Photo Credit: Jakub Krechowicz

Social Media is a powerful tool. I’m always learning or desirous of learning moments, which is why when I opened my Twitter account @ArtistStrong I was immediately hooked. Many use it as they do Facebook, to share their lives with friends and loved ones. Yet, many appear to use it as I do. Yes, I follow friends and loved ones, but most creatively useful to me are the other creatives I find and follow on Twitter. I follow people of all disciplines because that is what intellectually engages and inspires me. And I am able to connect with a community of like-minded creatives who wish to learn and better themselves too. My desire for knowledge is often overwhelmed by the hundreds of news articles and blog posts tweeted to my feed. Sometimes it is because of reading those articles that I am making art or developing an idea for my classroom.

It appeals to my art history background because of my basic understanding of curation. I create the arrangement (follow those on Twitter I think feed my artistic path) and the production enhances my creative experience or intellectual understanding. I believe that is also why I enjoy Pinterest so much. It is another means of collection and curation of ideas. Both of these forums more readily acknowledge the act of curation and allow the social media user to easily manipulate the nature of the content received, which I would argue is vastly different from the recipient role we all have on Facebook.

To whet your media appetite, here are some people I follow on Twitter  and Pinterest, may they inspire your creativity!

Twitter:

ArtistTaraReed ‏ @ArtistTaraReed

Licensed Artist, Coach, Speaker, Author, Illustrator.

Andy Puddicombe ‏ @andy_headspace

Founder of Headspace. Author. TED Talker. Surfer. Monkey Lover. Chocolate Taster. Husband to Amazing Wife. All Tweets My Own.

Eric Sheninger ‏ @NMHS_Principal

Principal of New Milford HS (NJ): NASSP National Digital Principal Award Winner (2012), Google Certified Teacher, Adobe Education Leader, Author, Speaker

Sarah Walton ‏ @the_hedonista

From Melbourne, living in Dubai and eating my way around the world. Writing about travel, food and various inane musings

Maria Popova ‏ @brainpicker

Interestingness hunter-gatherer obsessed with combinatorial creativity. Editor of @brainpickings & @explorer. Bylines for @WiredUK & @TheAtlantic. MIT Fellow.

Gary Doi ‏ @ahopefulsign

Former School Superintendent. Founder of magazine blog for living-learning-leading. Spreading hope. Encouraging people to think and act in hopeful ways.

Carolyn Solares ‏ @carolynsolares

Writer, Artist, Strategist, Recovering MBA… Love writing about the creative journey and living a happy life.

Ticia Verveer ‏ @ticiaverveer

Archaeologist. Reconstructing the Past, Studying the Present, Working on a Sustainable Future. Specializes in the Humanitarian challenges worldwide, past & present.

Lateefa M ‏ @LateefaM

artist, photographer, entrepreneur, Tashkeel Director

Tina Seelig ‏ @tseelig

Creativity, Innovation, Entrepreneurship. Author: What I Wish I Knew When I Was 20, and inGenius: A Crash Course on Creativity. http://about.me/tinaseelig

Patrick Ross ‏ @PatrickRwrites

Professional storyteller. Promotes creativity & an art-committed life at a Top 10 Blog for Writers. Writer’s Center instructor. MFA student at VCFA.

I have one I seriously follow on Pinterest:

drawdrawdraw *

drawing talk, ideas, leads, visuals

Artist Strong Action: Do you utilize social media as a tool of intellectual curation? Take the time to create lists on your Twitter feed, one for social and family and fun, and the other for intellectual stimulation.