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Instagram as an Art Form
A few weeks ago I posted a blog on “The Insta-Imperfect Life,” discussing the negative effects of the dramatically inflated lifestyle/travel facades and the unrealistic life expectations Instagram propagates. You can check out that blog here.
In that last blog I mentioned how my view of Instagram as a villainous portal to depression and unattainable expectations, or a beautifully convenient outlet for creativity, shifts pretty drastically from day to day. So today I want to talk about the opposite view from my initial blog. Today I will to bring Instagram into the positive light from which it is viewed, not by your general user, but by many lifestyle and travel influencers: Instagram as an art form.
Characteristics of an Instagram Creator
To discuss the legitimacy of Instagram as an artistic outlet, let me first give you a little background info on what an Instagram creator is and how they differ from a standard social media user.
There are two types of Instagrammers: You have your general Instagram user, who usually only occasionally posts “low quality photos of high quality fun,” and may sometimes view Instagram as an indirect source of depression. Then you have your heavy Instagram creator who uses Instagram as an outlet for artistic expression and for cultivating photography skills. These are the lifestyle and travel influencers you see with thousands or millions of followers. Instagram is their art gallery, and their feed as a whole is aesthetically lovely – almost like a portfolio.
Let me talk about a few characteristics of popular Instagram creators:
Like Color Schemes: If you go to Instagram creator’s profile and scroll down their feed, chances are there will be an overarching color scheme that tints all of their photos, giving their profile a unified vibe. That color scheme could be browns and neutrals, greens and whites, or one that is very popular right now, teal and orange. See how the examples below all have a teal and orange color scheme?
These photos were all taken side by side from my Instagram. Color scheming is achieved with intention, through choice of scenery, initial camera settings, and editing in post-production. Color scheme is probably the most evident and easily maneuverable forms of artistic expression on the Instagram platform, and in my opinion, the most defining element of a profile’s aesthetic.
Consistent scene setting: Whether it be capturing only silhouettes from behind, always shooting at sunset or sunrise, shooting with props or elaborately set up scenes, or capturing epic views from all around the world, all Instagram creators have a signature scene that classifies their work.
Consistency in style and texture: The last thing that is usually consistent across a creator’s feed is the overall look and tone their photos. Tone is how the photo makes you feel. Do the creator’s photos make you feel angsty? Youthful? Nostalgic? Moody? Inspired? Adventurous? All of these feelings can be achieved by a combination of colors, scenery, textures, and post edits. If you’re looking for examples, different tones could be: a grungy/city vibe, clean/lifestyle vibe, mystical/fantasy vibe, or saturated/adventurous vibes. After enough consistency, these specific “tones” can be coined as a creator’s signature style – something that always tells you whose photo you’re looking at, without even having to look at who posted it. Just like how we all know an Emily Dickinson poem, or a Queen song from the first moment of experiencing it.
Take a look at some of my favorite Instagram Artist accounts to see strong examples of these characteristics:
@brandonwoelfel – teal color scheme, consistent use of reflective surfaces and fairy lights, usually shot in the city around a lot of neon.
@malloryonthemoon – green and white color scheme, consistent use of florals, faded rainbow colors, life is great vibe
@steffy – orange and mustard color scheme, lots of lifestyle and fashion content, consistent use of set up/posed scenes that have a “would be” natural look.
@amelia.edmondson – pink and beige color scheme, consistent use of faded/vintage filters, flower child vibes
@recesscity – green and blue color scheme, all photos shot from behind and framing nature, consistently travel and adventure photos
@sam_kolder – teal and orange color scheme, originator of the “corner pool shot,” consistent use of epic, sweeping views in exotic travel destinations and hotels
Do you see how each one of these Instagram creators has a very signature style?
Social Media vs. Art
Now I know what you may be thinking at this point. “We live in an era of youth so absorbed in the convoluted details of social media that it is a disappointment to society!” Well, sort of. When viewed under the “social media” umbrella, all these definitions and breaks downs may sound entirely too read into and insignificant in the grand scheme of life. But Instagram is one of those social media platforms that combines social media and an art form – that art form being photography. So if you look at all of this under a different umbrella, you might just gain a legitimate appreciation for this little purple and orange app that is sitting on your home screen. And that umbrella is: art.
I like to look at Instagram like a personal gallery in an art museum. If a museum hired you to display your work in a gallery, you wouldn’t give them work that was flippant or haphazard. You would want to display your best art that you worked hard on and took pride in – art that was thoughtful and strategically manifested for professional display. Does all this art have to tell a true story of your life? No. It just has to make the viewer feel something.
So if this is the case for any other type of art, why can’t Instagram be a product of hobby and not a product of lifestyle? What if it doesn’t have to be an obligation of “one-upping” the next person. Maybe it is just fun to take pictures of delicious food and pretty swimming pools and exotic travel destinations. I don’t think anyone is trying to fool anyone into believing the pieces they post on Instagram illustrate their real life. Instagram frames and fancifies mere highlights, exaggerations even, of what was truly experienced. And if we acknowledge the fiction of these posts, why not roll with perfecting these masterpieces? Why not explore the beauty and creative expression you can achieve in the art form of photography and photo editing? Why not gift the virtual world photography that will gain you a following and possibly give you a career?
So you can pose that candid to better capture the mood of the scene. You can include an unrealistic amount office supplies in your laptop coffee shop setting if that’s the picture you want to create. You can pile donuts in a pretty tower and frame yourself in firefly lights, if that is your vision for your art gallery. But it is also important that you are honest with yourself and your viewers about the message you are trying to convey – “my life is just naturally awesome and to be envied and I don’t even have to try” or “these are the brushed up versions of my favorite parts of my life, that yes, I did spend a good amount of time shooting, editing, and contemplating a caption for.”
Naturalism vs. Romanticism
The point is, social media takes effort. What you post on Instagram is not required, nor is it likely, to be your 100% real life, the good, the bad, and the dirty. Because social media is too far gone from that anyways and people don't like disclosing their flaws. The whole stigma that what you post on Instagram has to be natural and real is an unattainable lie. Social media users have their brains in the ever so popular Naturalist movement, but their actions in Romanticism. So we all shame unreality, while at the same time secretly competing to achieve it at a seemingly effortless degree. Because for some reason humans have popularized the idea of confidence with ease and the appearance of not even trying. This results in Instagram posts framing highly exaggerated versions of life that are captioned with a nonchalant air, which lead viewers to believe that these outrageously glorified posts must be true to life.
But this is simply not the case. You’re wrong if you don’t think that every photo on an Instagram creator’s profile is not carefully thought out, posed, captured at thirty different angles, and edited multiple times in post. And that is okay! My call to action here is that we recognize that art for what it is, and not try to label it as “natural” or “effortless.” That belief is what leads to the depression, dissatisfaction with life, and the feelings of inadequacy that I talked about it my initial blog post.
So yes, it is 100% fine and in fact encouraged to post beautiful, carefully arranged, and radically edited photos on Instagram! Make this free app that reaches thousands more people than a physical art gallery your hub for business! Use this access to a worldwide audience to showcase your photography to more people than you ever could have eight years ago. And don’t let anyone shame you out of a hobby or career you love in the name of “being a lie.” If our society is holding Instagram up to the standard of naturalism, our expectations of what is natural and effortless are way too high to ever realistically maintain. Let us all take a step back from shaming the “unrealistic expectations” set by Instagram creators, and appreciate the efforts, creativity, and talents that the Instagram community has gifted us with!