My Personal Art Gallery

Welcome! Maybe you found your way here through Instagram and you would like to know my take on said social media. It may not be as controversial as you would have thought, or as eloquently phrased as I would have wished, but it is an attempt to explain why and how I use this very popular app.

It’s intriguing how much someone’s Instagram wall says about the person behind it. Pictures do say a lot – although as someone who loves words, I’m not willing to admit that a picture says more than a thousand words. Whether we are aware of it or not, our walls tell a tale of who we are – or wish to be. Before you continue reading this post, I would like you to do an exercise. Open your Instagram app and take a look at a random stranger’s Instagram account. Then think about what impression the collection of photos gives you. Please, go on. I’ll be waiting here. 

What is your verdict? Maybe you didn’t get any specific impression at all. That happens. Perhaps the wall consisted of nothing but people posing? Which made you think this must be a very social person. There might have been lots of pictures of animals, leading you to believe that the account holder loves animals. Possibly, there were posts of their family, landscapes, buildings, food or cars, all of which must lie this person close to heart. Or not. I bet most people on Instagram don’t have a special agenda or purpose with their account and they might not even be aware of how their posts, or the collected impression of their posts, are perceived by others. Additionally, not everyone actually reflects on how they view other people’s accounts. 

I know exactly what my purpose is and how I want to use Instagram. Usually, I only post my absolute best photos, which also have to fit in among the other photos. I think long and hard before every post, being as meticulous as I am with my texts.  And I guess it’s a reflection of who I am, or at least strive to be.  

So how did it all start? I’ve always liked photography, but never really had the time or energy to invest in expensive software. The reason why I got Instagram was that it looked like an easy and free way of experimenting and editing pictures. I remember being somewhat annoyed that others were able to see the pictures and surprised to find that it was included as a social media platform. Yes, that’s how clueless I was! Once I accepted the concept of sharing, I realized that I could use my Instagram account as my own personal art gallery. Trying to capture the most beautiful moments in life is virtually impossible, and we all know that some things are not “instagrammable”. However, the depiction of beauty is what I mostly strive for when posting, and that is attainable. I’m always aware of light and composition in my photos (although I don’t always live up to my own standards). 

Granted, humans can be very beautiful, but since I haven’t practiced taking pictures of other people, I have preferred photographing objects and nature. Personally, I avoid posting too many pictures of others, partly because I’m not good at it, partly because there is just no need to constantly show who I’m with or what we are doing. However, that is my take. Others are completely entitled to use their accounts differently. It would be unfair of me to dismiss other peoples' accounts, just because they don’t share my opinions. In fact, I have found that Instagram is a great tool for staying in touch with friends far away. Although they are not personally addressed, I view my friends' pictures as electronic postcards in which I can get a glimpse of what is going on in my their lives. 

To conclude, I am an amateur photograph, but I am definitely not the main character of my Instagram account, nor are the events of my life. It is the pictures, which tell the stories about themselves.