6.9.25 // The Algorithm

Playing to the algorithm.
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I realized I’d started playing to the algorithm—posting photos of my face more than anything else, knowing they’d get more reach, more likes, more engagement.
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I tried to play the game, leaning into reels—especially the ones that featured me—but I lost some of the storytelling somewhere along the way. I started creating for a medium meant to be consumed in seconds instead of sat with, pondered, and carried in your mind.
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Sure, I could layer my voice and poems over a video. But what I really want is for you to experience my words in the voice of your own mind, filtered through your lens, your perspective, your lived experience.
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For a while, I didn’t know how to show up here. I felt angsty about sharing content I knew would “perform” (and boost my ego) versus the stories and poems I longed to post (that often lost followers or tanked engagement).
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Did I want more people to read my words? Yes. But was that desire quietly reshaping my work to fit what people’s attention spans could hold (my own included)?
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I hadn’t realized how long I’d been caught between content and creativity. Trying to define success by consumption. Playing by the rules because I didn’t want to be seen trying—and wanting. I wanted my words to land, be felt, go far. And sometimes, that meant choosing a photo the algorithm would “like.”
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I’m learning to share what feels meaningful, not just what performs. I'm posting from a place that feels like real life: a little messy, a little magical, but fully mine. Not for the algorithm, but for the sake of connection. Maybe it’s also a gentle reminder—for both of us—to meet our lives with more presence, curiosity, and care.