We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Wendy Hansen. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Wendy below.

Wendy, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Do you manage your own social media?

I have a love-hate relationship with social media, the powerful asset that has transformed my business and given my audience a worldwide audience, but at the cost of my precious time, mental health, and other priorities. However, with much experimentation to settle on a system that works for me, I continue to manage my own social media, because it has always been primarily my outlet for self-expression. Only recently has it become a business tool as well. As my purpose for using it shifts, the care with which I use it does not.

Each time I open social media, I state my intention with it, and make sure I don’t get sucked in beyond that. For consumers, it is often a toxic and addictive environment, so I have made the decision not to be a consumer. Over the years, I’ve tried different ways to use social media, and the best thing I’ve done is unfollow all accounts, and take a regular break for 7 out of every 10 days. As a creator, I try to only share meaningful content that adds value, and I hope I don’t add to the noise of the online environment.

This is just what works for me currently. Perhaps in the future I will be completely social-media free. For other creatives and businesses, the use of social media can only be a personal decision. It is based on an ongoing evaluation of how much social media costs, versus its benefit. And when the cost is too high, and it is negatively impacting the way we live and feel about ourselves, our usage must change, other business tools must replace social media, or someone else can be hired to take on the responsibility.

Wendy, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I am the environmental self-portrait and portrait photographer behind A Quiet Wild. The photos I make illustrate the conversation between nature and human, and how this connection is actually a conversation within. I hope to remind viewers that we are a part of nature, and to hurt the planet is to hurt ourselves. Intentional living and self-discovery are my priorities, and I believe these are lacking aspects in the current state of environmentalism. We can only make the planet a better place when we have a deep understanding of our behaviour, which gives us the ability to change it to better reflect our values. This must be paired with a recognition of our impact on nature, and its value that lies far beyond a monetary, resource-based definition.

In summary, I create photos to be a voice for the planet.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

There are three things over the years that I believe have made the most impact on my social media growth – genuineness, community, and uniqueness.

The first is having a reason to share my art that did not include growth. For me, the growth was always a bonus, but not something I actively encouraged. My page was never somewhere to find the latest viral content structure, or get a follow for a follow. But it was a place to learn my latest thoughts, struggles, and joys, and see art that came from my heart. As a result, my community got to know me, and my genuineness meant that those who liked what they saw would stay.

The second factor in my social media growth was building a local community. Joining local photography groups filled with like-minded individuals was critical in expanding my network, and making friends in the industry with whom to trade inspiration and knowledge. The more in-person friends I made, the more reach I got online as well. Now, although I follow no one on social media, my real-life friendships with fellow artists are stronger and more abundant than ever. Try to turn those brief social media interactions that have a spark into something real and deeper.

Finally, the biggest push in growth seemed to occur when I found my own unique aesthetic. It’s pretty easy to recognise the theme of my photographs now and maybe even to know an image is mine without seeing my name attached to it. Whereas when I was first learning, my images weren’t unique (which is just a part of learning). Practicing and creating often and regularly, and continuing to learn, has pushed me to refine my style. People have more of a reason to follow me if they like my content, versus before I was just a drop in a same-same bucket.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

Organically, my clients come mainly from Instagram, and either contact me directly on the app, or through my website. I do not advertise or pitch clients at the moment as I prioritize a slow pace of life and prefer to work less, to keep my motivation for client projects.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://aquietwild.com
• Instagram: aquietwild