Hello, again! Another weekend, another blog post. I want to start by thanking you for tirelessly reading what I write, even if it's just opening the article and skimming the contents. Another thing we all do tirelessly is scroll on Instagram. I've been curating my feed over the years that serve my interests, and I thought I'll make a post in the best-of series for Instagram. I'm excluding the celebrity, music, and sports-related accounts as they are individual preferences. Here we go.
Special Mentions
Starting with the special mentions, these are my friends who have an online presence and have developed an audience for themselves over the years with a lot of hard work. In their own ways, they inspired me to start writing on the internet and develop an audience. I take this as a chance to thank them.
- @addictive_lenz (Photographer)— My friend Vivek Rahul is a passionate photographer specializing mostly in landscape photography. Follow him for some great captures.
- @thephotogeniesstudio (Photographer) — My cousin Kaushik started The Photo Genies Studio recently along with his friend. They specialize in wedding and event photography in India. Great job on the pictures, brother. Keep going!
- @laalithya_bondili (Dancer) — I know Laalithya from UT Arlington. She's a graceful dancer specializing in Indian dance forms and equally kills it in western numbers. She has amassed 16k followers on Instagram. She dances and posts tirelessly — a great example of consistency.
- @iansterlingdesign (Virtual Interaction Designer) — Ian is a former colleague and a friend specializing in digital design, sleek automobile sketches, and he's a passionate VR programmer.
- @srinivasanrameshofficial (Photographer) — My friend Srini is an extraordinary photographer who nails every photograph he captures. The pictures speak for themselves. Do check him out.
Health and Fitness
- @bornfitness — I've been a member of the born fitness coaching program for two years now, and I've received exceptional guidance on fitness and nutrition from the coaches @_bjward and @natalie_sabin.
- @maxlugavere — Max Lugavere is a nutrition expert who provides invaluable advice on eating right and living a healthy life. He also runs a podcast called @thegeniuslifepodcast.
- @dr_cuterus — Dr. Tanaya is an oxford university trained doctor and educator who talks about sex and sexual health on Instagram.
Mental Health
- @nadiaaddesi — Nadia Addesi is a social worker and psychotherapist, who throws light on mental health issues and speaks about day-to-day subtleties in navigating them.
- @drjulie — Dr. Julie Smith is a clinical psychologist, who is also an author. She gives fact-based advice on mental health and emotional issues.
Books
Instagram is a big source of book recommendations for me, and I've found a lot of them from these accounts. Each account has its uniqueness in presenting and recommending books in the genres they love.
Humanity and Inspirations
- @joshuacoombes — Joshua Coombes is a hairdresser who grooms homeless people and interviews them. His purpose of "do something for nothing" is an inspiration.
- @brady.thebrave — Brady is a 6-year-old kid living with Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB), a rare skin disease with no cure as of now. I think this account is run by his parents, and they post updates about EB research and raise awareness. Brady is a brave child and he always puts up a smile on his face despite his struggles. What an inspiration!
- @officialhumansofbombay — Humans of Bombay is an Indian photoblog that captures the stories of the people of India. I have learned a lot about the struggles of cancer survivors, transgender women, rape victims, victims of several forms of abuse, mental health disorders, and much more.
- @zach.h28 — I have been following Zach for a year and his weight loss journey is nothing less than inspiring. He has lost 420 lb (190 kg) and is writing a book about it.
- @specialbooksbyspecialkids — Special Books by Special Kids is a non-profit organization and its founder (I think his name is Adam) interviews disabled people all around the world. His mission is to create a more inclusive world where there is an awareness of the struggles, happiness, and joys of disabled people.
- @feminist — A great place to learn about feminism and to stay updated on feminist issues.
Nerd Corner
- @metaballstudios_official — I started following them on YouTube first. They create size comparison videos like astronomical objects, buildings, fictional characters, fictional animals, etc.
- @ccnyplanetarium — The official account of the planetarium at the City College of New York. I'm learning a lot about Analemmas, the Voyager space probes, and much more about astronomy.
- @inverse — One of the coolest places to learn about the latest updates on science & technology, cinematic universes, and more.
- @uniladtech — All things tech from new inventions, latest developments, and tech news.
- @uberfacts — Daily dose of scientific facts.
- @physicsfun — This account shows a lot of physics-based puzzles and experiments with detailed descriptions in the caption. They also have a merchandise shop where you can buy the puzzles they show.
- @unnecessaryinventions — One of the best, yet useless accounts you could follow. It is run by a designer called Matty Benedetto. He creates inventions for problems that don't exist. Though he claims that, I find some of his inventions very much necessary.
- @historyphotographed — An account that gives us pictures from all over history, with accurate and unbiased descriptions of the events depicted.
- @nasawebb — The official account of the James Webb Telescope.
- @iss — Everything to learn about the International Space Station, with breathtaking views of the Earth from above.
- @8fact — Another daily dose of scientific facts.
- @the.language.nerds — Language-based jokes, puns, and grammar content in several languages.
- @supercarblondie — Want to look at cool cars and learn about them? Look no further.
- @nasahubble — The official account of the NASA Hubble Space Telescope. Loads of astronomical content.
VFX, Design, Digital & 3D Art
Most of us like VFX irrespective of the occurrence. These people post the best VFX and digital art content that revolve around several themes and I've been following all of these accounts for a couple of years.
Novelty Art
- @jvenb — Giovanni Contardi is an artist who creates portraits and mosaics composed of Rubik's cubes. All of his artwork contains more than 700 Rubik's cubes that are solved meticulously to create complex patterns.
- @witenry — Adam Hillman is an object arranger who arranges different objects to form complex patterns that mostly involve the color spectrum.
- @justadoodlersfeed — Vrishti is an artist based in Mumbai, India whose floral patterns are visual treats to look at.
- @mrdoodle — The OG doodle guy of Instagram. His originality, creativity, and speed amaze me. His drawing videos are a treat to the eyes and ears.
- @senaruna — Sena Runa is a quilling artist, who does some amazing and intricate work using paper.
Calligraphy, Hand Lettering, and Ambigrams
These are some of the accounts I follow that are based on Calligraphy, Hand Lettering, and Ambigrams. There's something about words written beautifully that I find soothing to witness.
Photography, Travel, and Nature
These are some of the best photography, nature, wildlife, and travel accounts I follow. They range from portraits, and landscapes, to aerial shots and travel vlogs.
Zen
- @itsrelaxingstuff — All kinds of relaxing stuff and satisfying videos.
- @sandwoah — This account focuses on satisfying ASMR sand videos that equally appeal to the eyes.
- @_mudworks_ — Another account where the guy scrapes mud, putty, and slimy substances in different colors and patterns. I always stop and look at the whole video.
- @ipandachannel — The daily dose of cuteness of pandas, right from The China Conservation and Research Centre for the Giant Panda.
Comedy
- @user_name_taken_already — Relatable comic Karthi Durai is a blast. A light-hearted account.
- @julienolke — One of the best sketch comedians on Instagram.
- @satired — Aravind SA is a famous stand-up comic based in Chennai, India who is famous for his jokes all over the country.
- @ilikeslander — The musical stand-up comedian Alexander Babu is a multi-talented artist based in Chennai, India. I watched his show in Dallas, Texas, and regularly enjoy his comedy interspersed with Tamil music.
- @ozzymanreviews — The Australian comedian roasts, and commentates on several videos. His Australian accent and swear words make his videos funnier. NSFW. Rated R.
- @alicomedy — I first saw Asif Ali on the TV show New Girl. I didn't know he was a standup comedian. He's hilarious.
Fashion and Accessories
Watches, outfit inspirations, sneakers, and much more.
Food and Dining
- @happietrio — Great South-Indian food and recipes, neatly arranged on a plate, for vegetarians and meat lovers alike.
- @tomatoblues — The vegetarian counterpart of the above account. Great recipes, and once again, great to look at.
- @sxmplyni — Ni Nigel Kabvina's culinary and presentation skills are out of this world. When I discovered this account, I couldn't stop watching. Most of his dishes are meat-based, and they look exquisite. And he always begins his videos with a bouquet of flowers. A stylish chef.
- @kobe_yn — Instagram's favorite baby chef. He's all grown up now and cooks with his baby brother. Always a treat to watch.
These are the accounts on Instagram that I enjoy every day. Social media can be a great place for entertainment and learning if we curate our feeds to fit our interests. It enables the productive use of such platforms. What are some accounts that you like? Do let me know. Thanks for reading. Peace out!
