A guide to hacking your Instagram for beauty & for Jesus
On filling our vision with joy & Christian art (plus celebrating 3 months at substack!)
Gentle reader,
First, a celebration! Today marks 3 months of Church Blogmatics living at substack. I’ve been honored to connect with you, and our community is now at 2500+ subscribers and growing.
Thank you for joining me! Who do you know who would also enjoy this theological miscellany? Why not invite them to join us by sharing with them now?
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Now, today’s content. (Some email apps may tell you the post is too long for email. You should be able to click “View entire message” to see the entire post in your email app.)
Does anyone else remember this (somewhat creepy) Bible school song? I have a clear memory of singing it cross-legged in the church parlor, the song leader on autoharp.
O be careful little eyes what you see
O be careful little eyes what you see
For the Father up above
Is looking down in love
So, be careful little eyes what you see
What we see does matter. Frequent encounters with a picture or a face make it feel familiar, make the images seem normal. When I work from home, the only faces I see in a day may be those of my family and those on my internet feeds.
(Did you know that we react to characters on TV shows we watch regularly as though they were friends? Seeing those faces frequently makes the people seem like they’re our people.)
Eye, 1900s, America, 20th century, Watercolor on ivory set in a ring with split pearl border
The internet can be used for good and for evil, and we know some of the dangers of social media, like the way scrolling can make our ordinary lives seem insignificant.
But what if we thought about scrolling as a potential spiritual practice? What if we filled our feeds with beauty, with holiness, and with friends?
I follow brands I like on Instagram, and I see plenty of images of photoshopped, skinny, blond beauties, but I also fill my feed with holy alternatives to those cultural (and racist and capitalist) stories about what counts as “beautiful.”
While I don’t really know anything about art, I try to make sure I get to see art anyway. Scroll down to get connected to some of the joy in my Instagram feed.
“Finally brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable--if there is any moral excellence and if there is anything praiseworthy--dwell on these things.” Philippians 4:8
My favorite Instagram art accounts
The great Makoto Fujimura shares from his work.
Christian ecologist Kristen Page (who has written about stewardship and Narnia, ya’ll!) takes the most beautiful bird photographs. I can feel her love for the Creator in her eye for creation.
Writer and placemaker Christie Purifoy (who I interviewed about her newest book, here) shares her photos of home and garden.
Medieval art (curated by art historians) shares countless fascinations.
Kelly Latimore shares moving contemporary icons.
And iconartgallery shares stunning contemporary sacred art.
Joel Briggs shares incredible portraits.
Laura Makabresku shares spirit filled photography, which often keeps me looking for a long, long time.
Xuan Loc Xuan shares, among other things, illustrations with cats and color.
Sanctified art posts about art and faith.
Art and theology from Victoria Emily Jones constantly introduces me to new beauties.
Following folkartwork insures seeing things that aren’t just by well known Europeans.
Sculptor David Hooker shares what’s come off his wheel.
Lanecia Rouse Tinsley shares about her process and pieces.
Kenneth Tanner frequently shares art in his feed.
Chris Green shares his art and poetry (and you can find his substack here
).
I’ve never seen anything like Ivanka Demchuk’s luminous icons.
John August Swanson Studio shares work from the late Christian artist (whose works have been on the covers for both editions of my book, Practicing Christian Doctrine).
And a few non-art follows which bring me joy
Katie Sturino does fashion for bodies that aren’t rail thin and makes light of cultural standards of beauty.
Havensent shares domestic dreams. (I’m a fan of homey beauty. And of green.)
Itsahouselovestory, for more domestic beauty.
And I’m always glad to check in on the creatures at the Brookfield Zoo.
I also follow the hashtags #orchidsofinstagram and #springerspanielsofinstagram to make sure I get some extra joy in my feed. (Springers are the most joyful of the dogs!)
Finally, if you want to connect with me on Instagram, you can find me here:
What are your favorite Instagram follows? Your favorite habits for beauty? I’d love to know!
Grace & peace,
BFJ
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