Best Nine 2017
Best Nine 2017
Have you heard of the Best 9 on Instagram? You may have seen people posting a grid of 9 photos with #2017bestnine. It's a generator that shows you a summary of the top 9 posts your followers liked the most this year.
2016
3.1k likes in 95 posts
33 likes/post
These numbers are neither good nor bad to me but a way to compare with 2017. What this shows me is I was kind of all over the place in 2016 – from outfit posts, trying my hand at interiors and flat lay styling, a hint of hand lettering work, and bits of chatting about creativity. I experimented a lot and challenged myself to try new things. I was also getting married, working 50+ hrs./wk, and moving to a different city. Shit, I WAS all over the place!
2017
9.2k likes in 113 posts
81 likes/post
I was more visually consistent in 2017 and think that has something to do with growing a bit but the point I really want to make is this: I didn't suddenly change what I believe in to increase my following. Only one thing changed: I started believing in myself and the message I have to share. Gaining confidence also allowed me to be honest with myself. I don't enjoy being a photographer but rather LOVE working with photographers (like Leigh Ann). This gave me more time to write, which I really love, as I'm sure you can tell by my super long posts.
Anyway, I guess I'm telling you this in case you're being hard on yourself about not being where you thought you'd be at this point in your life. Or if you're feeling pressure to grow in a direction that is cool but isn't speaking to you. You have to have years where you're all over the place, years where you're confident in who you are, and years when, who knows how you'll feel or who you'll be but it'll be beautiful for completely new and different reasons.
Let's celebrate how far we've come before we dig into the work ahead, shall we?! What accomplishment are you most proud of this year? Share it with me below.
