Why I Said Goodbye to SEO and Algorithms

After years of blogging and being on social media I felt like I hit a wall. I posted only once in six months on the blog and my energy for creating content on Instagram diminished completely. I was wiped out from the administrative requirements of making a post visible. Tagging, alt text, location and linking all created roadblocks for creative production. I realized that technology was blocking me from outputting anything. I knew all the mechanics and I was struggling to get it all done. So I said, Fuck it. Yes, you heard me. I said, Fuck it. Instead I decided to start writing again like I did back in 2011 when I started this whole thing. I was a part of Blogger back in my twenties and it was so simple. You uploaded images, wrote some words and moved on. This was before Instagram and Pinterest was still in Beta form so you had to be invited.

It was really simple back then. Bloggers were just self-published writers and photographers. It felt so freeing. So why did I feel captive now? I have thousands of followers on multiple platforms. I receive countless comments, DMs and likes every single day even on days I don’t post. How did this whole thing become so draining? I’ll tell you why… because I was never meant to play by the rules of the matrix.

Yep, remember the movie The Matrix? We think we have to do something because it was the way OTHERS have reached success. In a world of ChatGPT, SEO, and Algorithms we chip away at the creative process. Some of us are highly analytical and love the data aspect of growing something. But for the unstructured creatives… it can be super cumbersome.

If you are a creative being and you aren’t creating you oftentimes feel like you are slowing dying. Expansion requires output and without output one shrinks. I was tired of being an Ikea cookie cutter like Edward Norton talks about in one of my other favorite movies Fight Club.

No, i’m just not doing it. I was wasted from technology and doing another What to Buy on Amazon post. It was killing my soul and honestly killing my quality of work. So I decided to stop. I decided to take time and just write again. Pour my heart out to you guys who follow in hopes that if it resonates you will share it with someone you care about. I ache to bring back the type of soul writing that allows me to pour my heart out and really connect with you guys.

If I receive less followers, so be it.

If I lost followers, so be it.

If I gain wide success, so be it.

Instead I’m putting the whole thing in Jesus’ hands and letting my yoke get lighter. I am no longer attached the results, but instead committed to the process of unfolding. Unfolding layers of my soul and sharing it with you guys. I am transforming from Threeheelclicks to Crystal Lowy and I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. Thank you for following along as we go through changes in life together. Please feel free to share your experiences in the comments. You can always find me on Substack (https://open.substack.com/pub/crystallowy) for quick thoughts. Finally, don’t forget to subscribe to my newsletter.