I Kinda Hate Instagram
Growing up in the age of social media, I’ve always felt this tension between creating work that the algorithm favours and making work I actually want to create (even the fact that I’ve personified the “algorithm” as a thing of its own creeps me out). I’ve always struggled with the dichotomy between creating work that resonates with me internally and creating work that I know will “perform” well. I’m sure somewhere along the line, there’s overlap between those two things, but with the rise of social media and algorithm-based content, the overlap seems increasingly narrow.
I recognize that the tension I feel intersects and is heavily influenced by capitalism and its power to taint everything I do with the lens of profit and productivity. Subconsciously, my Instagram feed needs to produce more demand for my work in order to make the effort of creating content worthwhile. And feeding the belly of the algorithm is a clearer path to generating more “success” (in the measure of profit and engagement) than making work that feels meaningful to me.
I get it though. I struggle with perpetuating the same thing I’m criticizing because I love consuming content. Haha. When I get a notification that someone I follow on Youtube has posted a new video, something in my brain lights up. I’m constantly looking at Instagram for inspiration from other artists and scrolling to see what the latest trend is.
I’ve heard so many of the artists and creatives I follow on social media talk about how exhausting content creation is when coupled with artmaking. Of course, I understand the desire to engage with your audience and to create work that people will buy/consume. At the core of it, I think my issue with Instagram isn’t the platform itself but rather the way it continues to shape the landscape of art and design as well as the livelihood of an artist and their practice. I hate the idea of making art for “engagement”. It turns art into content, which I feel dilutes the practice of artmaking into a superficial and unpleasant experience. For me, I started posting my art on Instagram around August 2019. I had this whole vision of what my feed would look like and how I could make it as aesthetically-pleasing as possible. The pre-reels era of Instagram was all about curating your feed and I remember my goal was NOT to create personal work but rather to get followers – and it showed. I look back at that time and the kind of work I was producing (yes, more machine metaphors), and it doesn’t feel like my style at all.
“At the core of it, I think my issue with Instagram isn’t the platform itself but rather the way it continues to shape the landscape of art and design as well as the livelihood of an artist and their practice. ”
I recently reached out to and met up with Lisa Taniguchi, (@lisa.taniguchi) a Vancouver-based lettering artist, to learn more about her practice and creative journey. She was so lovely to chat with and I really appreciated her perspectives on creativity, community, and most especially, social media.
Lisa talked about Instagram as a form of documenting her process, showcasing the “behind-the-scenes” shots on her projects, and giving people an insight into her creative life. She saw social media as an opportunity and tool to connect with fellow creatives and potential clients alike. It’s evident to me that who she is as a creative translates well into the work she’s putting out on her account. At the same time, it was so validating to hear her struggle with the same things I was voicing and the pressure I felt to use this platform. One of the most memorable things Lisa said was, “Do what feels natural to you". She encouraged me to post things because I felt like it and to be active only on the platforms that felt most relevant to me. When I look at the people who have tons of followers, they’re on every single social media platform imaginable. I just don’t have the desire or capacity to make tiktoks, while making Youtube videos, while writing clever things on Threads, while being on Snapchat, while also posting on Instagram. All of that sounds exhausting and because I felt this immense pressure to be on each platform, it depleted my motivation to be on a single one.
I was also reminded of my last year at Emily Carr University when I got to chat with April Dela Noche Milne (@apricotjoy) who’s a Vancouver-based Illustrator working at our school. She emphasized the idea of telling the story that’s personal to you. No matter how much the world tells you to be one thing at a time, allow yourself to showcase and honor the intersectionality and multiplicity your identity occupies. A lot of what she shared revealed itself through her Instagram account; to me, April’s approach to Instagram likens the practice of diarykeeping – informal yet familiar and personal. Her Instagram story highlights are so interesting; there are stories on how she grapples with grief, moments of immense joy through food, reflections on what family connection looks like, and ongoing updates on what her practice involves. Instagram can be such a performative space at times, so I really admire how real and raw April is; I love getting an insight into her personality and day to day.
“No matter how much the world tells us to be one thing at a time, allow yourself to showcase and honor the intersectionality and multiplicity your identity occupies. ”
After reflecting on these conversations, I’ve been able to adopt a new mindset towards social media, at least in terms of my creative practice. I’m trying to view Instagram as a way to share more of who I am as an artist with others and share more of my creative process. Whatever opportunities that leads to, I’m open. I would love to connect with more people like Lisa and April, and potentially connect with people eager to work with me. At the very least, sharing more of my work enables me to document my progress over time and I’ve noticed this attitude has made sharing my work online so much more fun. I actually look forward to sharing things now and I feel much less of the burden to create work for “engagement”.
Shameless plug: if you’re interested in seeing more of my work, check out my recent posts below or follow me @artsyfyfy :) I invite you to reach out to me on social media or email if you want to share any questions, curiosities, or reflections with me :)
Chat soon, okay? :)
