10/26/2026
Why does choosing a slower path feel like something smaller creators have to defend?
I’m happy for Alex Elle. She’s worked hard, and she deserves to choose what supports her. I also think having an audience who already knows your work gives you more room to leave Instagram. That’s the part I want us to talk about.
What about those of us still being told: you have to be here. You have to make reels. This is how people will find you.
I said goodbye to Instagram in November 2021. It made my business harder. So I understand that pressure. But I don’t want to build a life around doing things I know don’t feel right for me.
If writing, SEO or making YouTube videos takes me five years, let it take five. If it takes ten, let it take ten. I know my work is worth it.
I want to create work people can return to years from now. Work that lasts beyond a scroll, a million views or being forgotten tomorrow. God knows what I’m building. I don’t have to rush it to prove its value.
And becoming a multimillionaire isn’t my mission. I want to help people walk a path of alignment and find other ways to feel resourced and wealthy. Money matters. So does feeling supported, feeling safe, and having a life that feels like yours.
I also want us to make more room for smaller creators. When someone’s work moves you, read their writing. Subscribe. Share it. Follow them beyond this app. Larger creators can be part of that support, too. Good work deserves care before it becomes popular.
This isn’t a drag. It’s an invitation to think about who gets the freedom to leave, and how we can help more people build work they can sustain.
I’d rather my success marinate.
Read “Alex Elle Gets to Quit Instagram, But What About the Rest of Us?” in The Well(th) Letters:
https://thewellthletters.substack.com/p/alex-elle-leaving-instagram