My Love Affair With Instagram
Note: You can find me on instagram at @merekdavis
Instagram has become for me, my muse. I find myself spending less and less time on Facebook, and more time interacting with the photographers and designers on Instagram. I never thought I'd spend my "social networking time" on a hobby photo sharing site, but it's true: Instagram, I love you.
A Backstory: I was using instagram as most people do: Snap a quick picture of whatever is going in at that moment of my life, instantly. And then I started discovering artists who were using IG (Instagram) in a completely new way. There were insane compositions, collaborations, contests, and all sorts of strange things. I felt that I was missing out on a truely enjoyable experience. This was about three months ago I decided to change how I looked at Instagram, and I haven't looked back.
Instagram has changed so much about how I view my professional work. It's caused me to be more creative, push my limitations of what I think is possible with a phone. I've made friends who share the same creative drive and thinking outside the box. I no longer document my life, but now I have an outlet to vent new ideas, create new worlds, and experiment with colors and get instant feedback. I created two sets of textures called, appropriately called Mextures, and released them on an Instagram post. In just 6 weeks, they've been downloaded just over 26,000 times. Almost 8,000 pictures have been hashtaged with #mextures on Instagram. It was a chance for me to show my appreciation to my peers, and it took off more than I ever imagined.
I've picked up some incredible jobs as a result of pushing iphone design work on there. In fact, I've picked up one of my largest design jobs from an artist seeing one of my designs on there. I've sold quite a few prints. I've bought quite a few prints from other artists. I've been featured on numerous websites. I don't say this to brag, but rather, I say it because an iPhone app has changed how I view my own business, and my hobby. I've been inspired over and over and over by complete strangers. Strangers who are in a different career path, but share the same styles and art as I do.
It's hands down been one of the best social networks I've been a part of. Does it have its problems? Absolutely. Should there be easier ways to communicate with people? Oh yeah. Will I have to endure food and coffee pictures? *sigh* Yes..... But, at the end of the day, I'm still being inspired. I am still pushing the limits of my phone and my creativity. Facebook is a great way to network with other professionals, but when it comes time to post my work, I choose you Instagram.
Some of my latest Instagram Work:
