Is this Instagram Worthy?

The struggle with appealing to the masses…

My piece of art captures a blend of styles that reflect a similar tone of an Instagram photo. The filters and use of color allowed me to use the influence that Instagram photography, and social media as a whole, has had on the art I produce. Now that editing and photography is so prevalent in modern day culture, I am required to incorporate those styles to appeal to my viewers.

This photo is the view from my window in my apartment in Chicago, IL. The building behind mine is architecturally very modern-sharp lines, glass windows, and a sleek structure. My vision was to have this photo not only represent glitch art and the advancements of the digital age, but also to capture what could have been a well-liked Instagram photo, and turned it into a unique piece of modern art.

It was taken on an iPhone 6. Why does this have significance? People are no longer capturing moments with digital cameras as often as they are with their smartphones, because the quality has improved significantly over the years. This allows for amateur photographers to become artists within seconds, due to the wide variety of features smartphones offer to their users. This improves the overall content that is posted to social media platforms such as Instagram, calling everyone to step up their game.

Let’s dive into the actual piece of art itself. As I said before, I was inspired by the color schemes of Instagram photos that utilize filters. I took those colors and created a piece that not only captured an interesting look at a building, but also played with the idea of light. I was fascinated by the architectural elements of the building because of how well the glass-like, mirror reflection of the windows captures the sky. The blue sky and fluffy white clouds slowly setting around 6:12 pm allowed for a beautiful scene to be captured. Most photographers enjoy shooting in the latter parts of the afternoon, because the lighting is best when the sun is setting.

I included one part of the original photo because I wanted to show the contrast between the digital “glitch” elements of my work, and the natural, organic aspects of the image itself. People can so often get carried away with making the image look so far from the original that we lose the authenticity of the natural photograph. I appreciate when artists take time to include some of the original aspects of their work, whether that is an original photo, or including white space on a canvas that has transformed into a masterpiece.

Although I am very satisfied with the way my work turned out, I do not feel that it is worth posting on my Instagram account. This seems to be an issue many face when trying to keep up with the constant activity on social media. This image is so different than the other ones that I have posted, so I am concerned it may not blend in with the rest of the pictures I have uploaded. The struggle with deciding whether or not to post something seems so minor and almost humorous, however, it is in fact a problem that people encounter when they capture the perfect “Kodak” moment. Is this good enough for Instagram? How many people will like this photo? Am I appealing to my audience?

The very questions people ask now are not so different than the questions artists asked themselves years ago, and continue to today. Either way, when we capture images and decide to create a piece of art and upload them, we become publishers of that image and all of a sudden, our name is behind it. We have an urge to appeal to the masses and create something that people will enjoy. Just as artists want to sell their painting, Instagramers want to gain a good following. It is perhaps the goal of art, to express yourself and share to others. That is exactly what my intention was when creating this image for my viewers.

Image created on Glitch Lab. Available in the Apple App Store for a free download.