As a social media professional, I’m all too familiar with the term ‘’Instagram aesthetic.’ It’s one of many buzzwords influencers or brands may use to describe content or engagement, along with terms like, ‘UGC,’ ‘follower ratio,’ or even ‘shareability.’
Having a cohesive Instagram aesthetic essentially means that all of the photos in one user’s Instagram account match a certain color scheme, pattern or theme. It can make a feed look like a curated gallery, as opposed to a user profile.
Looking at a cohesive gallery is kind of therapeutic; like watching marbles roll into place or lining colored pencils up in order. And while it’s incredibly difficult to maintain, it’s something I’d definitely recommend for most brands.
Why is it so difficult, you ask? Because it means that every photo you share on Instagram has to fit within your chosen parameters. It means that photos must not only be high-quality and properly edited, but that the subject will match the subjects came before it.
It takes tremendous discipline + a skilled eye, and for some influencers, that discipline can have a huge payoff. It makes your feed stand out; showing potential followers that you are a visual artist worth following. It can also show prospective sponsorship partners that you know a thing or two about branding.
For me, it’s a tremendous struggle. And, as silly as it is, I look at my Instagram feed and feel very insecure. I flip through other’s feeds with envy, and then flip back to mine. I think things like, “maybe I should just delete this photo,” or “why didn’t I try making this more vibrant?!” I feel like having a flawless feed is a requirement for bloggers and I am failing miserably.
When it comes down to it, visualizing how an unplanned photo will fit into my gallery just doesn’t come naturally to me.
Upon talking about this with one of my role models (see last week’s post), she pointed out that I shouldn’t even worry about an Instagram aesthetic.
“Does that really even make sense for your ‘brand’?” she asked.
Suddenly, a light switch went off. No, it really doesn’t.
When I started Soul Cookies, I was inspired by the idea of making people feel as if they were enough. I wanted my readers to remember that real life exists outside of social media and that they’re not alone in feeling insecure from the online noise.
I made a promise to myself that I would be more transparent on social media and urge others to do the same. Well, I like to photograph things that reflect my current thoughts, moods and scenery, and sometimes that can be spontaneous and mis-matched.
Maybe by being imperfect, I won’t be intimidating to others. Maybe that’s what my “brand” is all about.
With that said, I want people to enjoy following me on Instagram. Of course, I’m no stranger to filters, and as a photographer, I’ll always try my best to keep things fun, bright, beautiful and honest. At the moment, that’s a theme that’s attainable for me.
So while having a stunning, cohesive Instagram makes total sense for Designers, Visual Artists, some Bloggers and even models, it doesn’t really make sense for my blog. And you know what? I’m starting to become ok with it.
What about you?
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