The allure of being on Instagram escaped me for the longest time. That is, until I finally caved in when I traded in my flip phone for the “smart” kind and have since come to embrace the platform. Follow me [!] there: @moore_jeni
For Visual Creatives it is the ultimate mobile feast. And while I can follow most of the artistic celebrities who already have global gobs of audiences, I get a bigger kick discovering – and in some cases, interacting with – Creatives who should have more acclaim. This is how I became familiar with the photographic portfolio of Aaron Kinney.
Whether a new posting from Aaron is a studio or location shot, his images spark me. So when his work had appeared with a model named Tatjana Sinkevica, who commands a NYC rooftop while dressed in nearly all black warrior-wear, I couldn’t resist the challenge of recreating her very angled presence. And as I always respect another artist’s right of ownership, I reached out to Aaron who kindly allowed me to go public with my watercolor spin of his photo.
Mix of water media
Art by Jeni Moore 
I agree; Instagram is a great place for creatives. I just happen to suck at dealing with all of the nonsense (ads, conspiracy theories, toxic posts, etc.) on the the free social media platforms — Facebook, Instagram, Google Plus, Twitter, Flickr, etc. — so I’ve come back to WordPress, where I have more control over my content.
Hi Mitch,
Curiously enough, I have never replied to a comment from a WordPress comrade before!
I understand you in picking your platform battles. Yet, I run up against many WP blogs littered with ads, etc. While a lot of social platforms have faded away, I’ve whittled down the time spent in any forum. Never had any use for Twitter… Facebook, well, lately I don’t really check in while many events are just not an option during this pandemic. And that limited time applies to my Instagram account also. [On that note, there is an interesting essay at The New York Times written by a guy who wanted to know what a year without the internet would affect him – mostly for the better. Not surprisingly, to me.]
In the end, I’m all for the freedom to choose what one values. But it never hurts to periodically question what we do value!
Jeni
Never replied to a WordPress comrade before? Now *that’s* a surprise — haha!
On my prior WP blogs (two of them), I found an amazing community that was very much involved with excellent back-and-forth dialog — much more so than any other platform that I’ve ever used. As far as the WP ads are concerned, those are either the free accounts or the monetized accounts — mine is neither; I pay an annual fee to keep the ads out.
I totally agree with periodically questioning what we do value; I go through that process regularly.
Nice to meet you!
Nice to “meet” you as well!
And with that, I intend to delve deeper into your work – time permitting. About ten years ago I was diagnosed with “Acquired ADD/ADHD”. With this limited or – as I feel it – attention interference, I do my best to avoid online rabbit holes. And some tech effect advancements do not go down well at all for me. Marketing tricks such as placing flash content, movement and flashing and usually planted at the right of the screen, et al, really makes me batty. These ploys seem easier to ignore with the format via Instagram. [Of course, in saying that I practically invited Instagram to do an unwelcome makeover!]
This WP portfolio I’ve had [which could really really use a makeover] was built on the intent of providing an ad-free online location for anyone interested. And on that note, I wish us both well!