The other day, I was browsing through my phone when a Viber message from a friend popped up.

In his message was a link to an article about people who are so conscious about their Instagram feed, they let the app consume themselves to their very core. Apparently, he found my habit of “curating” my social media feeds humorous and unnecessary.

I’m pretty sure you’ve read articles on BuzzFeed and other online sites that say people who keep their Instagram accounts “neat and lit” are those who don’t enjoy the essence of life. Maybe it’s true for the person who posts exciting things about this trending destination—when in fact, he’s never even been to the place.

This also applies to those who wear so-called “authentic” brands and tag them into a fashion designer’s profile to make it look as if the item was bought from a high-end shop.

And then there is my favorite: the humblebrags who display the latest kicks in their sneaker collection, yet claim they still don’t own enough.

I can’t deny that I curate my Instagram feeds. To my friends, I am a walking and talking human tripod, capable of doing everything a photographer does, from pre- to post-processes. I can also pass for a resident filter consultant and I can perfectly troubleshoot the adjustments in your VSCO filter to refine and get the proper symmetry and blush to match the character you reflect in your feed. My mom also hires me as her personal caption generator because I “always have the right words to say.”

My Instagram account is my virtual portfolio, my platform for sharing my travel thoughts and experiences, my weekday picks from my wardrobe, my quarter-life quandaries and how I hurdled them, my works-in-progress for painting and even music covers.

Updating it religiously takes up a quarter of my day job. It’s evolved into an unrestricted blog open to the public—with a twist: the photos I upload are tinted and angled to match the whole feed.

I’d like to believe that as humans, we crave for art when our mind is muddled. Art is an outlet of self-expression. Much like the woman who spends hours prepping her eyebrows, contouring her cheeks and plumping her lips; or the boy who spray-paints public walls; the girl who doodles and cuts paper to create a scrapbook; and the lady who spends her free time cross-stitching, I design my feed fastidiously and meticulously because it is my online canvas.
But remember this; there are two categories of art: the one with depth and substance and the one crafted out of a tall tale. Be sure you aren’t the latter.

Here are some of my favorite profiles who use Instagram as a medium to create art: