Using Instagram The Old Way (Photography Only)
Ayup! Back in August, for my sins, I decided to start up a new Instagram account. This is my third attempt. If the age-old saying is right, this should be my lucky break, right?
Well, not quite. Primarily because I’ve been determined to use the platform how I did back when it was actually aimed at still images. Back when it was actually fun to use.
So here’s the deal. Photography only. No videos. No motion whatsoever. No music. No reels. No stories. You get the idea. Basically, sidestepping everything that the algorithm wants.
A calmer Instagram exists
The main point of this little experiment, is to a) see if it’s possible to use Instagram how it was initially intended, and b) avoid all of the bullshit. Or, at least, as much of it as possible.
The most significant change that I was able to make to my timeline / feed, was turning off recommended accounts. Under settings, head to content preferences, then snooze suggested posts. This only works for a certain amount of time, but I’m hoping I can just keep hitting snooze.
Secondly, I try and use the desktop version whenever possible. This is extremely limited in comparison to the mobile app. They’ve deliberately made it almost impossible to use in some instances. But for posting, liking, commenting, etc, it works perfectly well.
A presence on Instagram can still be useful
Honestly, I love the idea of not having to bother with Instagram. However, I do think a presence on the platform, whether active or not, can prove useful. For example:
I’ve noticed a few folks stopping by from my Unsplash profile.
Unsplash themselves are present on Instagram, but not on any of the other social media channels that I use.
Often, when connecting with a fellow photographer on Bluesky, we end up bumping into each other on Instagram as well.
The big camera brands are always looking to feature the work of their users. Instagram is one of the best platforms to tag them and use the dedicated hashtag.
If you shoot public locations frequently, Instagram is usually the easiest place to tag them in your photo. Every now and again, they stop by to comment and possibly share your image.
You can nearly always find your favourite photographers on Instagram. Not so much on other platforms.
Ultimately, depending on your goals as a photographer, love it or hate it, Instagram still holds a fairly significant relevance.
Slave to the algorithm
As mentioned, I’m just about doing everything that the holy algorithm frowns upon. So how’s that working out? Not great, but also not terrible. I post one single image with a caption, tagged location and a bunch of hashtags.
With around 140 followers, the views per image normally average out at somewhere between 400 and 500. Likes and comments are minimal. More than happy with that, as it was to be expected when using Instagram this way.
If you follow me on any of my social media channels, you’ll know that I’ve been framing my images for a while now. A square image, with landscape images at the top, or portrait images to the left, with EXIF details either at the bottom or on the right.
It turns out Instagram hates this. Overnight, my views and likes halved. Hey ho. I won’t be changing how I share my images on the Gram. Just something to keep in mind.
Tailor your experience
I guess the point of this post is that you don’t need to give the algorithm everything it wants. Just do your own thing. Tailor your experience to something that makes using the platform manageable and enjoyable.
Will it limit your reach? Absolutely! Who cares? Let’s get back to sharing and engaging with photography how we did back when it was meaningful and retained purpose. Honestly, I don’t see how you can really enjoy photography if you feel like you got to video yourself throughout the entire process. Thankfully, it turns out you don’t need to.
A WordPress User Moves to Squarespace
Ayup! Would you believe it? I’ve migrated this very website to from WordPress to Squarespace. I didn’t think I’d be saying that in my lifetime. But here we are. Why? Why not? It was a long-overdue switch, primarily spurred on by the desire for simplicity.
Anyone who may have come into contact with my WordPress content over the years, knows that I love the platform. It served me extremely well, and ultimately, is the source of all my new customers and clients. With that said, things have been a little off recently.
Who knew how much chaos and carnage installing a plugin (that the WordPress health check recommended) could cause. My web host kindly helped me sort the issue, but it’s installed files somewhere that are still causing problems. I can no longer create a staging site without my server rapidly descending into meltdown mode.
I kinda feel like I’ve reached the point where I just can’t be arsed with the complexity of WordPress. One account for WordPress, another for hosting, another for backups and monitoring. Constant updates, security, having to find plugins for such simple things as a contact form. There are too many ingredients, even with a minimalist plugin stack.
With so many components making up the functionality of a website, it’s ultimately providing more chances for things to go wrong. While this recent incident was a tsunami in an ocean of otherwise plain sailing, I’ve been longing for a simplified solution for quite some time now.
Simplify to find focus. Simplify to find peace. Simplify to find a way through the sea of chaos.
A photographer’s focus
I’ve really been enjoying Jorge Delgado-Ureña’s YouTube videos recently. His channel, The Raw Society is equally inspirational as it is calming. One thing Jorge mentioned, in a recent video, was that photographers should concentrate on photography.
He was referring to portfolio websites, and how sometimes designing, building, managing and maintaining them can take over. Sure, your passion and dedication will happily see you through, but what if it didn’t need to be so complicated?
Arriving at Squarespace
I’ve been keeping a keen eye on alternative website platforms over the last few years. More often than not, the grass is rarely greener. Previous attempts to start using Wix Studio, for example, always result in a pacey scurry back to WordPress.
Part of the reason, was nearly always the limited customisation options. This time, however, limitation is precisely what I’m looking for. I want it to be easy. I want it to look good. I want simplicity. That’s where Squarespace comes in.
I’d previously dabbled in the tools, templates and layouts that it has to offer. Out of all the all-in-one website building platforms, Squarespace seemed the most straightforward and user-friendly.
The good
I made a near as damn it replica of my WordPress site with Squarespace in about four hours. It’s extremely intuitive. The whole interface and UX is so smoooooooooth. There’s a firm focus on things looking good. From the backend to the templates and layouts, I can see why people often refer to Squarespace as the Apple of website builders.
So far, there have been (almost) enough customisation options to satisfy my needs. Anything I couldn’t do in the settings, I was able to sort with custom CSS.
Importing files directly from WordPress was pretty easy. All of my photos transferred over ok, but not my blog posts (more on this in the next section).
Lastly, Squarespace is very much aimed at photographers. It’s got everything you need to run your business, or simply display your work. Want to take bookings, sell prints or create invoices? It’s all built in, ready for you to use as and when needed.
Overall, I’ve actually really enjoyed styling the site (most of it was already in place), editing the pages and content and finding my way around. Three words to sum up the experience so far:
Intuitive
Simple
Flexible
The not so good
As a WordPress user, my main focus was sustainable web design and low-carbon websites. The one thing that’s currently missing from Squarespace is green web hosting.
Quite surprisingly, however, my website carbon calculator score remained at a C. This is promising, to say the least. Once they eventually switch to green web hosting, this could potentially increase to a B.
Over on Google Page Speed Insights, the performance has taken a massive hit, while accessibility, best practices and SEO are all bringing in full marks. I’ll do some research on improving loading times over the next few weeks.
Lastly, I couldn’t for the life of me get the blog posts from WordPress to migrate over to Squarespace. I tried a couple of times and then gave up. Manually copying and pasting them in wasn’t too much hassle.
The end / The beginning
The end of an era. I’ve happily used WordPress for the last 13 or 14 years. As mentioned, it served me perfectly well, but times are changing. I’m changing. Simplified solutions are pretty high on the agenda right now. I want products and services that make my life easier so that I can focus on the fun stuff.
As it stands, my business website is still running on WordPress. To be honest, based on the initial experience with Squarespace, I can see this site also being migrated over.
The beginning of the next chapter, in the world of websites, is simplicity. One account, zero updates, zero gaffer taping tools and plugins together, no having to worry about backups or security. It feels good already. Happy days!
Creative Constraints: Photography & Focus
Ayup! I’ve recently been shooting absolutely everything with a 50mm lens. It’s often been as frustrating, as it has rewarding. That said, in any artistic pursuit, a creative constraint will (usually) decrease distractions, while increasing focus.
The easiest comparison is Netflix. We’ve all been there. So many options, just keep scrolling, and scrolling, and scrolling. There’s too much choice. Wouldn’t you rather have 10 highly regarded films from a specific genre to pick from? This is the ethos we’re working with here. Fewer decisions, higher rewards (or results).
A creative constraint can be in the form of time, budget, gear or technique limitations. It’s purpose, is to explore new ways of thinking, as well as homing in on a specific approach.
How about instead of seeing these things as frustrating roadblocks, we start to frame those constraints as positive influences on our creativity?
The limitations of a prime lens in photography
The most common example of a creative limitation in the world of photography, is a prime lens. These little barrels of joy (and irritation) are usually sharper than a zoom lens. The only catch, you’ve got one fixed focal length to work with.
Unless you’ve got the funds to buy multiple prime lenses (nope), as well as the desire to carry them around with you (nope), then you’ve got yourself a creative constraint. Congratulations!
The focal length that you choose will really depend on what you intend on shooting. Two of the most popular are 35mm and 50mm. Street photographers frequently use a prime lens, with 35mm often being their go-to choice.
Having a single focal length to work with genuinely makes you think more about the composition. It means you have to use your brain and work the composition with the constraints of the focal length you’ve chosen, and not let the lens dictate the focal length by giving you the option to just sit there and zoom in and out.
Prime Vs Zoom Vs Mobile
With most mobile cameras, these days you’re prepared for all sorts of different scenarios. Ultra-wide, wide and telephoto options, all available at the click of a button. I’m a huge fan of the flexibility that an iPhone, Pixel or Galaxy provides.
Additionally, we’ve reached the point where it doesn’t usually matter what camera, lens or phone you use. Nobody’s inspecting the sharpness of your images as they spend a grand total of 1 to 2 seconds looking at in online.
With some types of photography, it’s difficult to tell the difference between a shot taken on a £5000 camera and an £800 smartphone. The divide, it seems, becomes more apparent as you enter the telephoto/dreamy bokeh realm. Our phones still have a little catching up to do here, but they’ll get there.
There is no such thing as a perfect lens for every occasion. The flexibility of zooms is hard to beat with primes; however, the image quality, speed, and sharpness of primes are simply not possible with most zoom lenses.
Ultimately, a zoom lens or mobile phone will present you with more opportunities. Depending on your style, genre or subject, this will often be advantageous. But, circling back to the Netflix analogy, could it also be a distraction, of sorts?
The frustration / The reward
As mentioned, shooting with one fixed focal length isn’t without its moments of dissatisfaction. For example, spotting a beautiful window scene while walking down a canal path in Birmingham.
The light, the timing, the people behind the window, perfection. With a 50mm lens, you’ll often need to zoom out a little with your feet. Except, in this case, there’s a pool of water behind you.
Darn it. One of many missed captures. Once you start to figure out what might work with your chosen focal length, you start to pay even more attention than you normally would with photography. Pure, unfiltered mindfulness.
The act of feeling frustrated is an essential part of the creative process. Before we can find the answer — before we can even know the question — we must be immersed in disappointment, convinced that a solution is beyond our reach. We need to have wrestled with the problem and lost. Because it’s only after we stop searching that an answer may arrive.
The rewarding part, is just the other side of frustration. The creative mind is constantly seeking a solution. Paired with your refined focus, a beautiful flurry of unfolding ideas await.
It adds a whole new level of fun and creativity to your practice. Furthermore, it offers the opportunity to research how other photographers use (or have previously used) your chosen focal length.
Learn from the masters
To stock up on ideas, head over to your search engine of choice and look up your focal length. For example, running a quick search for famous photographers that used 50mm brings up a wealth of inspiration.
Henri Cartier-Bresson, being a prime (see what I did there?) example. As soon as you start to absorb images from some of the true greats, it’s hard not to get excited about the opportunities that your lens offers.
His preferred lens was the 50mm, just like most Leica photographers use one lens more than 95% of the time. Yes, Henri Cartier-Bresson likely did the same.
For better or worse, you’ll also find a plethora of YouTube channels offering tips and advice on your chosen lens or focal length. Some are actually very useful and inspiring. Of course, this is nestled among the unbearable ads and desperate plea for likes, comments and subscribes every two seconds.
Is 50mm the all-rounder that I hoped it would be?
When I decided to get back into shooting with an actual camera, I knew I’d have to make some sacrifices. Following months of research, I decided my one and only lens would be a 50mm.
The hope, was that it would serve as an all-purpose solution. Or, at least, as all-purpose as a prime can be. Initially, I also thought I’d carry on using my mobile for any other required focal lengths. This didn’t work out, as I became instantly obsessed with putting the 50mm through its paces. We’re now in an exclusive relationship.
Sony’s portable/F2.5 primes, that are ideal for their smaller cameras, come in 24mm, 40mm and 50mm. In hindsight, I think I may have chosen the 40mm, but at the same time, I’m loving that little bit of extra detail you can capture with the 50mm.
50mm is about as close as we can get to our eyes field of view. When you shoot at 50mm, the image feels natural and you can make the viewer feel like they’re inside the image looking on at the subject of your photograph. We feel at home in the image.
So far, I’ve easily been able to capture my usual architecture shots. Nature comes a close second, with relative ease. Macro isn’t really an option, but it does focus fairly close to a subject, with some instantly pleasing results.
Portraits are one of the main reasons folks go for a 50mm. While I don’t shoot people regularly, if at all, I have no doubts that this focal length would be the perfect fit.
Pick a constraint, any constraint
Using a fixed focal length is one of hundreds of constraints that can be applied to any artistic practice. Ultimately, limiting your options, enhances your results, despite the frustrations and annoyances along the way.
I always have to remind myself; if I’m getting annoyed with a creative pursuit, it simply means I’m passionate about it. You care about it enough to want to produce your best work.
A self-imposed constraint will open up new avenues. New ways of thinking. In terms of photography, it helps you see a location you’ve visited a million times in a whole new light.
Some restrictions will work out for the best, others not so much. None of them are permanent (unless you want them to be). I guess the main point of this post is, if you don’t impose creative limitations, how will you ever know what could have been?
24 Hours on Pixelfed – What to Expect
I’ve recently been researching more on how the Fediverse works. While I’ve been using Mastodon and BlueSky for a while now, I never fully understood how it all clicks together. I still don’t, but as I attempt to rectify this, I stumbled upon Pixelfed.
What’s this then? A free, decentralised, open-source image sharing platform. It likens itself to Instagram, but without the ads, algorithm or stalking/tracking. Sounds promising so far, right?
Yesterday, I asked the good people of Mastodon if they use (or have previously used) Pixelfed. The responses weren’t great. Words like cumbersome and buggy were prevalent. Some said it was OK, but nobody got overly excited.
The next step was to take a look for myself. Following a relatively easy onboarding process (I just signed up to the .social instance), I had a quick gander at what’s what and where’s where, then posted my first photo. Here’s how it all panned out after that…
Pixelfed is built on ActivityPub, which is a decentralized social media protocol. In practical terms, Pixelfed allows separate Pixelfed servers to communicate with one another (the idea is similar to how you can send an email from a Gmail account to an Outlook account).
Hey folks, I’m new here
You know the drill. New platform, slightly cringeworthy introduction as your first post, etc. I wasn’t really expecting much, but I included a few relevant hashtags. Once the post was live, I browsed through said hashtags, and quickly found a few photographers to follow.
In a recent article, I mentioned the slower pace, calmer vibes and nicer people that you find on Mastodon. It’s exactly the same over on Pixelfed. Fourteen complete strangers offered an extremely warm welcome in the comments.
Additionally, as I pointed out that I have no idea what I’m doing, most of them offered tips and advice on navigating the platform. Lovely!
Buggy and cumbersome
Quickly circling back to the generous feedback received on Mastodon, I can confirm that Pixelfed is, indeed, buggy and cumbersome. Not to the point of putting me off using it, but it’s about as smooth as a badger’s arse.
A few things that spring to mind are:
When you follow someone, it follows them, but the button doesn’t change to following until you refresh the page.
I couldn’t access the comments via the mobile app.
People in the comments suggested other accounts to follow, but when you click on them, it doesn’t find them.
The notifications are easy to miss / distinguish between likes, comments and follows.
The back button on the browser nearly always needs pressing twice.
The desktop version is much more manageable than the mobile app. Thankfully, I post everything from a laptop anyway.
Many Instagram users have been seeking out alternatives to the Meta-owned platform after the company said it would eliminate third-party fact checking and revised its “Hateful Content” policy to allow denigrating comments against women and trans people, among other changes.
High engagement levels
I know, I know, likes and comments aren’t a worthy validation of your work. With that said, any photographer will still appreciate them. One of the things I was most pleasantly surprised by on Pixelfed, is the engagement.
Keeping in mind that this is a brand-new account, my first post received way more likes and comments than on any of the other social media channels I use.
Unlike on Instagram (other than sharing to your story), reposts are also a thing on Pixelfed. If you like a photo, you can share it with your followers, and others can, of course, repost your photo to their audience.
Account duplication?
So I think I was supposed to log in to Pixelfed with my current Mastodon account. Instead, I set up a new account on their .social instance, but now there’s another me showing up on Mastodon. Confused? Yes!
I’ve reached out for help, but it looks like I’ll need to merge the two accounts at some stage. Now I’m wondering, does what I post on one platform then automatically show on the other? Further investigating required.
Update
You do need a separate account for both Mastodon and Pixelfed. Photos posted on Mastodon show up on Pixelfed (either under hashtags or if someone is following your account on there). Pixelfed posts will also show up on Mastodon, again under the hashtags used or if someone is directly following your Pixelfed account on Mastodon.
The best advice I’ve been given, is to use Pixelfed for photos, and Mastodon for text / sharing blog posts, etc. Makes sense. It does still result in two separate accounts showing on Mastodon, however, which I’m not a huge fan of.
Portfolio
Lastly, I’ll briefly mention the portfolio option. Honestly, I’m not sure how this differs from your profile page, other than removing most distractions, which I guess is nice. It provides a clean layout, with your images, name, photo, a link to your profile and an optional RSS feed button.
Photographers without a website could easily get away with using the built-in portfolio instead. While it’s not going to be a permanent / long-term solution, it’s certainly a thoughtful addition.
The best way to share images so people can glance at them easily is to use the portfolio feature. It’s simple to configure. You can manually decide what images go into the portfolio or set images to be the most recent ones. RSS feed is supported, too and many other content options can be selected.
Is Pixelfed a worthy Instagram alternative?
I guess this will depend on your specific requirements and goals. Pixelfed could potentially replace Instagram, if you can persevere with it’s slightly less user-friendly experience.
If you’re aiming for features from your camera brand, this won’t happen on Pixelfed. Sony, Cannon, Nikon and Fujifilm aren’t hanging out on the Fediverse. With that said, how likely is it that they’ll ever see one of your images on Instagram these days?
Based on the first 24 hours spent on Pixelfed, I think I like it. I won’t be closing my (recently re-opened) Instagram account just yet, but as I start to learn more about the Fediverse (and get a little more involved), I can easily see the appeal here.
The people are kinder, the pace is slower, the engagement is higher. What’s not to love?
5.30pm: Do Nothing – Be Bored
Being bored; a dying art form that’s effectively removing the free flowing, fun and creative headspace that it offers. Nobody reaches peak boredom anymore. In fact, as soon as the slightest hint of tedium comes our way, we’ll whip out a screen-based device to fixate on.
If you’re lucky enough to have experienced the era before phone addiction, you’ll likely remember all the fun that boredom brings. This is a result of your brain striving to come up with entertaining, productive, or just plain ridiculous ideas.
And that is what we’re missing out now. An unstimulated, idle mind, working its cognitive and creative magic. The purest form of idea generation.
Scheduled boredom
In a recent episode of the DesignThinkers podcast, keynote speaker and global design leader, Stephen Gates, said that he schedules time in his daily to-do list to become bored. This got me thinking, why aren’t more of us doing this?
I will literally put blocks of time that just say ‘be bored’, and it’s an hour-long meeting.
Of course, I thought I’d give it a go, mainly for nostalgic purposes, but also as an experiment. What will happen? How comfortable or uncomfortable will it be? Will I actually be able to nothing at all?
I think most of us have become accustomed to always doing something, no matter how small. In his podcast interview, Stephen says he reads or listens to music during his allocated boredom slot. Still a nice departure from an otherwise hectic schedule, but I wanted to remove any and all forms of mental stimulation.
So, at around 5.30pm each day, I’ve been setting a 30-minute timer, leaving my phone in the next room, and doing nothing. Nothing at all, other than sitting on the sofa and looking around like some sort of psychopath.
In a way, it’s a little like meditation, except also the complete opposite. In this practice, the mind is freely encouraged to go absolutely wild. Observed, unobserved, conscious, subconscious, daydreams, they’re all fair game.
Yikes! You need to do this, this, this and this
The first thing to pipe up is nearly always a barrage of things you need to do the instant your thirty minutes is up. Often useful, but equally unnecessary.
For example, I’ve often thought of things that needed doing that I’d completely forgotten to put on that day’s to-do list. On the flip side, most things you think you need to do straight after your boredom sesh can usually wait.
In a series of studies, researchers found that subjects who were asked to do mundane, boredom-inducing tasks were more creative afterward. Boredom is a “variety-driving emotion,” meaning that it primes us to seek out new and different — therefore creative — experiences and solutions.
Fighting the urge
Once I’ve settled in and let my brain wander, the real challenge begins; fighting the impulsive urge to get up and do something. This is really quite fascinating. Why can’t we just sit for a while and enjoy the time out?
It’s genuinely a pretty uncomfortable feeling to start with.
Stick it out
Following several stern words with yourself, the time spent doing nothing does actually become enjoyable. I’d go as far as calling it refreshing. In contrast to our normal day-to-day activities, it’s just nice to know you don’t need to do anything for a short while.
Thoughts come and go, ideas emerge, stories unravel, and creative explorations start to form. Relaxation even starts to creep in. Bonus!
Boredom has been scientifically proven to be a precursor for creative thinking, which is why many creatives find that their best ideas come when they’re engaged in mundane tasks, such as doing laundry or taking a walk. Boredom relaxes the brain and turns off its usual filters, allowing it to explore new ideas without the constraints of usual thought patterns.
The longest 30 minutes ever
I’ve cracked it. I know how to slow down time. Sit and do nothing for thirty minutes. It will feel like thirty years. A slight over-exaggeration, but still, this half hour is looooooooooong! Surely I’ve forgotten to set the timer?
As the years fly by quicker than ever, maybe boredom is the remedy? Or, at least, a slower pace with fewer distractions. I guess, at its core, we could whittle this down to two things.
More time out
Less screen time
Sorry, I’m busy being bored that night
Boredom is a creative superpower, and yet so many of us (myself included) have been neglecting it. We’re feeding our brains constant stimulation for every minute of every hour that we’re awake.
What if we could regain a portion of our headspace back, by simply sitting and doing nothing? Not meditating, not reading, not pacing, just pure nothingness.
This little experiment reconnected me with the idle mind. A creative zone where big, small, pointless and meaningful ideas happen. A drastically underused mental space with huge potential.
Who knows how this will pan out. Maybe I’ll eventually get bored of being bored, but for the time being, it’s on every day’s to-do list. 5.30pm – Do nothing – Be bored. If I’m honest, I’m really rather enjoying it. Maybe you will too?
Writing Online 2.0 – Search Engine (Un)Optimisation
In a blog post published back in April, Joost de Valk, founder of WordPress SEO plugin, Yoast, mentioned something that really got me thinking. The article was titled The unintended consequences of making SEO “for everyone”. It questioned the quality of the online content we’ve all been mindlessly pumping out.
In trying to democratize SEO, we also helped shape habits that led to a web full of “optimized” content, not all of it valuable.
Joost goes on to mention the traffic light system within Yoast. This is the part I related to most. I’m 100% guilty of writing exclusively for the green lights of joy.
We turned SEO into a checklist. Our traffic light system, meant to encourage good habits, became a finish line. People wrote to get the green light. They optimized, published, and moved on. Sometimes they were writing with purpose. But sometimes, they were just filling in the blanks.
Joost sold the company to Newfold Digital back in 2021, which is, most likely, part of the reason he’s now free to express his personal concerns with the plugin.
I use Yoast on both of my own business websites, as well as all of my client’s sites. It’s served me extremely well over the years. More often than not, hitting a full house of green traffic lights does, indeed, produce significant ranking improvements. But at what cost?
Au naturel Vs completely unnatural
If you’ve ever written optimised content, you’ve probably become accustomed to keyword research, focus keywords, transition words, readability scores and inclusive language. For example, you’re not allowed to write words like insane any more, for fear of offending somebody.
So, how does all of the above affect your writing? Well, it leads to a really quite bizarre modification of how you’d usually write. Ever wondered, that doesn’t sound like me? Or, why am I including these words that I’d never normally use?
I know I have. It’s far from natural. But, to a certain extent, it serves a purpose. SEO is how I acquire pretty much all of my new clients and customers. It’s also one of the services I offer, although only on a local scale. With that said, we’ve slowly drifted into a sea of sameness, when it comes to written content.
Most highly optimised content is nothing other than a conversion tool. For this reason, the articles often bombard the reader with distractions, pop-ups, CTA’s, affiliate links and ads. In a word (or three), they’re annoying AF.
Switching it up
This is an extreme example, but here on my personal site, I’ve opted for a completely different setup to any of my other websites. It’s extreme in the sense that I don’t really need it to rank anywhere.
My blog posts and pages aren’t optimised for anything other than sharing my work and thoughts. This was a conscious decision, primarily based on wanting to enjoy writing again. A return to curating words with a deeper meaning.
Of course, you could argue that, in this instance, I don’t need an SEO plugin at all. However, as WordPress doesn’t include settings for even the most basic requirements (title tags, meta descriptions, etc), I’ve been using an absolute corker of a plugin.
Modern SEO Without the Bloat. No clutter. No confusion. Just a simple, lightweight SEO assistant that helps your site rise in the rankings.
Yoast → SureRank
The first tool I swapped out was Yoast. Again, I’m a big fan, but writing in the way I am here would only result in a barrage of red traffic lights.
Instead, I thought I’d give SureRank a try. This is a much more modern SEO plugin with a cleaner interface. It works behind the scenes, as well as allowing you to customise title and meta tags.
The best bit about the plugin, though, is its suggestions. While they’re incredibly useful, some of them don’t apply to this website. With Yoast, you’d then be stuck with the red lights of doom. With SureRank, you can simply dismiss the suggestion.
This is a much cleaner, calmer way of implementing some very basic SEO settings, without it becoming intrusive or distracting.
Grammarly → LanguageTool
In much the same way as optimising your content changes how you write, Grammarly has been spurting out some peculiar suggestions of late.
I’ve been keeping an eye out for a decent alternative for a while now. LanguageTool is currently covering all bases, plus it’s open source. There’s a free version which I’m currently using, or a premium upgrade for £59.90 per year.
Receive tips on how to improve your text while typing an e-mail, a blog post, or just a simple tweet. Whatever language you’re using, LanguageTool will automatically detect it and provide suggestions. To respect your privacy, no text is stored by the browser add-on.
So far, I’ve not had any ridiculous suggestions of how to rephrase your sentence so that it sounds like someone else wrote it. Rather, a simple highlight every time I spell something wrong, or miss a comma, etc.
No images, no rules, no CTA
Lastly, with the aim of sustaining the motivation to write, I opted for text only blog posts. Creating tailored images or graphics often adds an extra layer (or barrier) between writing and publishing.
Additionally, the frequency and length of said blog posts will be whatever feels right at the time. It’s much more tempting to log in and write when a post can be as long or short as you want it to be.
One of the most refreshing aspects, however, is writing without any intention. No focus keyword, no social sharing buttons, no ads, no affiliate links, no call to action. All of which, we’ve become accustomed to with (over) optimised content across the web.
Writing from the soul
It feels good to be writing naturally again. Somehow, optimising everything for search engines has drained the life and soul out of the articles we’re producing.
While optimised content (when written tastefully) has its place on the web, we’re missing out on everything that makes writing fun. No rules, no traffic light system, just honest, thoughtful and expressive words.
A personal blog, it turns out, is the perfect space to take everything you know about SEO, and do the complete opposite. Give it a try. You might even find you enjoy writing again.
Anxiety Vs Passion
For those who don’t know me personally, I’m one of the most socially anxious human beings on planet earth. I came, I saw, I made it awkward.
For the sake of my businesses, I’ve found a way to embrace said awkwardness. As a result, I can still usually build pretty solid relationships with my clients. That is, until there are more than one of them in the room and my brain turns to porridge.
At this stage in life (somewhere in between 41 and 43), I think it’s fair to say that this is who I am. No amount of therapy, extreme exercise or Buddhist retreats are going to fix me. Although I’m fully aware of their benefits, the one thing that’s lacking in activities like this, is passion. The drive and enthusiasm to pursue your goals.
But what about leaning into your actual passions as a form of self-help? This is something I’ve practiced in two forms for well over a decade now. Firstly, a combination of walking, hiking and exploring. Secondly, creativity, primarily in its visual form, but written comes a close second.
Anxiety management
A true passion gives you something to look forward to. It’s like when you book a holiday and spend every moment of the countdown in visualisation mode. Occupying your mind with thoughts of doing something you love results in less time spent thinking about how bad your next (insert your deepest insecurity here) is going to be.
If there’s something you’re passionate about, pursuing that passion can be a source of energy as well as a way to supercharge your own learning and development.
Ultimately, the more you enjoy an activity or hobby, the more you’ll plan your life around it. The further down the rabbit hole you delve, the less you seem to worry about anything else. It provides purpose, which, in turn, provides resilience, motivation and wellbeing.
Nope! Maybe. OK.
Us anxious folks seem to dread almost everything other than sitting at home with a book. I’m in no way an expert here, as I avoid countless social activities, but what if you could say yes to a few more invites, with the excitement and enthusiasm for your passion to see you through.
I use this all the time. I’d rather be at home or out doing something I love, but I’ve also got to show my face and try to appear normal for a certain amount of time.
When people are in their element, they connect with something fundamental to their sense of identity, purpose, and well-being.
Oftentimes, it can be easier when you’ve got that niggling thought in the back of your mind about your passion project. A little burst of mental energy and feel-good endorphins to power your social battery. At least, until it’s an acceptable time to make your excuses and run for the hills.
Knowledge is confidence
When you reach a certain level of knowledge and understanding in any given practice, your confidence in that area grows. This, again, is an opportunity to sidestep your unruly, not to mention unhelpful thoughts.
A creative pursuit can also help to build your self-knowledge, growing your understanding of what makes you, you.
Self-knowledge refers to knowledge of one’s own mental states, processes, and dispositions. Most agree it involves a capacity for understanding the representational properties of mental states and their role in shaping behaviour.
Mindful passion
In my last post, I talked about the benefits of photography and creativity for mindfulness. In much the same way, nurturing your passions will serve as a calming, healing and therapeutic respite from your otherwise anxious thoughts.
Doubling down on what you really love gives your soul a little extra purpose. A meaningful desire that, in today’s franticly paced lifestyles, should never be underestimated.
Photography & Creativity For Mindfulness
Meditation and mindfulness. In the traditional sense, it ultimately boils down to remaining present. This is typically achieved with an ongoing practice of sitting still and quietly observing your thoughts.
Some folks find their groove with it all, clearly reaping the rewards and benefits that it brings. Others, however, not so much. I’d firmly place myself in the camp of said others.
What I can do, though, is directly focus my attention on a creative activity or pursuit. I know a lot of photographers and artists lean in on this form of flow state.
“Popularized by positive psychologists Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi and Jeanne Nakamura, flow state describes a feeling where, under the right conditions, you become fully immersed in whatever you are doing.”
Photography + flow state = mindfulness
From planning your trip and exploring your location or subject to immersing yourself in the editing process, photography offers the perfect mindfulness opportunity.
Half the time, you don’t even realise it’s happening. Regardless, the more you practice, the more space you free up in an otherwise intense barrage of thoughts.
“When was the last time you actually felt the texture of a wall, breathed in the smell of a woodland or just sat and truly listened to the sound of the sea or birdsong? Mindful Photography encourages you to do this and make a lasting and meaningful change in your life. When the senses are more engaged, you can start to take more notice and slow down.”
With the current pace of life snowballing into chaos, slowing down and spending time on your hobbies is more important than ever before. The added bonus with photography, you’ll double up your endorphins just by being outside and getting your steps in. Additionally, if you throw a bit of nature into the mix, you’re feelings and emotions certainly won’t be complaining.
Mental health
With mindfulness, be it sitting and focusing on the breath, or diving into a creative passion, comes a subtle, yet noticeable boost in mood.
Again, I’ve heard many photographers discussing their practice as an essential ingredient in their overall well-being. Pure, calming and tranquil. It’s therapy.
“Creative outlets not only help to reduce feelings of stress and loneliness but can improve your mood and even affect how your brain works. And they’re fun!”
As your work develops (quite literally if you’re using film), you end up bumping into plenty of like-minded folks online. Meaningful connections help to nurture your enthusiasm and purpose. This, of course, will also benefit your mental health.
Turn it into a thing
Once you find your feet with a chosen creative outlet, make it a thing. Make it your thing. Find your people, share your work and engage with your community.
A healthy level of obsession comes highly recommended. If you can reach the point where you’re infinitely passionate about what you do, it’s hard to think of anything else. From a personal point of view, this helps keep the volume of your thoughts at a manageable level.
“While creativity without expectation is essential, it can also lead to community — a core component of self-care.”
Lots of the photographers I follow and admire display this type of enthusiasm and dedication. They’ve made their practice their thing. It’s a pure joy to see and/or listen to.
Whether you’re a complete newbie, an amateur or a pro, own what you do. Call yourself an artist or photographer, and shout it from the top of a mountain. You are what you practice.
Creative meditation
If, like me, traditional meditation isn’t quite working for you, immersive flow states in creativity are a perfect alternative. It works with any hobby that you enjoy.
The more you enjoy it, the more you do of it. The more you do of it, the more you focus on it. The more you focus on it, the calmer the mind becomes. It’s a win/win situation with the added inclusion of purpose and passion.
Instagram – Attempt Number Three (Why?)
Roll out the black and white carpet! I’m back on Instagram. Wait, what? What do you mean nobody cares? Even I don’t care, but, despite its algorithmic frustrations, I’ve decided to set up not one, but two brand-new accounts. Sigh.
I won’t say I instantly regretted this decision, but spending time on Instagram reminded me of why I left in the first place. Overwhelm, and not being in control of what you see.
That said, I used to love posting and engaging with like-minded folks on the OG of photo-sharing apps. Maybe if I go back to using it how it was originally intended, everything will be fine. No video, no music, no motion whatsoever. Basically, everything the algorithm frowns upon.
Why, why, why, Delilah Mike
Ultimately, the decision to set up a new personal and business page was down to connections. There are certain people, businesses and organisations that I’ll only ever have the opportunity to follow on Instagram.
From a personal point of view, now that I’m out and about on photography missions again, it’s often the only place you can tag or mention the location. For example, in recent posts, I’ve tagged Derby Market Hall, Manchester Art Gallery and the Museum of Liverpool.
They don’t always respond, but when they do, it’s a) nice to hear their feedback and b) a massive boost in the total number of people that will see the image.
From a business point of view, LinkedIn is a bit of a mess right now, while I’ve easily been able to follow loads of relevant local businesses on Instagram.
It’s also easier to connect with clients. Most of them are on Instagram, whereas only some of them are on LinkedIn. Engagement is low on business-related content, but I’m mainly there to maintain a presence and build connections.
Silent, still, motionless
During the existence of my last two accounts, I was distracted from everything I loved about the app (sharing photos) by the algorithm’s requirements. All of a sudden, I was trying to make everything into a short video. That’s just not me.
This time around, I’m flipping the bird in the face of everything that Instagram wants in favour of still, silent images. It hasn’t thanked me, of course. Engagement is low, but that was to be expected.
Reframing thoughts about followers and likes
Talking of engagement, why do we care? It means absolutely nothing when you think about it. I’ll be the first to admit that I was a little obsessed with followers and likes back in the day.
When you enjoy what you do, creatively, and believe in your practice, followers and likes really don’t matter.
Yes, sharing your work is all part of the process for many creatives, but let’s not judge its success on how the algorithm views you, your account or your image.
Small, intimate and quiet
A new approach to using Instagram, minus all of the bullshit. I’m actually quite enjoying posting images there again. No pressure, no urgency, no trying to please a fucking algorithm. Happy days!
I don’t love Instagram, but I also don’t hate it anymore.
AI Overwhelm
Is anyone else completely bored and overwhelmed with AI hype? The volume of new tools and content is rising at an unmanageable rate, while the average quality collapses into a horrendous heap of mediocre (at best) turd.
I’m not against AI, more so, the drama that surrounds it. I’ll occasionally use Gemini to help generate any code I might need for WordPress. Additionally, I dabble with Adobe Firefly to test out ideas based on my own photography or 3D renders.
As it’s baked into pretty much everything now, I guess most people are using it in some way or another, but fuck me! It’s getting a bit much, isn’t it? The barrage of news and scaremongering is completely infuriating.
Everyone is burnt out
From what I see of people’s personal musings online, folks are more burnt out than ever before. This, in my humble opinion, is largely down to the frankly ridiculous change in pace that’s expected of us. Now that we have AI, we can do everything ten times faster, right? Only ten times? I’ve 50x’d my productivity, bro!
I mean, we could, but is anyone stopping to consider the end result? The output will most likely belong on that pile of turd I mentioned above, and your brain will be completely frazzled.
What we’re losing here is the mindful act of creativity. The slow, calming and mentally rewarding process of spending time and effort on something you enjoy.
Slow the fuck down
Spoiler alert. If everyone starts working between ten and fifty times faster, there won’t be enough work to go around. We’re already seeing frequent waves of uncertainty, leading to businesses cutting right back on their spending.
Paired with the fact that working this way is totally chaotic, this is a reminder to myself (and anyone else that needs it) to slow the fuck down. Work at your own pace, work mindfully, enjoy the moment.
Managing exposure to the hype
Part of my work is SEO, one of the sectors most ravelled up in all of the AI nonsense right now. I’m struggling to even be able to see or listen to this bullshit at the moment. Why has it all got to be so dramatic?
This was actually a huge part of the reason for swapping my personal social media accounts back to photography and design. Overwhelm.
If something isn’t sitting right with you, take a break and come back to it. If it’s still not resonating or connecting, it might be time to change direction.
In terms of SEO, the basic principles remain the basic principles. I’m over here doing what I’ve always done, nothing new. At the moment, this is bringing in more than enough new clients and customers. Maybe this will change further down the line, but for now, it’s stick with what you know.
Fall behind
Everyone says if you don’t keep up with AI, you’ll fall behind. I’m more than happy to do so. You can always find me in the less crowded and chaotic space at the back of the gig.
Who knows how this approach will pan out? One thing’s for sure, it won’t be as catastrophic as the content you see online will have you believe.
Bringing mindfulness back
I guess this post is ultimately about inviting a slower pace back into your life. Meaningful work, creative practices, and a sense of purpose.
Maybe I’ve blamed the increased overwhelm on AI a little here, but in reality, it’s just overwhelm in general. Social media, screen time, digital everything.
We’re all going to use AI in some way or another throughout the rest of our lives, but let’s not forget the old way. Much like the resurgence in physical media, these days were, in hindsight, priceless.
Unsplash – Why I Give Most of my Work Away For Free
I’ve been contributing to the Unsplash library for just over five years now. If you’re not familiar with the platform, it’s a stock photography site offering images that are free to download and use however you please.
Additionally, they have a subscription plan for premium images. Contributors to Unsplash+ are paid for their accepted submissions. More on this further down.
For the bulk of this note, I’ll be covering the free aspect. Uploading work that can then be used in all manner of creative projects, by anyone who uses the internet.
Why give your work away for free?
Firstly, this is just my personal experience of using Unsplash. It won’t be for everyone. A professional photographer, for example, certainly wouldn’t give most of their work away for free. They could, however, still benefit from the gigantic user base by uploading some of their images.
Me? I’m just having fun with photography. I’m far from being a pro. As a passion project, I also like to keep it free from creative restraints or revenue goals.
Once you start building a portfolio on Unsplash, alongside features on their home and category pages, the view counts are unrivalled. Way more eyeballs on your work than you’d ever be able to achieve on social media.
Your stats include views, downloads and also where people are using your images. Through the Unsplash API, users across various platforms (Figma, Wix, Notion, Mailchimp, etc.) can incorporate your photo into their projects.
Ultimately, this is what I love to see. Otherwise, my work would only sit on a hard drive or, most likely, eventually be deleted.
Popular content & features
To do well on Unsplash, you need to get a feel for what they like. Everything on their homepage and category pages is hand-curated. Therefore, these will all give you a decent idea of what’s popular and most likely to be featured.
As you build out a portfolio, you can start submitting your images to each category page. For example, a shot of a modern building could be submitted to the Architecture & Interiors page.
As mentioned above, these features are where the magic happens (especially on the homepage). Sit back and watch as your views start to enter the millions.
Unsplash also feature their contributors in blog posts, such as round-ups of the previous month’s best images, as well as on their social media channels.
Your profile page
Each view of one of your images is an opportunity for the user to click through to your profile page. From here, they can view:
Your photo.
Your bio/description.
An available-for-hire badge (optional).
A support via PayPal button (optional).
Your location.
Options to connect (website, IG, etc.).
Your interests (tags relating to your work).
Your full portfolio.
Any collections that you may have curated.
The biggest opportunity here is linking to your website. Maybe you can then get them signed up to your newsletter if you have one, or they could even reach out asking to work with you.
Unsplash+
Lastly, let’s talk about Unsplash+. This is a paid service that certain contributors can submit to. You’ll need to apply, and from what I remember, it’s probably best to build up your portfolio first and make sure you’ve had a few features.
Each month, they release a new set of briefs. Other than the glory days when the initiative first launched and you could submit anything, now it’s a little more specific.
Each brief is based on current trends and demands, so it won’t always necessarily line up with your usual style or subjects. That said, there are plenty to choose from and you can submit to however you many you like per month.
Nowadays, I’m just submitting the odd image here and there if the brief is something I’d be shooting anyway. You’re paid a one-off fee per image, and can usually enter up to 30 images per brief.
Zero regrets
As I’ve chopped and changed creative focuses over the years, built and binned various portfolios, and generally not had any clear direction, one thing remained solidly in place. My Unsplash portfolio.
As I have issues with hoarding too many files, it’s also the only place that many of my photos now exist. Without it, I’d never have seen them again.
In case you hadn’t guessed already, I’m a huge fan! I love the community, the folks that run it, the website itself, and, of course, seeing how and where people all over the world are using my images. Happy days!
How to Lose All Enthusiasm For Everything Fun
I lost my way a little over the last year and a half. The unstable economy, paired with a frighteningly slow patch, does funny things to a business owner.
My previous rule of thumb was to share work-related content online about 25% of the time. This quickly ramped up to almost 100% of the time. Yawn!
Don’t get me wrong, I love my businesses, but not enough for either of them to sustain my personal creative interests. This notion, however, seems to have been buried amongst the worry of where the next invoice payment was coming from.
As a result, all of the passion projects and pursuits that fuel my mental well-being were abruptly concluded. This way, there’ll be more time to work on the business. Your mental health can just go fuck itself for a while. I’m sure it won’t mind.
It (the mind) does mind
Somewhere, between a year and a year and a half of acting like a respectable, consistent business owner, I realised two things.
It wasn’t much fun
It didn’t work
None of my clients or customers find me as a result of anything I post on social media. Nothing I say or do (this hasn’t been tested to the extremes) has any effect on what I earn.
Paired with the fact that my soul had long departed its vessel on the hunt for some excitement, I almost instantly flipped the switcharoo back to the fun times. Come back, lost spirit. We have some catching up to do.
Things I’d lost all motivation for
Photography
Travel and exploring
Art and design
Music
Things I’m enjoying again
Photography
Travel and exploring
Art and design
Music
The old balance is the new balance
More fun shit. Less boring shit. You can’t say fairer than that. Photography, exploring, and adventures keep me sane. They allow for a mindful escape from the business to focus on absolutely anything I fancy.
This practice isn’t a nice-to-have; it’s a must-have. I don’t function properly without it, which can then, in turn, affect all sorts of other life aspects.
Work, of course, pays the bills, so I’m not in any way disregarding the importance of keeping the momentum rolling. From a marketing perspective, I’m leaning more into what works (SEO), rather than sharing content on my personal profiles.
Work/life balance. It’s a tricky one, isn’t it?
Switching back to Adobe From Affinity
Ayup! I was recently exploring my options for bringing 3D rendering back into my portfolio. This was initially going to be via the fairly pricey Adobe Substance plan.
I’ve used these tools before, and for what I need, it’s a whole lot simpler than using Blender. But as I was only using one of the apps (Stager), I couldn’t really justify the monthly price.
Then I remembered the gateway 3D staging app that comes with a standard Creative Cloud subscription, Dimension. It’d had a major update since I’d last used it (around a year and a half ago), and from what I can see, it does most things that Stager does.
The full switch back to Adobe
The first little experiment was a free Creative Cloud trial. All apps available, nothing to lose, I’ll cancel if I need to. In addition to Dimension, I downloaded all of my previously used apps. Photoshop, Lightroom, Illustrator and InDesign.
Within 24 hours, I was sold. In recent months, I feel like a long-lost passion for creativity has returned in full force. In comparison to the Affinity apps, Adobe opens up so many more directions to study and develop.
This, of course, is fully subjective and just my personal experience. It also depends on what sort of creative work you like to pursue. I’ve always got bored pretty easily, and need a wide variety of avenues to explore.
During the first day or two of the free trial, I quickly realised that returning to Adobe would be a timely and wise move.
Thoughts on Affinity
Affinity Photo, Designer and Publisher saw me through a relatively quiet patch in my business. Costs and subscriptions (or lack thereof) aside, I couldn’t have been happier using these apps.
They did absolutely everything I needed them to, even while running a commercial print business. I also wrote reviews on Designer, Publisher and an article on exporting print-ready files, which have all ranked well and driven tonnes of traffic.
Zero complaints, especially for the relatively tiny one-off payment. For work and business purposes, the three apps covered all bases. But when it comes to my personal projects, there was always a niggling feeling that my work was a lot stronger back when I was using Adobe.
Final answer? Final answer
For better or worse, despite not loving the subscription model, sometimes it’s better the devil you know.
While the need for creative expression is peaking, Adobe fulfils my requirements a little more than Affinity did. My work has already benefited, based on the features, views and downloads over on my Unsplash page.
To me, paired with an instant gut feeling, this confirms that the right choice has been made. Put simply, I can create stronger, more powerful imagery with Adobe than I could with Affinity.
Mastodon – A Calmer, Algorithm-Free Social Platform
Mastodon is one of my favourite social media platforms. The vibe is completely different there compared to anywhere else that I’ve used.
Four key areas make Mastodon especially appealing as an alternative to mainstream social media.
It’s decentralised
It’s open source
It’s not for sale
It’s interoperable (part of the Fediverse)
This means it’s free to use, independent, doesn’t show ads (massive bonus), connects with other platforms via ActivityPub, and, possibly best of all, there’s no algorithm.
All of the above is becoming increasingly rare these days, which is what makes the platform so special.
The people
I started my account sharing WordPress and SEO related content, and have since switched to mainly posting my personal photography projects.
In both instances, I’ve been able to connect with some truly genuine, like-minded people. In addition to all of the above benefits, it’s the community that makes Mastodon such a joy to use.
The folks here are calm, quiet (as in not shouty), respectful, and thoughtful. On the odd occasion that I’ve asked for help or advice across my social channels, it’s nearly always Mastodon users who provide the solution. Hats off to you!
The pace
Mastodon flows at a slower pace than pretty much any other social media platform. While it may initially seem a little too quiet for some, you can fully tailor your experience based on the number of accounts and hashtags you follow.
I don’t personally follow many hashtags, as these will quickly fill up your feed. I much prefer to see my connection’s posts, then head to a hashtag when I’m in the mood for some additional black and white photography, or anything similar.
For creatives
Lastly, there’s a really nice creative community on Mastodon. It’s small, yet thriving. This makes it much easier to connect, keep up to date and avoid overwhelm.
The photography community is especially abundant, with some incredible talent on display. Also, Mastodon seems to be one of the only platforms that doesn’t completely trash the image quality in the preview.
In a world where everything seems to be changing and developing at a frightening pace, Mastodon refuses to conform to trends or normalities.
Instead, it plods along, providing a refreshing alternative to mainstream everything. I love it. If you’re reading this and we’re connected there, I just wanted to say thank you for your inspiration and consistently positive vibes.
A Quiet Blog About Creativity & Mindfulness
Ayup! Welcome to my new blog. The posts here won’t be optimised for search engines—rather, intimate thoughts and musings in a calm, quiet environment.
Some of the entries probably won’t really be of any interest to anyone other than me. If they are, that’s an added bonus, but this space is generally going to be for brain dumps, developing ideas and freeing up some much-needed headspace.
No rules, no stressing about SEO, no worries. I expect to primarily write short notes, and I don’t plan on using many (if any at all) images. Distraction-free words in a world where the polar opposite has somehow become the norm.
Subjects
Again, no rules or set subjects here, but the general direction will be all things creativity, mindfulness, mental health and connecting all of the dots in between.
I’m especially fascinated by the calming effects that creativity has on the brain.
Plans for mikehindle.uk
The return of my personal site and photography/design project is intended to restore the work/life balance. Due to the unstable economy, I’ve been a little work-obsessed for a while. As much as I enjoy running a business, I’m not having that!
The site will serve as a simple hub, housing some of my artwork alongside information, links and, of course, this blog. There are no big plans for it to become anything other than my own small corner of the internet.
Lessons were learned from previous ideas, ventures and newsletters that all failed when they became too time-consuming and ever so slightly overwhelming.
Don’t forget to like, subscribe, share and comment
Just kidding. None of the above options are available. Feel free to reach out via carrier pigeon, though. I’m also available via the contact page or my social media channels.
Thanks for stopping by.
Mike.