, I took most of the year off to work on a personal project with the intent to create my first ever book. It’s a book about thru hiking the Appalachian Trail, and merges documentary images that chronicle the experience of walking 2,200 miles, and portraits and interviews of so called “thru hikers” - the people that walk the entire trail in one calendar year. The goal is to get the work in front of a publisher, do gallery shows, and a book tour. I’m very confident in the work I made. Currently I have a Patreon that is helping to fund the efforts. Click HERE to join!

On no uncertain terms, thru hiking the Appalachian Trail had a major impact on my life, and mostly for the positive. Many of the lessons are difficult to articulate, but have positively affected the way I view the world, and my life. It was one of the most powerful ways I’ve ever connected with myself and our planet. Being flexible to change is critical on a thru hike. Weather can become dangerous. You could become injured or gear can break. You will learn that being present is crucial to finding enjoyment day after day, mile after mile. For 7 months and 2,200 miles of traversing this difficult footpath, you have to dig deep to finish it well.

That said, the present me desires to enjoy my life and grow my skills as a photographer through consistent practice - NOT consistent posting. Over the last years, I’ve learned that quality is much better than quantity, and quantity is required to be seen on Instagram. I have none of that in me. The end result of life is death, and while I am alive, I want to live my life to the fullest.

You don’t have to climb a mountain to do that. Being present and interacting with your world off a screen, is so, so important. I can’t stress that enough.

To all who have followed my website journal over the last few days, thank you. I’m so glad you’re here. I’ll be using these entries in order to share my work. I’ll look into other social media too, such as Bluesky and The Foto App.

So far in 2025, I’ve photographed The Wood Brothers and Andrew Leahey. It appears more shoots are on the horizon. I’ve also accepted a position as a Photography Instructor at a local Arts College, and so I’ve been evangelizing photography for 8 hours a week to college students during our current spring semester. That has certainly been a nice mental floss, and reminder to follow the same advice I give my students - you’ll be a photography student the rest of your life. Start practicing now.

love,
Laura P.