Image: Prue Stent’s Instagram page
Recently we discussed how social media integrates with an artist’s career, hearing how some artists turn to it for inspiration and others find it a chore.
Read: How artists use social media effectively
Here we ask the same artists for advice on what they have learned from being an artist on social and take a look at some of their recent Instagram selections.
Marion Borgelt
Primary media: Painting, installation, mixed media
Favourite platform: Instagram
Advice: ‘It’s natural for people to show themselves in the best light but the vanity of some frequently goes too far. Start to see through what people are saying and where they are coming from. They often present a mask or just simply a single facet of their true personalities. It would be wise to bear in mind that people project what they want to project and that will not always stand up as the reality.’
Follow at: Instagram marion_borgelt
Sharon Louden
Primary media: painting, drawing, animation, sculpture, installations.
Favourite platform: Twitter
Advice: ‘It’s important to note the obvious, that social media IS social, so I don’t believe it’s solely for promotion nor should it be. Follow people you can learn from. On Twitter (my favorite platform), I actively follow Australia’s own Clementine Ford, Hyperallergic’s Hrag Vartanian, Bath School of Art & Design’s Anita Taylor, artist Oliver Leach; for my fill of sports and politics, Ben White.’
Follow at: Twitter @ LoudenStudio and Instagram sharonlouden
Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran
Primary media: ceramics
Favourite platform: Instagram
Advice: ‘The photos have to be great … when I am doing my exhibitions I always make sure there are some images in there that can function as hero image – that is just part of a professional mindset.’
Follow at: Instagram rams_deep69
Stanislava Pinchuk (aka miso)
Primary media: Street art, tattooing, photography, installations
Favourite platform: Instagram or Tumblr
Advice: ‘Don’t think about it too much! My advice would be to not bother with it, if it’s not up your alley. I don’t think it’s a be-all-and-end-all for anyone creative. Use it if it feels intuitive, or inspiring.
‘[Tumblr & Instagram] are much more straightforward, purely visual platforms. Being a visual artist, they feel pretty complimentary to the way I like to communicate and also absorb information, and give me a scroll of inspiring images & ideas on a daily basis.’
Follow at: Instagram m_i_s_o_ and m-i-s-o.tumblr.com/
Prue Stent
Primary media: photography
Favourite platform: Instagram
Advice: ‘‘I don’t think anyone should measure their importance against their following or how many ‘likes’ they get. I know lots of successful artists who have little to no online presence – it really just depends on the person and their work method.’
Follow at: Instagram prue_stent
