How to Get Started on Instagram for Art Educators 

Connecting with people is such an essential part of being human. Maintaining connections with others is especially important, considering our current situation of more social distancing and increased isolation. Social media continues to be one of the best ways to connect with people online.

There is a vast community of art educators who are creating, sharing, and communicating through Instagram. Creating an art teacher Instagram account might be just the right thing to help you stay connected to the world of art education.

Before you get too far into creating an Instagram account, you may want to check with your administration to make sure there aren’t any specific restrictions with having a teacher Instagram page. With so many benefits with Instagram, it’s not usually an issue, but it’s always good to check. You’ll also want to check your school’s specific student sharing permissions to protect the identity of your artists.

How to Get Started on Instagram for Art Educators

1. Set it up.

You’ll need to start by downloading the Instagram app and creating an account. Have fun and get creative with your profile name and picture. Find a fun username using this tool or this tool. Think of something bold and representative of you and your classroom vibe.

2. Introduce yourself in your first post.

Create your first post. An introduction to who you are, what your teaching environment looks like, or an image of your favorite student project are all great ideas for your first post. Don’t be afraid to brighten the image up a bit by adding a photo filter. Clean, clear, and bright images tend to be best on the Instagram platform.

3. Start following other Instagram profiles and hashtags.

One of the most amazing things about Instagram is connecting with people, sharing ideas, and following along with people you admire. It can be overwhelming at first, but once you start, it is easy to keep going. Start by following @theartofed on Instagram, other art teachers you admire, current artists such as these twenty inspiring artists to follow on Instagram, other inspirational educators, and numerous other awesome accounts you might discover. You can also follow the hashtags of themes that might interest you like #artteachersofinstagram and #arteducation to stay up-to-date on all the latest.

Once you set up your profile, Instagram will also offer suggestions of people you should follow. Filling your Instagram feed with positive and inspirational artists, teachers, and individuals is a great way to get started. Just remember, you are seeing everyone’s highlights reel. Be careful not to succumb to art teacher comparison and focus on enjoying the connection and positivity of having an art teacher Instagram account.

4. Comment, message, and interact with people who inspire you.

Everyone loves a positive message. One way to show you love what others are doing is by commenting or messaging another Instagram user. Don’t be afraid to reach out with a kind word or quick question. Be sure to keep your interaction positive and polite while also respecting the time someone might take to respond to your message or comment.

5. Share awesome content.

Share posts from your classroom, a drying rack full of projects, lessons your students have done, a beautifully messy art sink, art show exhibits, and more! Sharing art content is an excellent advocacy tool for your art department. Since Instagram is such a visual platform, it lends itself perfectly to sharing beautiful images. As art teachers, we are surrounded by beautiful images daily.

You can also share content with your Instagram story, which disappears from view within twenty-four hours, unlike posts on your feed, which stay forever. Instagram stories are a great way to share your daily routine, questions you have, a quick story, or works in progress.

6. Save and archive posts and highlights for later.

One of the best features of Instagram is that you can save posts you love for later reference, essentially creating saved “boards” similar to Pinterest. When you see a post in your feed you want to save, simply tap and hold the little flag icon in the bottom right corner and add it to a saved folder.

You can also create highlights on your profile, which are especially helpful when documenting something important, like your art show or the process of a favorite lesson.

What are the benefits of creating an art teacher Instagram page?

• It helps to alleviate the “lonely island feeling” of being an art teacher by connecting you with other awesome art educators just like you!
• Creating an account specific for teaching allows for better separation between your personal life and your job instead of posting things about teaching from your private Instagram account.
• It’s a great advocacy tool to share and show off your students’ accomplishments, art field trips, and art department success.
• It cultivates a fantastic sense of community support from art teachers with common problems and successes. For example, post a question in your story about how to fire a certain type of clay project or what to do with donated materials, and you’ll likely get quick answers.
• It allows you to connect with current working artists. Send artists a message or simply follow along with their work to stay updated on the modern art world.
• You can make real, lifelong friends. Some of my very best friends are art teachers I’ve met through Instagram.

Creating an art teacher Instagram to connect might just be the extra support you’ve been looking for. In a world where positive connections are a human need, try starting an art teacher Instagram to begin your adventure.

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