Social media can be a hellscape for most artists. Fine tuning how you use it in your favor can be incredibly difficult. Algorithms change, you lose followers, and most of the time the pressure to post makes showing something your proud of more work than actually making the piece. It can be disheartening to feel unseen and unheard. During the pandemic, like most people, I downloaded tiktok to have something to do while stuck inside. It was the one platform I kept for myself to “not be an artist” on. Which is to say, I refused to let another form of social media kill me so I just posted what I wanted. I was surprised to find TikTok was a wonderful platform, one where feeds don’t matter. On tiktok, anyone can go “viral” which I think is why it is so freeing in most cases. That is not to say it is a perfect platform, but because it seems like there is no rhyme or reason to what is popular, it makes the platform fun. This is where social media started to feel good again for me. I genuinely laughed, learned, and watched content through and through. As a result of finding social media fun I really started to hone in on the creators and creatives that I like following and unfollowing the people who make it hard to use. Now I really only follow people, creators, or artists that have found a way to really use a platform beyond what is so commonly expected. So this newsletter I decided to share some of my favorite creatives on social media to help heal the long standing wounds social media has given us. Or at the very least, help make social media fun again.
One of the reasons I started this newsletter was because I had a disdain for instagram. I felt it only fair to start with someone who makes instagram fun and exciting, something beyond a photo sharing platform. Emily is still one of my favorite follows to date. Regularly she posts in depth analysis of anything photo related. From the evolution of magazine covers, to a full fledged break down of a photographer’s style past to present. Recently she broke down Juergen Teller’s work and it was brilliant in the wake of the Julia Fox photoshoot for The Cut.
One of the perks of having a greater following on Tiktok is becoming friendly with people I probably wouldn’t have known otherwise . Mandy is a trend forecaster and uses tiktok to break down fashion, designers, and trends we are expected to see in the future. Her content is both informative, unique, and honest. Something very rarely seen on social media. It makes learning about the history of fashion as exciting as it should be. I also value her hope for the fashion cycle to slow down.
Even if you don’t like fashion content, the videos Wisdom makes himself are interesting, creative, and inspiring. He could be proving why you should wear navy and black together in an amazing slow motion strut of different outfits, or collaborating with brands and making good and genuine content with the clothes he is modeling. He makes getting dressed more exciting, and to make something as simple as that fun for everyone is a true gift.
The POV has never been more powerful, especially considering Gen z tends to use it for content regularly. The line is often black and white though, a post can be cheesy and probably make someone cringe (see this instagram for examples) and then something like this. Maris Jones makes short films for tiktok and instagram. Highly entertaining and in general a fun scroll and find on any feed. I love taking a trip through time with Maris. With each watch I get a little more comfortable with the internet’s obsession with defining the POV.
Eric Gibbons or @ArtEdGuru:
I love this account because the internet can often be so black and white. I think what a lot of artists learn is that just because you don’t like a piece of art, does not mean that it is bad. Where as the internet thinks that because they do not like a piece of art it is disgusting and they are obligated to tell you. Eric will “duet” a tiktok and talk about the technique of an artists in a positive and uplifting way. He goes into depth informing his followers on the background of an art form. He talks about a wide range of mediums and always teaches me something when I see his videos.
Imagine your favorite cartoon streaming on tiktok, that’s what this account is. Animating either your favorite trendy videos or making entirely unique content all surrounding the same 2d cartoon. The talent behind this tiktok account is unreal. This goes beyond content creation, beyond artists showcasing their work. This is an account that uses the platform in a unique and fun way. It’s impossible not to follow and fall in love with this account.
Beth was one of the first artists I followed on tiktok because she taught simple and easy ways to hand stitch books. For any artists a zine is such a wonderful way to showcase a body of work. I think her step by step instructions on such a wide variety of books has made her one of my favorite follows to date. I would recommend to anyone who wants to take up book making, even if only to make a book dummy for yourself.
Freelancing is hard, and this guy makes it a little easier. As a freelancer myself I appreciate the scripts and tips he puts together for people trying to make it on their own. Especially considering often times when we are unsure there really is no one to ask for help.
Another fun short film maker both on tiktok and youtube. You never quite know what you’re going to get which always makes his videos all the more interesting. I think the less I say the better, I hope you enjoy his work as much as I do.
Of course all the people I have interviewed so far for this newsletter are great content creators too. I know social media has frustrated them endlessly, so I mean no harm in the whiplash of saying social media is good. I guess what I mean is as a young person in the world it would be nice to enjoy something that’s supposed to help me again. So while the newsletter is founded on how social media is terrible, it has been nice to see the bright side of things.