FORWARD

“The definition of insanity is repeating the same actions and expecting different results.”

This is a fairly common quote. Not sure where it comes from, but it is not, in fact, the definition of insanity. And yet, the truth and wisdom of the statement is undeniable.

As human beings, we are largely creatures of habit. We are defined by our programming.

In light of events of the past year, I am taking a breather. Something isn’t working. Actually, a lot of things aren’t working. When I lost my job a couple of months ago, I tried to redouble my efforts and saw virtually no results.

When you’ve done everything you can and it isn’t working, you need to ask yourself what it is that you aren’t doing. What haven’t you tried? So that’s what I’m doing. Taking some time to look at what I can do differently going forward.

I’ve started a newsletter on Substack. It’s a robust platform that will allow me to write and build up a mailing list for what comes next. It is free to subscribe to the newsletter, though they do allow paid tiers. I am undecided on adding a paid subscription. Truthfully, I’m still trying to figure out how best to use it. ***Note: a previous version of this post mentioned a newsletter on Beehiiv. I’ve since found Substack to be a better option, thus the change and the note.

Last week I got off of social media. I’m remaining off the grid for the next couple of weeks. Well… mostly. One change I’ve made is fixing my instagram. I started another account. Going forward, I’ll be separating my business in an effort to change how I present myself. If you have an instagram, please follow my Six Flags New Orleans page. My main account will be focused solely on portrait and landscape photography. I’ll be posting more Six Flags content to the new page through the rest of the week. Despite this, I am not looking at instagram and remain offline.

At the end of the week, I’ll be traveling to Europe for my first overseas trip. There I’ll be seeing Portugal, Spain, the Canary Islands and Morocco. The time away will do me good. I’ll be bringing my Sony a7c with two new Viltrox lenses. I’ll also have my tablet and a portable keyboard, in case I get the urge to makes some notes or get some writing done.

Hopefully, when I return to the States, I’ll be carry some fresh perspective.

Stagnancy is a slow death. I still have some living to do.

#change #forwardthinking #substack #instagram #SixFlagsNewOrleans #Portugal #Europe #Spain #CanaryIslands #Morocco #Viltrox

Buck Santino

Adam "Buck" Santino is a New Orleans-based writer, photographer, and storyteller. He has two books available on Amazon — a memoir about his time working at Walt Disney World and an anthology of short fiction. His photography ranges from street work and portraits to documentary subjects, with a particular focus on place and memory.

From 2023 to 2025, Buck was the Assistant Archival Photographer for Six Flags New Orleans. Prints of this historic work are available at Santinoart.com.

https://www.santinoart.com
Previous
Previous

Norwegian Vs Carnival

Next
Next

One Hundred Grand