Friday, November 1st 2019
When I decided to make Bumble Bee an Instagram, it was a decision out of love for my previous dogs. I have less than 10 photos of my childhood dog, Libby. One of them was when she was sick in the hospital before her death. I have less than 200 photos of my other dog, Abby. After their deaths, I looked for photos to remember them, and I realized that we did not document their lives. Having videos and photos is not everything, but it helps you remember happy moments. Those dogs taught me how to love, how to treat others and how to be compassionate; yet, I have so few tangible things to remember them by. So, I made Bee an Instagram: “Because one day, hopefully no less than 14 years from now, I’ll need these memories” (April 24, 2019, our first Instagram post).
However, with Instagram comes opportunity, and I feel a need to address this situation head on. In society today, people can make their livings off Instagram and social media. Being born in 1997, I have seen this industry come into a reality first hand. And, honestly, I still find it shocking. If this had been the reality when I was growing up, my “Disney Auditions” that I recorded on my parent’s computer would have been posted onto the internet. And, I would likely have many regrets about that 12-year-old decision today. But, in terms of Bee’s Instagram, this financial aspect poses a crossroads. I can choose to accept the free merchandise and sponsorship deals, or I can choose to forgo them and the financial opportunity they bring. I am here to tell you that we have chosen to not take these opportunities thus far. And now, I will tell you why.
Bee is my best friend. He brings so much light into my life every day. Anyone that has known me knows that I have been waiting for my first golden retriever since I was a kid. I used to say “it will be the happiest day of my life.” And, it was. This Instagram is meant to be a-highlights-of-his-life and a-documentation-of-his-milestones. Am I lucky that so many people want to follow along? Hell. Yes. But at the end of the day, the followers and growth are just a bonus. This Instagram is about a puppy growing up with his kinda-crazy mom. And, it will always be that.
So, I can tell you that as of today we have never received free items and we have never gotten money through Instagram or anything associated with @bumblebeethegolden. This account is not a source of profit for us, it is a source of joy. We do have plans in the coming months to begin taking partnerships and start working on other fun projects. However, we want this process to be completely transparent. When we partner with various companies and nonprofits, it will be out of spreading awareness for a cause that we believe in and not out of financial motivation. This is meant to be a place of spreading love and puppy-memories, and we never want to change that. When we partner with any company, we are going to release an article onto the blog explaining why we made that decision. We want to note that we will be very selective in choosing partnerships. It will have to be a company or organization that we truly love and believe in their message. We are here making content for ourselves, for the future and for you. We are not here to take every financial opportunity thrown our way, it isn’t our style. Thank you for following along with us, it means a lot. But Bee, he means the world, and our memories are not for profit.