Curation

I've been thinking about curation a lot lately. In a post that's yet to be published, I talk about how cleaner foods have helped to clean up my life whether it be clearing my mind, my skin or my car's interior what with my food not being transported in McDonald's to-go bags as of late. And with a pretty severe reduction in appetite (I think my body knows my budget better than my mind), the foods I do eat need to be packed with nutrition in order to maintain some form of equilibrium. However, while this state can become frustrating for someone whose pastime includes putting Parmesan cheese in a cup so she could essentially "drink" it, paring down my diet has yielded savings of both time (as I generally shop for and plan my meals around a few foods) and money (ironically, nutrition and price seem to be inversely proportional). Essentially, in the spring and summer, avocados and beans have become my jam... a significant departure from the fall and winter when broccoli and beans are my thang. But boiling my shopping list down to a few essential ingredients has not only enhanced my mental clarity by removing the sugar that made my mind feel like the mental equivalent of Guernica, the curation of my diet has also led me to greatly pare down other elements in my life.

"Time is money," they say, with the implication being that perhaps those with more money have more time. However, just like money, time is something we can make for ourselves (a bit more easily to boot.) In The Attention Economy, I poked a bit of fun at the new-agey idea particularly because it was purported by a young millennial name Trisan. However, when I was recently watching the news and heard Trump was commanding more of the attention economy based on his drawn-out news conferences, shit became increasingly real. What we devote our attention to matters, however, when it comes to social media (particularly Instagram), one might ask the perennial question of the Joker: "why so serious." Indeed, if you're like me, Instagram is a place where you can take a metal break and look at the world's beauty (even if it does make you a little jealous). But I find that when we "overstock" our feed, the platform can have the opposite effect: crowding our space with elements that are interesting but unneeded and distracting. So during quarantine, I've come to pare down my followings to a few essentials. Some of my favorites lie below. Enjoy!

Hint: You may want to log into Instagram on your device so the links will work. :)

Comedy: I begin with comedy because it has surprisingly become one of my favorite things on "the gram." While the platform burgeons with pictures of beautiful homes and people, there's nothing quite like something that can make you laugh.

Fuck Jerry: Obviously. Shows us that life is funnier than fiction.

The Onion: Seems to have become a "pump and dump" for content but every now and then, you come across a gem as seen below.   

 

Beauty: A lot of content on Instagram seems to be beauty-related. Whether it's a beautiful garden or a makeup tutorial... the platform is generally where we go to see life elevated (or at least filtered). But rather than watching someone half my age inform me how to apply eyeliner I'll never wear, I tend to favor accounts that point me in the direction of beauty products I can't afford or showing ways in which to live a beautiful (if unaffordable) lifestyle.

Violet Gray: Features beautiful (and badass) women.

CAP Beauty: Sells expensive products and dispenses free advice as to how to (legitimately) make your life more streamlined and healthy.

Into the Gloss: Beauty advice for the millennial that's the least annoying.

Art and Design: Pretty much why I'm on Instagram. While I love art and design, some accounts can be annoying by trying to engage with you (The Met, MFA Boston... I'm looking at you). No one needs to see dog-related paintings in your collection for National Puppy Day. The following accounts allow you to do your own thing and get lost in beauty (and sometimes rage... you'll see.)

Uffizi Galleries: Not annoying 'cause you can't read the Italian captions.

National Gallery: Like the Brits... straight and to the point.

Elle Decor: Pretty much my favorite Insta-account.

T Magazine: Like Elle Decor but more European and weird. Click the link in bio with caution. People who can buy $12,000 chaise lounges can also go f*&! themselves.

Vogue Weddings: Wedding porn.

Cooking: I love cooking but I need some help. The following accounts lend a hand (or just look nice).

Martha Stewart: While I don't plan on making Baked Alaska, I'll watch people do it.

NYT Cooking: You sometimes need a registered account to open their recipes but when you don't, it's well worth it.

Tasty: Love, love, love. Instructions I can see instead of read... what's not to like? In my experience, the videos seem to come on my feed at night which lulls me into a gentle, delicious sleep. Highly recommended.

Celebrity: Who are we kidding? Social media is big because it allow us to delve into the lives of the rich and famous. I guess it can be used for news too. While I'm not really big on personal accounts, there are a few below I don't mind.

Hailey Beiber: Shutup.

Kourtney Kardshian: Whatever.

Katherine Schwartzenegger: She's pretty and saves puppies.

Page Six: For when you want to laugh at celebrities and cleanse your palate of their pages.

So there you have it: a few key accounts to brighten your day. What are some of you favorite accounts? Leave them in the comments section. Kidding.