Who to follow on Instagram

I used to hate Instagram… more than any of the other social media platforms. It made me so miserable.

Every single photo of celebrities, fitness gurus and interiors websites made me feel disgustingly lazy, anti-social and shamefully lacking in floor to ceiling bookcases.

Don’t you think it’s also the most mind-numbingly addictive once you open it?

You can scroll forever and the images require even less interaction than Twitter posts. It’s the adult equivalent of an endlessly spinning mobile over a baby’s crib, except with built-in judgement and self loathing.

And then one day, I remembered that I’m an adult and, in many cases, I don’t have to do shit I don’t want to do.  So I deleted everyone off my account and started again.

Now I only follow people, companies and artists that make me feel inspired and/or hungry. Mostly, that’s illustrators, designers, photographers and cooks or cooking sites. There are a few interiors blogs, because… I’m weak. But really try and avoid too many of those, they are the WORST for making you feeling inadequate and poorer than a Church mouse (and if you’re wondering why Church mice are poor… I found this excellent rambling answer).

Below, I’ve included some of my favourite Instagram posts this week from a few of the people and companies I enjoy seeing regularly on my feed.

The top photo is from Somewhere Magazine, and it reminds me of growing up in New York in the 80s… even though I didn’t. Isn’t nostalgia funny that way sometimes? Below, the first two are a little sentimental maybe- read the full captions- but it’s nearly Christmas and they both share incredibly important messages about listening to other people, especially when they don’t agree with us. And not giving up when you’re trying something new, even if feels like EVERYONE in the world is better than you.

After that it’s just shameless beauty- art, food, a purple yellow colour combination and a bathroom that I would live in… especially as our apartment still has hardly any furniture. Told you I was weak.

Can I recommend one thing for Boxing Day? When you’re sat watching Die Hard 3 in your new Christmas pyjamas- delete pretty much everyone off your Instagram feed and start again. Don’t do shit that makes you feel miserable.

As I am hearing the stories of more and more makers, I find it so interesting to hear the WHY behind their craft. For me, painting began as a major stress outlet. While my husband was in a three year, 98 credit grad school program (and we had two little babes), the days were SLOW for me. I began painting flowers. I could SEE what I wanted them to look like in my head, but had to figure out how to get them there. I would paint them on the couch while I watched shows with my husband at 10 PM, as we finally wound down from the day, exhausted. I'd give them to friends, who would graciously 😬 put them in their living rooms. The best piece of advice I have for newer makers (if I'm even allowed to GIVE advice at this point), is to NOT know or follow the rules. Paint what you feel and see and hope for. Keep your head down and let what will flow out, flow out. Your creativity will build off of itself. There isn't anything new under the sun, but you see beauty in a unique way. Don't google"watercolor flowers". You'll end up finding everyone else(and there are exactly 34.9 THOUSAND people) who do it "better", and you'll end up feeling like the world doesn't have room for one more watercolor flower. It does! Fling the paint. Make the splotch look intentional. Accidentally glue your fingers together (that advice is from a friend 😉). You get the picture. 👌 Photo credit: @averylouisephotography

A post shared by Whitney Winkler // Artist (@whitneywinkler_art) on Dec 14, 2017 at 11:52am PST

I’ve been thinking a lot about last week when I posted about the conversation I had with Diane (re: same sex marriage and women “needing” men at home). After letting my feelings settle and sifting through what remained, I realized I judged her too harshly. I shouldn’t have judged her at all. And I wish I hadn’t chosen to share a picture of her and air my hurt feelings in that way. It wasn’t kind and I regret not being more thoughtful in my decision to discuss what happened. It’s something I’m always working on, being someone who lives so much of my life online, and I should have focused on my feelings and not the way I would have wanted her to be. We’re different people with different life experiences and I projected my expectations onto her unfairly. We care about each other and that’s the most important thing. So today I just listened. I learned more about her life, what she misses most about her late husband and how much she’s looking forward to the holidays with her family. Our lives and politics and beliefs are so different, but we have something important in common: we want to be there for the people we care about in our lives. And I’m going to start working on being a better friend to her and not expecting her to feel the same way I do about how homes and families look and operate. I think we’re all learning and growing more just by sharing time together in this kitchen every week so I’m going to focus more on appreciating that ❤️

A post shared by Grace Bonney (@designsponge) on Dec 14, 2017 at 10:49am PST

This guy 👈#artist #doubt #crap #everyday #illustration #illustrator #artwork #doodle #sketchbook #instaart #drawing

A post shared by Cécile Dormeau (@cecile.dormeau) on Dec 12, 2017 at 7:00am PST

Butternut! Squash! Baked! Pasta! @healthy_ish making big comfort food moves. Head to the link in our profile for @andybaraghani's recipe. 📷: @yungbludlau

A post shared by bonappetitmag (@bonappetitmag) on Dec 13, 2017 at 2:54pm PST

Double chocolate Nicecream YAY😍 or NAY🙅‍♀️? . I made this jar by blending 2 frozen bananas, 1 tbsp cacao powder, 3 tbsp plantbased milk and 1 tbsp maca powder. YUMMY 😍😍😍! The chocolate syrup is made by mixing 2 teaspoons cacao powder, 2 teaspoons maple syrup, 1 teaspoon coconut oil and 2 teaspoons water. Enjoy it ❤️ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . #nicecream #chocolatelover #icecream #helado #gelato #plantpowered #plantbaseddiet #plantbasedfood #forksoverknives #veganfoodie #veganfoodporn #veganfoodshare #veganrecipes #foodpost #ahealthynut #healthysnack #healthydessert #cioccolata #veganfood #foodgram #vegetarianfood #wholefoodsfaves #food4thought #f52grams #feedfeed #foodandwine #healthyrecipes #Yummyfood #veganbreakfast #vegans @healthycuisines @foodandwine @fooby.ch

A post shared by Vegan Food 🍀 By Carlo Cao (@vegaliciously) on Dec 14, 2017 at 11:47am PST

Violet is not a colour for everyone but I am loving it right now. It is quite tricky to use in interiors but I love how the colour has been balanced with the tan and the yellow pop. Image @designmom #interiorstylist #theneonfinca#bohemiandecor #currentdesignsituation#bohemianhome #dsnicerug#popofcolor#sodomino #bohemiandecor#bohohome #ihavethisthingwithtextiles #housegoals #thejungalow #interior123 #cactuslover#finditstyleit #bohemianmodern #thenewbohemians #interiorwarrior#decorcrushing #flashesofdelight#anthropologie #homedecor#bohemianinterior #kilimrug #rugsaremydrugs #interiorstylist

A post shared by The Neon Finca (@theneonfinca) on Dec 13, 2017 at 12:41am PST

For anyone who knows me knows I am a BIG fan of statement tile. High risk (because it’s pretty permanent) and high reward (because it can really make a room). Today on the blog we have rounded up our favorite online tile resources so you can go big with your next tile project. Designed by @projectmplus & 📷 by @davidtsay

A post shared by Emily Henderson (@em_henderson) on Dec 11, 2017 at 8:09am PST