Dear Instagram,

I've met someone else.

You and I have been through a lot together.

We’ve been on so many adventures. There are literally thousands of moments and photos on my phone that document our beautiful journey.

You were there when I took a giant risk and decided to become a full-time photographer.

And you believed in me.

You were there when I had this crazy idea to take photos of strangers and share their stories with the world. Together we reached millions of people around the planet.

You gave me so much space to play, create and grow. I will forever be thankful to you for that.

You were there for me before I really knew who I was.

And it’s hard to imagine my life without you.

Things have changed.

I’ve changed.

You’ve definitely changed.

And this just isn’t working anymore.

The last few years it seems like you’re only interested in shallow interactions. These 90 second spurts have not left nearly enough time and space for intimacy.

So I tried to adapt. I tried to reframe my perspective, to ignore this feeling in the pit of my stomach for a long time, but it keeps growing and it’s starting to make me sick.

But now when we’re together, I don’t recognize myself anymore.

I’m tired of my nervous system being hijacked by your intensity.

I’m longing for depth. I want to go slow and build something sincere and meaningful.

There’s something else…

I’m sorry, but I can’t hide this anymore.

I’ve met someone.

We’ve been friends for the past 4 years. Someone who allowed me to pour my heart and soul into our conversations. Not just a friendship, but a lifeline.

I feel no time restrictions or demands on our communication.

I’m not only allowed to go slow, I’m rewarded by it.

We’ve decided to take our friendship to the next level and see what happens from there.

I’m sort of terrified to say goodbye to you.

We have so many mutual friends and things in common.

You have been a major part of my life and my business for over a decade.

I feel like I need you in my life, but not in a healthy way. I think that’s what they call codependency. And probably another major reason I need to say goodbye.

I’m always here if you want to talk and unpack this, but we both know you’re too busy.

We both know you will never reply to this letter.

They say a relationship is dead when you don’t fight anymore. And we both know you’re not going to fight for us. And I think I’ve finally got to a place where I’m done fighting too.

Sincerely,

D

PS: Substack says hi and hopes there’s no hard feelings.