blog

Own the platform

in

Things are changing, as they always do. And we humans hate change.

It feels like it was yesterday when we were all hating on social media, while mourning the old platforms. It is 2022, and here we are, hating on TikTok and VR, mourning platforms like Instagram and Twitter.

I have no idea what the future will be for those platforms; I really hope I don't end up having to use VR glasses to share my photography and enjoy the work of fellow photographers.

No matter what the future will bring, this is a good moment to be reminded of the importance of having your own platform.

Lately, I've been trying to consolidate all my sources of inspiration in a RSS app. Instagram doesn't allow this, so the photographers who share their work exclusively on that platform are out; Twitter is playing nice... for now; but the ones that work the best are regular old websites and blogs.

Relying on social media to connect with peers and share your work was a great idea; exclusively using those platforms was a very bad idea.

I get it, a blog can be boring. It can feel like you are talking to no one. If you think the engagement is low on IG, just wait until you post on your own website.

And yet, I believe it's very important to have your own place, your little home in the Internet. Very few people will show up, but those are the ones that really matter. And of course, we can keep using social media and whatever platform comes next to reach new people and invite them to come over and look at what we have to offer.

If you don't have a website, I deeply encourage you to create one. Keep it simple. And then share it with all the people you've connected with over the years, so they know where they can find you in case the metaverse doesn't cut it for you.

How I come up with new ideas

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I love the default Notes app on iOS - because it synchronizes across all my devices, it's like having a notebook always with me.

One of the ways I use the Notes app is to capture all my thoughts and ideas, in whatever form they might happen. Every day, I create a new note and I start filling it with everything the day might bring: from a rough schedule of how I expect the day to go, to notes from books and articles I read, or podcasts I listen to, including images of stuff I find interesting, inspiring quotes, audio recordings of ideas that come to mind, and in general, anything that goes through my mind that might be useful or inspiring in the future.

Every once in a while, usually on the weekend, I'll go through my notes and pick the most interesting parts. This is how I come up with ideas for my videos / blog posts, places I want to photograph, and how I learn (some of the things I write down are good starting points to research more about the topic).

Struggling to finish

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It took me a long time to write my last post. I started it over several times and couldn't find the right title. It never felt quite finished: I always wanted to change, add, or remove something.

I hadn't posted much on the blog for weeks (even though I have plenty of unfinished drafts) so as soon as I got a draft with an introduction, a few points, and a conclusion, I was ready to publish it.

It wasn't perfect and it didn't need to be. I just wanted to break the bad habit of not finishing things.

I've been struggling with closing projects lately.

I still have many open projects that need my attention, but we need to start somewhere, we need to take that first step, and I feel like publishing my previous post was a small but big victory to me.

Still here: update from Picos de Europa National Park

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The adventure has begun, and I'm realizing now how hard it is to keep creating daily content while on the road. I'm still here, though!

While I try to find a balance (probably sitting down one or two days a week to create enough content to schedule for several days in advance), let me give you an update from the beautiful mountains of Picos de Europa National Park, in Asturias, Spain.

I am back in my hotel room now, after spending a night in a shelter at the base of Urriellu Peak (also known as Naranjo de Bulnes), one of the most beautiful peaks in Spain. Someone referred to it as the "Spanish Dolomites" yesterday, and I think it's very appropriate.

I'm taking it easy today because I'm afraid one of the tires in the car has a leak. I got the "pressure loss" warning yesterday while driving down on a dirt road, and while the pressure hasn't gone down more than a couple PSI (could even have been me after checking the pressure a few times), it reminds me of a similar situation I experienced with the Jeep in California a couple years ago. That time ended with a flat tire in the middle of a snowstorm on Christmas Eve. Not fun. Hopefully this time is different and I can still get to explore more of this stunning place.

These are some snapshots I took on my way up and down Urriellu, and during my time at 2,000m (6,500 feet).