I definitely am guilty of spending a little too much time on social media, especially on Instagram however I don't necessarily see this as loss or waste of time. A lot of the accounts I follow post design work, provide creative inspiration or are profiles ran by advertising agencies.
Loads of creative professionals now use social media not only to showcase their own work but as a way to check out what other artists/designers are up to, what trends are gaining traction, to search for a specific styles or topics or maybe just to procrastinate (but hopefully not to much!)
However finding a work life balance can be tricky in any profession but especially for anyone who is creative and introducing more influences into your personal life can feel overwhelming. It's important not to fall into the trap of only following creative accounts and constantly looking at work others have produced. Sometimes this can be anti- productive!
The 80/20 Approach
A great way to stop your whole feed being swamped by creative accounts is to follow around 80% creative accounts, these don't need all even need to be in your field of work or interest. Just anything you find genuinely interesting and then 20% of anything you like.
This means that that you can head to your Instagram account when you need inspiration or just accidentally stumble across great work whilst using it but there are always other posts to grab your attention, other topics you are interested in, funny internet memes or cute animal pics are all great choices!
I find this a great way to keep my account personal, interesting and light hearted. So I don't use it solely for work or personal use and feel just a little bit better about spending time on social media!
Let's take a look at some of my favourite Instagram accounts to follow.
Both creative and not!
2. The Die Line
Personally I love looking at Packaging design projects! There's so many challenges when designing product packaging that when it's done right it looks amazing!
If you also like this area of design I definitely recommend following this account and checking out their blog!
3. ProCreate
This account is packed full of amazing illustrations which were created using the ProCreate app (if you haven't ready heard of it find out more here.)
Not only will you discover cool styles, shapes and colours but it's a great way to stay up-to-date with how mobile applications are developing and the technology they are using.
4. Gebelia (aka Elia Colombo)
Our whole team love Elia's clever and individual style. His work explores all sorts of topics and communicates in innovative ways. The way he thinks and expresses ideas through colour and drawing is genius.
Looking at his work and thinking process is a great way to learn and stay inspired.
If you have not already heard of It's Nice That company check out their main blog site here. It's an essential for any creative and so is their Instagram profile.
They share a great mix of projects so the work is diverse and always interesting.
I love following NASA because the images are literally out of this world. In a way it's still very creative but also scientific and it's easy to get a little lost in their feed but that's no bad thing!
You can learn a little about what they are up to in their stories and some cool facts about the solar system so if you are at all into space this account is one for you!
Let us know what you think of these accounts and send us any which you can't get enough of!
There's certainly plenty more to find on Instagram and don't forget to interact with people profiles, if you like something tell them! If you want to talk to a person or brand you admire politely reach out. That's what's great about social media!
If you are in the mood to keep reading this post might be one to check out next:
Create stand out social media pictures.
