Collective musings from Tricia (Founder +CEO)

Have you left Instagram?

Walking away from social media is a trendy thing to do right now. And I get it. It sounds so freeing. Because we well know that social media can be distracting, triggering, manipulative, and a thief of joy.

But it’s also where much of my work begins and ends. Meaning that if I leave, my copy will become increasingly out-of-touch and I’ll rarely get to see my work in the wild.

So I can’t quit.

Instead, just as my therapist encourages me to do with any tricky relationship, I’ve had to set boundaries. I’ve had to make the most of the joyful, useful, connective, and creative sides of social media and leave the rest. I’ve had to work out how to keep its influence on my life at the right levels and in the right spaces.

And I’m here to share how I do that.

Before I do: Even if you don’t need to be on social media for work, what I do might help you figure out your own life within the feed. Also, just because I do something doesn’t mean you have to. There is no moral value in how I manage my scrolling. It’s just what works for me (and maybe it will work for you, too).

If I need to reference something on a client’s IG feed, I use the considerably less-friendly desktop version. If I need to look for examples of LinkedIn posts, that’s on desktop, too. Scrolling on the desktop, with my work right there in the next tab over, makes me less likely to get caught in the dopamine cycle. 

I do set timers anytime I open a feed for research

Does it feel silly that I need a tool to keep me from getting sucked into a doom scroll? Yes. But I’d rather feel silly than waste two hours watching puppy videos. 

I regularly curate my feed

I rarely follow the brands I work with. The one time I did, the algorithm thought I was super into hardcore fitness and supplements (I’m not). This works on three levels:

1. It keeps my feed personal to me (no supplements). I can control who and what I see and, just like anyone else with a social account, I can keep the joy-thieves away.

2. I don’t have to see anything that will remind me of work when I am not working (nobody wants that). 

3. Perhaps most importantly, it means my feed is a place where I can truly gather inspiration that will bring something new to my clients. Every hospitality company mostly does the same things on their social feeds. So I don’t follow hospitality. I follow accounts that will give me something new.

I use my feed for my own creativity 

Sometimes I look over at the dogs and kids, or let my mind wander while cooking dinner or driving to the grocery store, and I see a story to tell. I think of a funny line or I see a cool shot and take a photo. Part of being a creative is creating and putting your work out there, not only for clients or to respond to a brief, but just because the mood strikes. 

I don’t hate on myself

It’s not unusual for me to spend an hour on Instagram before I get out of bed on a Saturday morning. Any life coach would say that is a terrible idea. Six of the nine most recent photos on my feed are pet-related. And my daughter rolls her eyes at that, but I don’t let that get me down. As long as I am scrolling, posting, and engaging in a way that works for me, it doesn’t matter what everyone else out there says.

BTS at T Collective

Welcome, Matt!

Yes, the Collective is growing!

Matt joined us this month as the first male member of the Collective and brought video-editing capabilities with him! So far his videos have gotten reactions like “LOVE!!!!!!” and “This is beautiful!” from our clients — and who doesn’t love a simple, one-round, no-feedback creative process?

Work we love in the world (that isn't ours)

Smelling is believing

Oh, to have been in the room when someone said, “Why don’t we blow up a picture of a giant armpit and make scratch-n-sniff billboards?”

Would we actually scratch and then put our faces up to a billboard near Penn Station? (Yes.) Does the scent really over power NYC’s natural musk? (Leaning no.) Will the scent eventually run out like it did on the stickers we had as kids? (Jury is out.)

The people want answers.