It’s been a little while hasn’t it since I have updated you on all things life. On and offline of course. Since it’s been months since the last brain dump, heres the latest, what’s coming up and how I am tackling the constant tide of Instagram .

It’s no hidden secret that I have been hating on Instagram for a fair while now. I have posted lots of posts on the subject, since so many of us seem to be in the same rabbit hole of no engagement, motivation or willingness to work on the platform. Since wallowing in self pity, I’ve decided I will take control of my social media profiles. I had lost my passion for creating content on Instagram especially so have made some small but pretty critical changes.

Free Presets

Many of us using Instagram will notice presets not only make editing images one click easy, it also creates a grid with a running ‘theme’ of finish and colour. I have always struggled with creating the ‘perfect’ theme and whilst I have managed to edit my own images individually, I really wanted a preset that would work on any image type.

Whilst there is nothing wrong with some of the paid presets available ( and some are absolutely stunning ) I am always looking for a freebie and was pleasantly surprised that there were so many gorgeous presets to be found, for free, on the web.

Here’s the many free presets I managed to find, download and now use on my images. As you can imagine you have to sign up to the blogs that host the presets, but there after you receive the free download.

Fernwehsarah Free Presets
Sunshine Seeker Preset
Orange and Teal Preset
Tropical Sunset Presets
No Man Before
Helene InBetween – Summer Presets
BeArt Presets – These are my fav

IGTV

I read a real interesting point in Vix Meldrew’s IGTV eBook – Instagram is starting to favour video content more so than static, and it will reward you heavily in reach if you use every feature the app offers, more so than just one of the features.

I have given youtube a go before – and frankly it was pitiful. The video quality was poor, and I wasn’t confident enough to show face in video. Whilst I don’t have a great ‘vlogging‘ camera, IGTV does offer you the easy option of using vertical, phone cameras to shoot and upload video content. I LOVE this. And is a great spot to start if wanting to grow on Instagram and dip your toe into the video creation side.

I uploaded my first ever IGTV video onto my feed and I was really happy with how it went. I believe it looked great in my grid, and it had a great amount of engagement. Since it went real well and I love creating and editing video, I’ve decided I want to carry on.

Holiday

It’s been a real late booking for us for our 1st year Wedding Anniversary, but we booked a little over 2 weeks ago to head to a Greece island – Crete.

We are sooo excited to head off for a much needed break together. This year seems much busier and demanding than the last, so 10 nights away to truly relax, read a book and catch some sunshine is exactly what the doctor ordered. As expected, I have been holiday clothes shopping since booking and you can see some of my purchases in my instagram stories.

I’m really excited to get away, but also come back too. We have some final things to do to our home, among other things. It seems our trip away will re-charge the home improvement batteries and hopefully give us the kick up the arse to finish painting.

I’ll be taking you all with me of course via instagram stories so be sure to follow me there.

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