7 creative Instagram accounts that stand out from the crowd
Many online creators were afraid of what the first lockdown in 2020 would bring. Would creating content become more difficult? How would they keep their audience engaged, while posting photos from home? Is there a way to turn this negative situation around to produce something positive and interesting?
Since March last year I have unfollowed a fair few Instagram accounts. However, I have also found many new accounts (or rediscovered old ones), who have inspired me with their creativity and out of the box thinking when producing their content.
I was surprised and excited that the creators weren’t only posting photos from their homes and backyards (and if they did, it was exciting and entertaining), but also took advantage of their natural surroundings. Others recycled their old photographs and through editing kept their feed cohesive and interesting to look at. Here you’ll find my favourite seven accounts, which I check on every day.
VICTORIA MCGRATH AKA INTHEFROW
https://www.instagram.com/inthefrow/
Victoria is a multi-award-winning blogger, who started her online journey in 2012 with a fashion, travel and beauty blog called Inthefrow and has since finished her PHD in fashion, published a best-selling fashion book, “The New Fashion Rules,” and has an ambassadorships with Dyson Hair, Armani Beauty and Dior Makeup.
Victoria is insanely creative and always surprises me with her posts! Her Instagram is not just ‘another fashion blogger’ style of content, she films creative reels and post photos reminiscent of expensive advertorials. You feel like she is selling you that aesthetic and luxurious way of living, which even though for many is unattainable, it is still lovely to look at, almost like watching an old school fairy tale.
Check out Inthefrow for your beauty and fashion fix!
HONZA ŘEHÁČEK AKA KOPERNIKK
https://www.instagram.com/kopernikk/
Honza is a 29-year-old Czech photographer and content creator. According to his website, his passion for photography started at the end of 2014.
“I experienced one of the most beautiful trips to the mountains that completely changed my view of life, at that time. The desire to experience unique moments of nature, peace of mind let me get my dream four-legged partner for adventure life – Sitka.”
Looking at Honza’s Instagram makes me want to get a dog and run away from the rush of the city and live in the wild. Just me, and my furry companion. Given the current situation for many you can find beauty in nature all whilst appropriately social distancing, and having man’s best friend to keep you company. Honza’s lifestyle looks very appealing especially nowadays.
Check out Honza for some much need escapism during lockdown!
MICHELLE VON KALBEN
https://www.instagram.com/michellevonkalben/
Michelle is a 23-year-old entrepreneur and online business owner, living in Germany. She creates digital art and photography with inventive use of photoshop to make her work stand out from the crowd in the most magical way.
Looking at Michelle’s amazing photography and editing skills makes you feel like you are a part of a magical world. One photo looks like it was taken straight out of The Hobbit and it makes you wonder when Gandalf will come knocking with a quest and a bunch of hungry dwarfs. Another photo looks like a world of faeries, sprinkled with shiny dust.
Channel your inner magic with Michelle’s page!
PAIGE ARMINTA WATTS
https://www.instagram.com/paigearminta/
Paige was born and raised in Salt Lake City and has worked for companies like Bloomingdales, Anthropologie (visual merchandising), Maker Studio and Walt Disney (as a project manager and talent strategist). Now she is a full-time content creator with the biggest imagination.
Paige’s Instagram looks like it was run by a creative director of a fashion magazine. Her content is nothing like I have seen before, it is truly unique. Every time I look at her new posts, I am left astonished with her outside-the-box thinking and originality. Her confidence is evident in all of her work, making it distinctly unique. That’s probably why her page has grown so fast and now has over 200k subscribers!
Have a look at Paige’s Instagram for creative photography.
JONNA JINTON
https://www.instagram.com/jonnajinton/
Jonna is 31-year-old and lives in Grundtjärn, a small village in northern Sweden. She and her husband create handmade silver jewellery and ship it to customers all over the world. Jonna also films for her YouTube channel, paints and photographs. You can buy some of her work directly from her website.
Jonna is one of the most authentic people on the internet, a quality which is hard to come by. She escaped the city to live in a small village, because she felt trapped and wanted to reconnect with nature and her own spirituality. Being in tune with nature ‘opened up’ her creativity.
“I started with photography and writing, then filmmaking, painting, jewellery making and music. I felt like something exploded in me, in the best way possible. This place gave me inspiration like nothing I’ve ever felt before. It became my passion to create beautiful things, and I started sharing it on social media platforms.”
Explore Jonna’s content to connect with your spiritual side!
NIKKI WOLFF
https://www.instagram.com/nikki_makeup/
Nikki is a globally known London-based makeup artist. She is Dior’s celebrity makeup artist and a beauty columnist at Glamour UK. Nikki trained at London College of Fashion and after started working at the Mac Cosmetics counter while freelancing on the side. She made her Instagram account 4 years ago and never looked back!
“I was on a shoot and a model asked if I had Instagram”, she says. “When I said ‘no’, she convinced me to download the app, saying that I was already doing the work anyway and all I needed to do was take a picture of it.”
Her ‘signature look’ is beautifully glowing skin, plump lips and bushy eyebrows. The looks that she creates look natural and wearable, yet exquisite and celestial. She likes to experiment and play with makeup and gets inspired by the world around her and different faces she gets to paint. She has some great looks that her viewers can perfect whilst being at home.
Check Nikki’s page if you are a makeup lover!
GAZ OAKLEY
https://www.instagram.com/avantgardevegan/
https://www.avantgardevegan.com
Gaz Oakley is a trained chef from Cardiff. He started working part-time as a chef in a hotel since he was 15 and left school after his GCSEs at the age 16 to work there full time.
“I was like a sponge, soaking up as much knowledge as I could from all the chefs around me. It was a great place to learn. After a year or so working at the hotel, I was often left to run the restaurant myself – it was an amazing feeling”
After watching Gary Yourofsky’s speech on animal cruelty and veganism on YouTube, Gaz went 100% vegan and became a vegan chef. Now, he has his own brand called Avant-Garde Vegan and has published a few cookbooks: Vegan 100, Vegan Christmas and Plants Only Kitchen.
He is planning to open his own restaurants, but has also helped creating a vegan menu for Wagamama and The Vurger Co. Gary has some delicious healthy vegan recipes for you to try at home during lockdown, check out both his cookbooks and his various social media accounts for more details.
Channel your inner chef with Gaz if you love vegan food or you’re open to experimenting in the kitchen!
All of the creators mentioned above have brighten my lockdown through their creativity and engaging content. Their work stands out in a crowd and showed people that influencers can still make engaging and interesting content as long as they channel their inner creativity.
All of the creators mentioned above have brightened my lockdown experience through their creativity and engaging content. Their work stands out in the crowd and has shown people that influencers can still make engaging and interesting content as long as they channel their inner creativity.
Even though lockdown has made work for creators more difficult, it also gave them a real chance to challenge themselves and get out of their comfort zones. I hope you will enjoy them as much as I do!