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*To the Admin: This topic could probably also be posted in the In The Studio or Potter's Council section of the forum, but due to my use of Instagram for business I've started it here. If it should live somewhere else, please move it.

 

Hi All,

 

Who's using Instagram as part of their clay life? For me, it's been a really helpful, monetarily beneficial, and FUN tool. It's helped me connect with fellow artists and customers, and it's played a large role in building my brand. I've had a great experience with the tool, and I figured I'd share. For those using the forum who don't have Instagram on their radar, it is now.

 

In short, Instagram is a photo sharing application that allows user to upload, edit and share photos with the Instagram community at large, or (by using the private profile option) specific users who have been granted permission. The application also allows users to "filter" photos to make them look like they've been Photoshopped. Users can include a caption when they upload a photo, as well as hashtagged terms (ie #pottery #ceramics #puppies #tacotuesday) to make photos easy to locate using the application's search feature. Users "Follow" other users to subscribe to their photos; the homescreen is populated by the most recent uploads from all the users one follows. Users can "Like" and/or leave comments on photos. The application is available for iOS and Android and is primarily used on smartphones and tablets; recently a view-only version became available for folks using a traditional notebook/desktop browser. 

 

Mixed in with all the users posting pictures of their kittens, babies, hipster parties, adventures with bacon, etc is a large community of ceramic artists sharing pictures of their daily process and their pots. I open Instagram on my phone and scroll through my homescreen feed a few times a day, and I'll be greeted by pictures uploaded from folks like Adam Field, Michael Kline, Alex Matisse, Birdie Boone, Brett Kern, Justin Rothshank... The pictures are visually fun to look at, and give a look into the life of the artist and process behind the work.

 

For me, Instagram has been a versatile tool, and a source of both give and take. I get inspired by posts made by others, and others (hopefully) get inspired by posts I make. Through comments left on photos, I have gotten a lot of quick troubleshooting support and have provided a lot of this as well. I have found potters who's work I've begun collecting, and I have received a good bit of business from customers who find me via Instagram then connect to my website. It's also a great tool for promoting an event or an Etsy sale code. 

 

If you're not on Instagram, give it a try. Whether for business, pleasure or both, a lot of us are already posting daily, sharing images of our studios, processes, firings, pots and lives. If you decide to take the plunge, here's my shortlist of 20 clay-related must-follow accounts to get you started:

@adamfieldpottery

@alexmatisse

@archie_bray

@ayumihorie

@btotheb

@brettkernart

@chris_throws_pots (shamelessly, me)

@dougpeltzmanpottery

@el_ceramica

@forrestmiddleton

@jrothshank

@kilngod

@klineola

@kylecarpenterpottery

@lornameadenpottery

@lyonclay

@pdxceramics

@shinygbird

@stvdiobrooklyn 

@williambakerpottery

 

Cheers,

 

Chris

 

 

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  • 2 months later...

My May issue of Ceramics Monthly arrived yesterday and features Hide-N-Seekah, an Instagram event, on page 24.  Go check out the @hidenseekah account on Instagram and look at some of the amazing clay artist people in the follow list.  I haven't even made it half way through the 60+ people yet and feel like I have discovered a gold mine of inspiration.

 

And, by the way, for any other PC users out there, I use http://web.stagram.com/ as a way to have full access to Instagram account features without having to access everything via a mobile device.

 

-Paul

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And, by the way, for any other PC users out there, I use http://web.stagram.com/ as a way to have full access to Instagram account features without having to access everything via a mobile device.

 

-Paul

Thanks Paul, I was wonderng if I could enter the modern age with an ancient BlackBerry and no tablet.

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Thanks Paul, I was wonderng if I could enter the modern age with an ancient BlackBerry and no tablet.

 

Seems like I'm stuck in the old world:

 

Bummer, Chilly.  Have you tried setting up an instagram.com account using a personal computer/desktop?  I think once you have a login, those same credentials will get you into webstagram.

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  • 1 month later...

Just a heads-up for the Instagram fans here on the forum, there are a whole bunch of images posted on Instagram from NCECA that are worth browsing through...check the list of accounts that Chris Throws Pots listed on the opening message in this thread. Start with @musingaboutmud on Instagram, there are probably 30 great images there...and thanks to all who posted images.  It wasn't a good as being there, but it sure felt nice to know that other artists took time to share their NCECA experience.

-Paul

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There was a presentation at NCECA about staying connected in the virtual world through ... facebook, instagram, pinterest, personal blogs, Linkedin, YouTube .... etc, etc, etc. One person asked at the end of this how they found the time to do all this computer interaction and get their work done too ... no big surprise that connecting often trumps working ... which brings me back to the common sense answer of choosing one or two of them ...  doing those well so that you can also get some work made!

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  • 2 weeks later...

This post has perfect timing!  I JUST set up an instagram account for my ceramics!  And super thank you for the list of users to follow, its really inspirational!

 

@mesireeceramicsstudio  (shameless plug)

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  • 3 weeks later...
  • 3 weeks later...

My husband's been a bit of an addict for a while - I finally joined, after a bit of cajoling and being bated with a certain number of gin and tonics.  (http://instagram.com/messesmostly)  Haven't posted much, still trying to get a handle on the whole thing. (Ha!  She said "handle!")

 

I immediately started following a few wood-firers, thought I'd add them to the list:

@woodfire (Simon Levin, I believe)

@twopotters (Becca Van Fleet and Nathan Webb)

@jlpottery (Justin Lambert)

@loganwannamaker (Well, Logan Wannamaker, of course)

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  • 5 weeks later...
  • 2 years later...

I'll add my Instagram, @dieselclay

I also recommend @kdjriber (Katriona Djriber), @saltyseadogdesigns (Blair and Sarah Dawes), @sarahpikepottery (Sarah Pike) @foragestudios (Mariko Paterson), @make_and_do_ceramics (awesome group of Canadian ceramic artists)...

Oh heck. Just go through my "following" list. I have a problem.

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Bah, HUMBUG! I hate social media. We don't tweet, cluck, quack or make any other animal sounds. We're just very private people and like to keep some things to ourselves. Too much data being collected on folks presently and now equipment is being installed along the interstate/freeway system to collect bluetooth and GPS signals...like that is actually needed.... :rolleyes:   ....and I don't need a refrigerator that takes pictures of the inside of itself neither. If I'm too stupid to realize when it's outta food...then I need to go ahead on and starve to death.... :lol:;)

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