Nearly everything I like has an element of randomness. My Instagram page wanders from outfits to dogs to Dallas in the sun; from the novelty of bar bathrooms to videogame conventions and places where I am foreign. But Instagram is one of the most calculated, most “intentional” (as the kids say) things I do. I started Instagramming right when people first started to talk about the awareness that social media, particularly visual social media, could be and was being used to present a manicured, more polished, more glamorous, more expensive illusion of a life. It was trendy to speak disdainfully of this. But I like taking pictures. I think my life is worth documenting, and I’ve been doing it from 110 to 35 to the digital revolution. It was thought to be a bit off kilter when I carried a point and shoot everyday in high school, and I don’t really care if people associate documenting one’s own life with the vanity of out times now. (Oh god, that Laura Ingalls Wilder, she was soo into herself – can you imagine thinking your life is worth keeping a diary about every day? She spent all her time writing when she should have been focused on the moment!)
So I made a deliberate choice that the intent of my Instagram would be to show the parts of my real life that are cool; to find beauty in things and sure, take pictures in a way that shows beauty to other people; but to find that beauty in not just things that are exclusive or expensive. To be aspirational without apologizing for that – but to aspire to different things. Basically, to show that life can be cool without being always fancy or devoid of chaos.
And sometimes, the person who I’m sending that message to is myself.
This day was just a regular day, when I went to work, and didn’t climb a mountain or eat magical foods in another country or see something few people have seen. I was feeling distant from a person who I remember used to go on adventures and always be driven to see the next thing, and the next, and always more.. and I needed to tell myself that it was alright, and I can still see that way.
Rika Confesses 
Our instagrams are totally meant to be for ourselves. Sometimes I get paid for posting content on my instagram which sometimes ruins that and I need to work on it but I love how most instagrams tell us a bit about the person behind it. Keep up the good work!
I think there’s a little room for paid posts while still being true to yourself, it just depends on how you do it. I mean, I post pictures of things I’m doing at/for work sometimes, which is technically stuff that I’m benefiting from promoting, but at the same time it’s things I’m interested in and care about too.
I find it tricky working out how to treat my Instagram sometimes. I’m such a private person yet to help my business grow I need to put myself out there! X
It’s funny, I think I almost have the opposite problem- I have no issues putting my life out there, but I feel like if I picked a theme I’d grow my followers faster and such.. but I like posting whatever I’m thinking so I don’t really want to stick to a theme.
Instagram is a funny old place! This looks like such a fun little project! A photo for every hour of the day! I think I might just try it!
It’s cool to look back at later too! I think I originally got the idea from someone else although I can’t remember exactly now.
I’m inspired!! I might just do the photo every hour for a day..
I recommend it, it’s cool to see your own day like that and take the time to think about what you are doing.
This is so cool! I actually would love to see this become a hashtag!
Love this idea of capturing a photo every hour! Also love the pie hour. I can completely relate to the dogs loving going in and out of the door. Who knew that could be so entertaining.
My dad was in town awhile ago, and I found out that one if the main things he reported back to my mom was how much Vega wanted to go outside and how she wouldn’t let him go smoke without her. Lol!
Hi Rika, I have nominated your blog for the Blogger Recognition Award.
You can see my full post here: https://www.tinylovebug.com/blogging/blogger-recognition-award
Congrats!!! 🙂
Thank you! I’m on my way to read the part!
Just be true to you and do you, girl! xo
Do you ever get sick or posting every hour or is it just a fun part of your routine?
Most of the time it’s fun, but if I’m super busy it can be a bit hard to make sure I remember every hour, or if I’m doing something not visually exciting sometimes it can be a challenge to find something to photograph. I don’t think I could do it every day for a week or anything, I think at that point the fun might wear off.
Your instagram is completely unique which is fab! I get so bored with staged photos of fake people pouting
Ha ha! I love Instagram, but it is getting harder to find people to follow.. seems like it’s getting dominated by the same pictures taken by different similar looking people. Or, at least, with the way they handle recommendations, those are the accounts that are easiest to find. 😦
i think that you should do whatever you want, it’s your instagram 😉
I think it’s a lovely idea to post every hour…fun water to document your daily activities